Modern Day Muses: Music + Headphones

It's been awhile since I explored the concept of "Modern Day Muses".  The idea that something can cause you to become inspired has been around with mankind since the ancient Greeks.  It is my belief that these inspirational objects are still with us today in the form of everyday occurrences.  Today I'd like to explore the concept of music and your quaint headphone device.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that music will open new worlds in your mind.  That is something that I believe everyone knows, and doesn't really warrant repeat.  What I will tell you is that listening to music while working on a project (usually through the use of some headphone-like device) will allow you to become more focused, and complete the job at hand.

In my own life, circumstances occur where I have one deliverable after the other piled on top of each other.  Often times, this can become very stressful, and I begin to start feeling panicky.  In these situations, I become less productive as I start to think about balancing the workload or how I'm going to get everything done on time.  In simplest form, my productivity drastically decreases.

My solution to the aforementioned debacle is to strap on some headphones and listen to my favorite songs.  By distracting the mind with the insertion of music, I can stop focusing on how I'm going to get the job done, and instead focus on actually getting the job done.  It's really an amazing experience, and after my work is done, I marvel at how well that little process worked.

Often times, this same process works well when I'm strapped for ideas.  By using music to my advantage, I'm able to alter my surroundings in a more favorable light and better my overall situation.  There is also the added benefit of using headphones which is that you are secretly listening to something that nobody else is.  I even play a game and look around to see if life has synced itself to my song.  Most of the time it doesn't work.

The important point to consider with all this is that something as simple as removing yourself from the situation at hand by listening to music may be just the boost  you need to either achieve your productive potential or you creative potential.

Wonderful Moment of the Day:  Attending an NFL game with my Dad.