Add Music To Your Workflow To Improve Results

I have two kinds of work. One is banging out code that needs to be written with no subtleties and no insights. The other is writing awkward and difficult code that needs care and attention. I can listen to music while writing the first kind, but I cannot listen to any kind of music while writing the second.

It makes me wonder, what if I didn't listen to music while writing the "no-think" code? What if I paid attention, thought about it carefully, and put my brain to work instead of just banging out the code. Would I have insights that I might otherwise miss?

And I'm reminded of the study at Cornell[1], quoted in PeopleWare (DeMarco and Lister) where the effects of music were studied. That study found that listening to music can (apparently) inhibit or prevent insights, somehow preventing the "Aha!" that can sometimes make all the difference.

Of course, using music to isolate yourself from noisy surrounds is one thing, but earplugs and white noise might actually work better. People are different, but it's cause for pause. Maybe you think you can code just as well, perhaps better, with music. But perhaps you're like the people in the study - thinking you code just as well, but actually missing some insights.

[1] Despite looking, I've been unable to find the original study, and so, it seems, have others. It's passing into folklore with no actual details to back it up, like the monk's cat, or the 5 monkeys. Details would be nice to find.