======= Date Modified 01 28 2010 15:28:21 =======
Do you listen to music? Have lots of light or just be screan light? Give yourself dealines? Alone? Have your partner stand over you with a big stick! Wearing your lucky hat? Au naturale :$

I'm currently listening to Freebird by Lynard Skynard, sat in the gloom, on my own, fully clothed and thinking deadline what deadline. I'm off for a curry and a pint later :-)

I can't listen to any music and need as close to absolute silence as possible. Large cups of coffeee and intermittent chocolate is essential. A large virtual tomato timer. I can only work in university and can't do anything at home.

I have to have music. Anything without singing though (unless in a language I can't understand). Upbeat most of the times, down-tempo when I realise that I am too restless. I work better at night until morning, alone. With people, I ignore all work.

At work I get distracted by people. At home I find distractions (such as endless tea and this forum). Sometimes I like music, other times it actively annoys me. I seem to work best late at night, when I'm too tired to be distracted. The downside to this is that I am then also too tired to do really good work. I feel I have to almost trick myself into writing.

Unfortunately I have to work from home most of the time as my university is 60 miles away, its not always worth going there when I don't have anything specific to go for, I'm only at MSc level. Usually in the holidays I go once a week to stock up on library books. I find I work best in the silent area there, in front of a big window...I have my favourite spots and can sit there reading for hours with a few cofee breaks in between.

At home I have to have silence, or as close to silence as I can get, difficult because I still live with my parents and younger brother...and there always seems to be some sort of commotion or loud conversation going on that drives me mad, I find it very difficult to block sound out. If I have the house to myself I work downstairs, otherwise I work in my room, I tend to read better during the day and write in the evenings, when writing I use mytomatoes. I have to have the room fully lit as well, and have a lot of tea/coffee and a few sweeties in my desk drawer to keep me going! Sometimes I go to Starbucks/Costas and work there as the have free internet connection, or I just read with a coffee, I like that sort of alone-time and I find I think more freely when I'm in a neutral setting like that.

I work from home because a) my uni is 3 hours away and b) I work better on my own, it means i can sigh, and make many cups of tea and shout at my screen without people tutting. I also find that when I'm in my uni office I distract everyone in there so much its better for me to work from home.

I use mytomatoes.com and use the 5 min breaks to go on my little trampoline so my blood doesn't stagnate in my body and I get all sleepy. I do listen to music, but I tend to only listen to music with words when I'm doing data entry. The rest of the time I listen to classical music, although not the famous ones e.g. bach etc cos I tend to hum along becayse I've studied music so much, it also means I spend all day wanting to practice my cello, so at the mo I listen to orchestral scores from films.

======= Date Modified 02 Apr 2010 11:51:11 =======
Thanks for the replies. I've had a look at mytomatoes.com and it looks simple but very useful. I work from home and at the University. With a wife, two kids and a dog and an interest in politics and sports I'm so easily distracted. Luckily everyone is very supportive.

I noticed coming into office earlier than others help a lot, because by the time they arrive, I'm already focused to only have few distractions. I try not to have this forum and stuff like facebook, coz lets face it, unless you're waiting for an impotant message, they can be really distracting. I dont like working at home, which is bad because I cannot switch off when i'm at home, but I'm too tired to think (never ending cycle). music is not allowed in the lab during the day(sayfety hazard) but I listed to rap music(mostly made of swearing words) if nothing is working, I listen to movie classical scores if I'm concentrating, I listen to dance or punk rock when stuck in the lab late at night(I'm a science student), and I listen to my jogging music, when I need to hurry up with some work. So basically...I have 320Gb of music for every senario. come to think of it, I survived last year BECAUSE of music!?!?!

Hi Fred

I also work at home, and start early - most days have started working by 7am at the latest. Mornings are quiet, and I'm refreshed and do my best work then. I plough through about 10 tomatoes by lunchtime - www.mytomatoes.com - then do easier work after lunch and then again at nite. I listen to quiet, slow electronic or ambient music, so I don't get so lonely. I have a routine that I stick to, every day, and it helps me get lots done. I also make sure I have some fun, and normally go out with my partner on Friday nites, so we also get some time together.