Programming Music

May 25, 2013 · Comments
DevelopmentMusicSoapboxStartups

The Office Stereo

Our startup has a stereo in the office because one of the most important environmental elements is music, especially for software developers.

“Programming can be a bit like having a dream or being in a trance.”

I don’t know who said it first but I know it can be like that for me and my team of developers. The wrong music can really kill your ability to get into the state of flow.

Coding Music Requirements

No lyrics

I can’t stress this enough. For our team this is critical to avoid distraction.

Upbeat and Powerful

When you’re doing something really hard it’s helps to be listening to music that generates positive emotions and helps you feel like you really can do it.

Our Newest Fav

Lindsey Stirling

Stirling’s modern violin mixed with upbeat background tracks set exactly the sort of mood we want for our developers. We were even guilty once of putting her album on in the morning and letting it play all day on a loop.

http://www.lindseystirling.com/

Your mileage may vary if your demographic is different than ours (me the 31 year old geezer and our 17 to 22 year old wunderkind developers).

Is Music Critical to Productivity in your shop?

Do you think music is as critical to developer productivity as we do? What do you listen to while coding? What other environmental aspects are important?