How white noise affects our productivity

When I am working and need to focus, it’s very distracting when there is noise all around. While it is okay to occasionally listen to colleagues having loud conversations, joking around or discussing their work, some tasks require silence.

Ideally, to give full attention to your work, you must be able to concentrate. In a loud setting, it is easy to get distracted. To deliver the best quality work, you must have a quiet environment that allows you to concentrate. It ensures maximum productivity and helps you deliver good work. 

‍

Listening to white noise is the perfect solution to blocking out external noise. In this post, I will tell you what white noise is and how it helps improve productivity. I have also compiled some platforms where you can enjoy white noise, reduce stress, improve your focus and improve productivity.

‍

‍

What is white noise?

Just as white light combines all colors or frequencies of colors, white noise combines the different sound frequencies we can hear between 20 and 20000 Hz. So, when we listen to white noise, we are listening to many different tones of sound at once.

‍

Think of the sounds of people talking in a huge stadium which typically sounds like a blurred roar. That is white noise. Other examples of white noise include the sound of rainfall or ocean waves. These are natural sources of white noise; you can find lots of white noise channels on Youtube. I am a firm believer that white noise can boost focus and productivity. Let us get into how this is possible.

‍

White noise improves focus by eliminating distractions that disturb your workflow. White noise has also helped children with attention difficulties to focus on their studies. It is also known to enhance creativity by improving imagination and reducing interruption in the creative flow of creative professionals. Studies at the University of Illinois have shown people who listen to 70dB of noise have the best performance at work.

‍

People who have trouble sleeping can also use white as a sleep aid. A systematic review of all studies examining the relationships between continuous white noise or similar broadband noise and sleep shows that white noise could promote good sleep and improve sleep quality.

‍

So, whenever your noisy neighbors decide to throw a party, and you are trying to get some sleep, you can drown the noise out with white noise.

White noise also helps reduce anxiety as it is a pleasing sound for most people. It makes it easy to shut out the rest of the world and increase focus. It is also widely known that white noise promotes relaxation and reduces stress. 

In recent times, most people feel stressed at work and most of them need to manage their stress levels one way or the other. White noise also soothes babies and makes them fall asleep, and helps relieve vaccination pain. This is helpful for mothers who need to work or get things done around the house and also gives them time to get rest.

Listening to the sounds of the ocean waves and falling rain is helpful, but these sounds are not always available unless you live/work near the sea or in a place where it's always raining. You can download these sounds online and play them whenever you need to. There are applications that allow you to download or listen to various kinds of white noise wherever you want. Some examples of these applications are White Noise Lite, Headspace, and Bettersleep.

Some productivity apps such as Focus Bear which helps improve focus and helps you build better habits can be helpful. It also helps improve focus in people with attention difficulties such as ADHD. It was built by someone who has ADHD, for this purpose specifically.

Focus Bear blocks distractions across all your devices (can be turned off in an emergency). 

It incorporates morning routines such as meditation and exercise into your daily work routine. It helps you schedule and take productivity breaks in between your work. You can use the Zen mode and the Custom Habits mode to help you tune out any distractions you are faced with.

The app comes pre-loaded with Focus Music to help block out background noise and get you into the zone.

While using white noise to help you focus, you can also use Focus Bear to help you complete tasks by using its timer and productivity tips. You have to try it for yourself. You can download it on a 30-day free trial; when the free trial is over, you pay $5 a month. 

In addition to using Focus Bear, I sometimes also use white noise channels from YouTube as my go to place to clear my head and help me focus so I can quickly complete my tasks. Some popular channels are Celestial White Noise, Relaxing Rain and Thunder Sounds etc. 

Other popular white noise applications from Google play and iTunes are Noisli, brain.fm, etc. You can use these channels to enjoy the benefits of white noise such as reduced distractions, improved focus and an overall boost in productivity, among other benefits.

So, whether it is about a noisy work environment or a tool to improve focus and boost productivity, you should try using white noise. It can help you reduce stress and sleep better. Try the white noise apps I mentioned and let me know how it made a difference in your life.