Work from Home Soundtrack: Six Sites for Ambient Noise
Since embarking on my journey to be self-employed and work from home, I’ve had a lot of lessons to learn. There are days where I would wake up and get so excited that I didn’t have to go anywhere, stay in my pj’s, and watch Netflix and get no work (business or housework) done. My husband would come home and I wouldn’t have a blog post written or photos edited and would have to stay up late in the night finishing my blog work instead of spending time with him. I started realizing that I needed to take working from home seriously if I wanted to prove to myself (and Dustin) that I was capable of being self-employed, and that meant treating every day like a work day, even if I didn’t go anywhere.
I’m still working on getting a routine down and there are days where I still take a couple hours off in the afternoon to watch Grey’s Anatomy instead of doing work. I’ve learned that there is definitely a balance to making sure I stay productive and making sure I don’t get burned out. After all, I have to love myself before I can love my blog! 😉
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Anyway, I found that I hated working from home when it was quiet, but that I couldn’t concentrate on my work when I was listening to my favorite songs. I would start typing a sentence and would end up finishing it with the lyrics I was listening to. For a while, I listened to the Epic Soundtrack station on Pandora, but, one day, I stumbled upon the site called Rainy Mood and everything changed.
I was introduced to the concept of ambient noise, which is basically the fancy term for background noise or atmospheric noise. There was actually a study done at the University of Chicago, where it was found that having a certain level of ambient noise in the background actually improved productivity, as opposed to complete silence. And, after using several ambient noise sites, I can completely agree. I am way, way more productive when I have one of these ambient noise mixers playing from my computer while I work then if I was listening to lyrical music or complete silence.
Six Sites for Ambient Noise:
Rainy Mood-
The site that started it all for me. There is nothing more comforting to me than the sound of rain and distant thunder (except maybe the ocean) and Rainy Mood provides just that.
Rainy Mood takes you through a summer rainstorm, starting with distant thunder and rain, building up to a torrential downpour and then slowly letting up to a slight drizzle, with the sound of birds chirping quietly in the distance. The folks at Rainy Mood also link up music from youtube for you to turn on additionally and change it up every day.
Coffitivity –
Coffitivity is all about creating the atmosphere of your favorite coffee shop: quiet chatter, the clinking of coffee cups and the sounds of the barista making your favorite drink. Coffitivity has three different coffee shops you can listen to: the morning murmur, the lunchtime lounge, and the university undertones.
You can upgrade to the premium version of Coffitivity for nine dollars a year to have access to their Paris, Brazil, and Texas mixers as well.
This is one of my favorite sites to use, especially if I’m craving the presence of people without wanting to actually go to my local coffee shop!
Snowy Mood –
Inspired by Rainy Mood, Snowy Mood imitates the sounds of a snow storm! So, for those of you who enjoy the sound of snow falling (because there is a sound to it) the wind blowing around and the crunching of boots in the snow, this one is for you.
Do Nothing for 2 Minutes –
This site makes me laugh and I use it quite often when I need to take a mental break but don’t want to get distracted from my project for too long. This site plays the sounds of the ocean and starts a timer for 2 minutes after you open it up and requests that you don’t touch your mouse or your keyboard during that time. It forces you to take a brief break and just listen to the ocean!
August Ambience –
Live in a place where it snows all the time? Love the sound of crickets chirping at night? August Ambience is for those who wish it was summer year round and plays several layers of wind, crickets and leaves blowing in the trees!
This isn’t my personal favorite ambient mixer (the crickets are a bit much after a while,) but it’s definitely one to put on the list for those who love summer!
Ambient Mixer – Harry Potter –
This is my FAVORITE ambient noise site for working, because #HARRYPOTTER! I mean, you all should know by now (after styling this HP tee) that I’m a diehard Potter fan and when I stumbled across this site, I practically cried with excitement.
This site has several Ambient Noise mixers named after the different places in the Hogwarts Castle, like the Great Hall, the Library, and the Ravenclaw Common room. Each mixer combines several different layers of noise and you can adjust the volume or turn some on or off, depending on what you like!
I’m not going to lie, there was a small time period in my adolescent years where I was convinced that I was going to get a letter from Hogwarts (or the American version of the magical school) and I was pretty upset when my 12th birthday came and went and no owl. So, being able to turn on this Ambient Mixer and feel like I’m sitting in the Gryffindor Common room, listening to the fire burn, the scratch of quill on parchment and the wind whistle just fills me with joy. Although it may not be the most productive ambient sound site I listen to, because I often find myself staring out the window, thinking about Hogwarts and Quidditch…
I can honestly say that using these ambient noise sites has drastically improved my productivity and has helped me become a better blogger and someone who can take her job at home more seriously!
What site would you listen to? What do you do to stay productive while working on your blog?
