White Noise

[bouncybouncy]

I have been able to work at my leisure over the holidays (2 weeks worth)...I normally work in an in-home office at my bosses house. The majority of my work is basic color corrections and photoshop...I feel that while sitting here doing the monotonous tasks of basic editing (zapping zits, ridding scars, eliminating fly away hairs and brightening teeth) I have done more while the TV has been on in the background. I don't necessarily sit here and watch it but it seems to give me something to listen to. I have tried music and talk radio but that does not seem to keep me entertained as much as the tv. (there are some talk radio shows out there I love but can't seem to find them while working...eg: Saturday shows)

I am just wondering if any of you out there find some sort of stimulation from a TV by just having on in the background...not "actively" watching.

***There are aspects of my job that require more attention and the TV would have to be turned off...I am specifically talking about the mindless, monotonous work.

[KnottedYet]

I'm like a magpie; if the tv is on I can't look away.

SKnot works best with the computer on, TV on, and music playing. I don't know how he does it...

[NoNo]

I listen to the radio all day at work (through headphones so as not to bother anyone). A: My job is monotonous (I draw maps), B: I rarely have to interact with other people, and C: The men's room is on the other side of the wall so I listen to the toilet flush all day I find that most of the time it helps make the day go quicker, though I will find myself occassionaly listening to the song rather than working. I don't think I can work with a TV, as I'd be too tempted to look at it. With music there's nothing for me to look at, so I have to work. My mom used to work for the cable company, and everyone had a TV in their office! I have no idea how anything got done there.

[Zen]

Most of the NPR shows have podcasts of past shows or go to any station and listen to live streaming.

"Wait, Wait..." , "Whad'ya Know, This American Life just to name three. Countless options.

[KathiCville]

I work for myself and so am usually working in my home office, or sometimes in a quiet cubbyhole at the local university library. If what I'm working on is truly "mindless"---like organizing stuff---I'll listen to classical music at low volume. Ditto if I need to drown out some slight, but annoying background noise.........I write for a living, so I usually prefer silence. I even stick in earplugs sometimes for good measure!

I'm not a television watcher, but if I crave "company" of some kind while I'm working, once in a great while, I'll plug in any of many old movies that I have on DVD, at low or no volume. I know them all by heart, so I don't find them distracting---they mostly provide just a pleasant flicker of movement on the screen.

My weakness, at least at home, is the Internet! I can get sucked into a couple of hours of Googling for no particularly useful reason other than curiosity........So I've started literally unplugging my access for most of the day so I won't be tempted to dawdle during work hours!

[Tuckervill]

I have the TV on all the time, except when people are over. It is white noise for me, too. My parents are exactly the same way. I'm MORE inclined to leave it on while I do other things now that I know I can rewind it on the DVR if I miss something. My son plays Wii in the living room if I'm not paying much attention...it's all white noise.

I knit a pair of socks over the last few weeks by getting up on Sunday mornings and watching/listening to CBS Sunday Morning. Everyone else is still asleep or reading the paper or something. I really enjoyed that, so now I need a new project!

Karen

[tulip]

I work from home, but alot of what I do requires actual thinking and writing, so I need quiet. I don't mind street noise (except sirens), and I love when the train goes by. However, when I'm making maps or doing graphics, then I like to have some company, and I'll put BBC news on my satellite radio, or NPR. But no TV. I keep it in the closet so it's not so easy to just turn on. My downfall is email and the internet. I check my email every hour, but I don't keep it on all the time to beep at me. I allow myself internet surfing for 15 minutes at noon and at 3 (like now), and then in the evening when I'm not working, if I feel like it.

[SouthernBelle]

Very cool online customizable radio:

http://www.pandora.com/

[Mr. Bloom]

Very cool online customizable radio:

http://www.pandora.com/

Way Way Way COOL!

[Mr. Bloom]

If you listen to online stations at work, it's a serious drain on bandwidth.

One, we had a sporadic network problems at one location and it turns that two guys were listening to sirius radio online...took the whole office to a screeching halt!

[tulip]

If you listen to online stations at work, it's a serious drain on bandwidth.

One, we had a sporadic network problems at one location and it turns that two guys were listening to sirius radio online...took the whole office to a screeching halt!

heh heh, that must have been the problem at my old job every summer during the Tour de France...whoops.

[RoadRaven]

It is interesting so many of you have background noise going.

There is a discussion I have with my students (I teach teachers) about background noise (TV or radio at home, or music in the background in classes or shops etc etc).

We discuss whether we are actually teaching children NOT to listen. That is, we have the noise so often, how are they learning to listen - I mean really listen.

Food for thought...

[Eden]

At my old, pretty monotonous job I was totally addicted to radio shows from the 30's, 40's and 50's. I have a big collection downloaded free (yes its OK - they are in the public domain by now) from another message board. It's kind of like watching TV without having a TV.

[NoNo]

If you listen to online stations at work, it's a serious drain on bandwidth.

One, we had a sporadic network problems at one location and it turns that two guys were listening to sirius radio online...took the whole office to a screeching halt!

That's exactly what I do (only with XM). We've had the discussion with IT, and as it stands myself and occassionally my boss are the only ones doing this, so it's not a huge issue. However, we raised the point that other people are able to listen to radios, but because we were in an interior, windowless room, we were unable to do the same. If they can listen to music, we should be able to as well. It makes a very monotonous job a little more bearable.

[bouncybouncy]

tulip - hahaha...I live and work in a somewhat small city in the mountains where internet is just not what it was in the city my bosses and I came from...so when the TdF was on I just kept playing it off like the internet was "just acting funny!' Which it does alot...just so happen to be worse at that time! They never put the 2 together

Raven - I know exactly what you are saying!! "I am listening" My hubby seems to have that "only can hear or think about one thing at a time" syndrome.

I will often have to turn down volume in order to concentrate on what is on my monitor....but for hours at a time I am truly doing mindless work and have even fallen asleep (even when I am fully rested) with music playing!

Just seems like the movement is somewhat stimulated during those times...

***just a note: because I work with "color correcting" I have a very dull and typically dark work area in order to get accurate color. I can open a door or window but sometimes glare is an issue there.