I get it. Writing a book isn’t always easy. Sometimes the words flow; sometimes they don’t.
Or sometimes we feel so anxious about writing that we can’t even get our butt onto the chair (or bring ourselves to open a new Word file).
That anxiety can put a halt to our projects, and, ultimately, to our dreams.
But, do you know what? Having non-intrusive music on in the background can really help.
Whenever I’m facing a potentially challenging piece of work (eg, writing books or marketing materials, editing etc), I check in with my current mood.
- Do I feel super-anxious and want to feel calm?
- Am I feeling happy but I’m procrastinating because I would rather be hanging out with a friend?
- Or, in fact, would I be better off with pure silence? (Helpful if you’re not feeling 100%)
Then I go to my list of background-music favourites, and pick what feels right to me at that moment. I turn on the music, and have it at a fairly low volume while I get stuck into the work – making sure that I set myself achievable goals for each batch of work.
I find it best not to have play music featuring lyrics – they make our brains work twice as hard when trying to complete a project!
I want to share with you some of my favourite background “writing” music. I hope you find these as helpful as I do.
“Weightless” by Marconi Union
Research has shown that this special piece of music decreases anxiety by 65%! I found the 10-hour version, so you can have it on all day. It really is strangely relaxing.
Baroque Music – Classical Music from the Baroque Period
I LOVE baroque music, and research reveals that, in general, classical music fosters an alpha brainwave state. This allows for deep concentration and focus, and helps you to feel calmer. This particular YouTube video gives you about 2½ hours of baroque bliss, but some of the tunes are quite lively.
The Best Relaxing Classical Music Ever by Bach
Diving deeper into the world of baroque, this is about 1½ hours of Bach-only pieces. To give your eyes some visual relief from the work at hand, you can always gaze at the video’s beautiful scenes for a few minutes every hour. SO relaxing …
Upbeat Instrumental Work Music
For something a little zippier and more modern, this music fits the bill. It really does lift your mood!
Positive Mood Jazz
When you’re wanting to feel ultra-mellow, this three-hour instrumental will transport you.
MyNoise
One of my daughters put me on to this amazing site. It features all types of ambient noise (nature sounds, white noise etc) and you can adjust the settings to amplify or downplay certain sounds.
Now, I’m a bit of a Christmas tragic, so the next two recommendations will make you laugh. There’s just something special about listening to Christmas music. It connects me with my favourite time of year, a time when I really relax. (If you love Christmas as much as I do, you probably listen to Christmas tunes at any time of year anyway!)
24/7 Christmas Fireplace Music
A livestream of piano-based Christmas music. Nice!
Michael Bublé’s Christmas Deluxe
These songs aren’t instrumental, so they are best played when you are doing writing revisions that aren’t too taxing on the brain.
So there you have it. Just a few ideas that may well work for you. I can’t tell you how helpful background music can be in helping reduce anxiety levels, and in bringing your mind to a state of calm-yet-determined focus. Perfect conditions for bringing your book to life!
Do you have relaxing music on in the background when facing challenging work? Please do leave your recommendations in the comments below – I’d love to hear them.
PS For other tips to help you achieve your book-writing goals, check out 8 Ways to Stop Procrastinating & Write That Book.
