The power of white noise for being more creative

Alex Mathers
3 min readFeb 12, 2024

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I’ve always been hypersensitive and can get overwhelmed by thinking.

I can be wholly incapacitated physically, even though a party’s going on in my head.

So I like to work in cafes and public spaces to avoid losing my mind by myself in my room.

But in these places I can get fidgety and distracted, with various noises, talking, laughing and loud music (especially here in Thailand) poking their way into my awareness.

I sometimes listen to music but have found that even though I enjoy it, I tend to work faster and more efficiently without it.

Sometimes I allow myself to be distracted; people watch; to get lost in the racket, movement and chaos of reality around me.

However, I don’t put much to paper that way.

Some time ago I tried listening to ‘white noise’ to help me focus.

It seems like a radical and primitive solution, but it has worked for me, notably.

It can be the warm and airy recorded whoosh of an aircraft cabin in flight. It can be tinkling rain in an exotic forest. It can be pure static.

*crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle*

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Alex Mathers
Alex Mathers

Written by Alex Mathers

Helping you develop a consistent writing habit with impact. Regular tips: https://www.masteryden.com

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