All this time spent reading about distraction thankfully proved to be more than just another distraction.
I realized that working without music feels sucky.
But I also realized that almost everything I’ve learned has been during days where I found something interesting enough to work on it without music or other distraction. Or on days where I forced myself to work, and music fell by the wayside.
So as with so much else, I took a ride (that may be my most-referenced post). Working on BART without music sucks even harder, but now you truly have nothing to distract you, and get more done.
Without music to fill my mind, I fill it with actual thinking.
I find actual deep thinking starts after about an hour of this. Any distraction resets the timer. No wonder mathy people are stereotyped as introverts that avoid people.