This preference probably sounds limiting. But, actually, I write almost exclusively in this environment. If it's not a rainy afternoon, and there's no coffee shop; I just create my own.
I have a tab for 'Morning Set Up' on my laptop.
The first bookmarked website is Noisili. They promise to: "Improve focus and boost your productivity. Mix different sounds and create your perfect environment."
And they deliver.
I use three sounds from them: I first click on the little cloud drawing with rain coming out: Voila. It's raining. (Not too loud, so as to sound like I should go move my car to covered parking, and not too low so as to sound like annoying static,...but juuuustt right.)
Then I click on the cloud with the lightning bolt coming out of it. Boom! (Literally.) Instant thunderstorm. I like this one kind of loud. I love the cracks and crashes of thunder. So soothing to my soul.
And last I scroll down to the bottom of the page and highlight the little drawing of the coffee cup. Suddenly I'm in the perfect little corner coffee shop. I turn this one down verrrryy low...the people aren't sitting right by me. I always manage to get my favorite table! It's in a private little nook, tucked away from the crowds. I can hear people talking and laughing, the scrape of chair legs on tile, and the occasional clatter of crockery or flatware, but it's a little distance from me.
I use three sounds from them: I first click on the little cloud drawing with rain coming out: Voila. It's raining. (Not too loud, so as to sound like I should go move my car to covered parking, and not too low so as to sound like annoying static,...but juuuustt right.)
Then I click on the cloud with the lightning bolt coming out of it. Boom! (Literally.) Instant thunderstorm. I like this one kind of loud. I love the cracks and crashes of thunder. So soothing to my soul.
And last I scroll down to the bottom of the page and highlight the little drawing of the coffee cup. Suddenly I'm in the perfect little corner coffee shop. I turn this one down verrrryy low...the people aren't sitting right by me. I always manage to get my favorite table! It's in a private little nook, tucked away from the crowds. I can hear people talking and laughing, the scrape of chair legs on tile, and the occasional clatter of crockery or flatware, but it's a little distance from me.
Once I'm at my perfect Virtual Coffee Shop, I put on some tunes. I have the 'Focus' genre bookmarked on Spotify and choose one of the many great options. Usually I like 'Deep Focus', 'Peaceful Piano', or 'Intense Study'. All of these have soothing music that's helpful for concentrating.
Perfect! Now I can sip my coffee in my ideal writing environment. It doesn't matter where in the world I might actually be. I could, in reality, be in the midst of a busy airport terminal, sitting on a park bench, or at home in bed in my jammies.
Today the stationery on the desk says I'm in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio. The clock says it's early morning, and the forecast says it's going to be a sunny day. But in my mind it's a rainy afternoon, I'm in a cozy corner of my favorite little coffee shop, and I'm ready to get my latest deep thoughts down on paper.
Perfect! Now I can sip my coffee in my ideal writing environment. It doesn't matter where in the world I might actually be. I could, in reality, be in the midst of a busy airport terminal, sitting on a park bench, or at home in bed in my jammies.
Today the stationery on the desk says I'm in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio. The clock says it's early morning, and the forecast says it's going to be a sunny day. But in my mind it's a rainy afternoon, I'm in a cozy corner of my favorite little coffee shop, and I'm ready to get my latest deep thoughts down on paper.
"You shape your environment
and then your environment shapes you."
-Benjamin Hardy (I think, but can't find it online)
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