White Noise

I was sitting at a red light on my way to work, when I realized how loud it was in my car. The radio was tuned into a local station but I wasn't really paying attention to the banter between the morning hosts. Then all of a sudden, everything seemed so loud. I turned off the radio and drove the rest of the way to work in silence. 

That was when I decided to try and go a week without turning on the radio in my car or at my desk at work. 

Day 1: I made it through the day with no car radio after turning it off mid-way through my morning drive. I absentmindedly turned on music at my desk in the afternoon, forgetting about my goals after coming back from lunch. That evening I resisted the urge to turn it back on during my evening commute and sang songs to myself instead. 

Day 2: I did not turn on any music the entire day. I started to realize I was able to do a lot more thinking during my drive. Sometimes at work I would miss the background noise as it can got a little quiet in my work area. We did have a busy day, where I was away from my desk a bit, so it wasn't too bad. 

Day 3: No radio in the morning commute. No radio all day at my desk. However, I spent the better half of the morning in meetings. That night I turned the radio on for my commute home. I was in the mood for some music again. 

Day 4: My husband drove me to work, so the radio was tuned in to a local morning show. I will say, I didn't miss the mindless chatter of morning show hosts. At work, I kept the music off and was able to concentrate to check items off my list in preparation for a three day weekend. That evening was a short commute from work to the airport, and the music was nice.  

Day 5: I didn't drive. I wasn't at a computer. The little music I did listen to was a great mood booster. 

What I learned from this experiment is that white noise - whether it be background music or talk show hosts can at times serve their purpose. But, every once in a while it is good to sit in silence - get lost in your thoughts. Concentrate without the clutter. 

It is easy to go on autopilot and even forget that the noise is there. My hope is that I will remember to shut off the noise from time to time.