The Real Soundtrack of My Workday: Noise, Doubt, and 80s Bangers

What do you listen to while you work?

Sure, I’ve got Spotify on in the background now and then. Sometimes I stick on a playlist and pretend it’s helping, but really I’m just staring at the screen thinking about lunch.

More often than not, it’s Heart 80s on the radio, safe, reliable, and occasionally interrupted by a shouty advert that reminds me to buy double glazing or switch broadband.

In truth, the actual soundtrack of my workday is a mix of distractions, weird background noises, and me trying to stay focused.

There’s the bin lorry, every Friday like clockwork, one of those sounds that used to distract me, but now feels oddly comforting. Same with the dogs barking across the estate, like some kind of local canine alert system that reacts to everything from postmen to suspicious leaves.

Then there’s the constant stream of deliveries next door, complete with van doors slamming and the familiar shuffle of a neighbour who’s clearly on first-name terms with every courier in a 10 mile radius.

And just to keep things interesting, there’s a local rifle range in the mix too. Genuinely. Some days I’m knee deep in deadlines with distant gunfire in the background, because nothing says deep focus like random rifle shots while you’re trying to remember your Outlook password.

Weirdly, you adapt. These sounds become part of the fabric of the day. When they’re not there, something feels off, like the universe forgot to press play on the usual background noise.

But beyond the real world soundtrack, there’s the other noise.

The stuff that’s harder to tune out.

There’s the Teams notification ping, which I hear three times per message because, lucky me, it’s installed on my phone, desktop, and the remote server. Every conversation becomes an alarm, letting me know I’m wanted, tagged, or expected to care.

There’s the mental monologue running in the background at all times, muttering sweet nothings like:

“You’re behind again.”

“You’re not good enough at this.”

“Everyone else seems to be coping better.”

And that’s the part nobody talks about when they ask what we “listen to” while working.

It’s not just the music or the dogs or the bin men.

It’s the emotional undercurrent, the anxiety soundtrack, the pressure to keep going, keep performing, keep holding it all together.

So yeah, sometimes it’s 80s hits and keyboard clacking.

Sometimes it’s barking dogs and distant bangs.

Sometimes it’s just me, sat in silence, trying to drown out the noise in my own head long enough to write one more email.