In general I tend to write code a lot more than I design for the web. Depending on the task at hand I can find my playlists change and maybe even go away entirely. The music I like to design to is the music that makes me dream, good and bad. It is music that travels and taps into emotion. Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, Xiu Xiu and Cinematic Orchestra would feature well on that list.

However, it is the music I code to that I’d like to examine. It plays the same role and fulfils identical needs as music I used to listen to while doing math in school. The idea is to get focussed and stay focussed. While you’re there you’d hope for the music to be intricate and challenging enough without being distracting. Classical music works best and if what they say is true, it will also make you smarter.