In praise of earplugs

by Matthew Stibbe on March 22, 2007

There’s a great article on Slate about a writer who uses earplugs to block the noise of construction workers and ends up using them all the time. I’m a light sleeper and use them to block out party noise and things like that.

For writing, though, I prefer Bose noise cancelling headphones. They’re like the ones in the plane I fly and they really block out unwanted noise and help me concentrate on writing.

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    { 13 comments… read them below or add one }

    Stephen Fleming March 22, 2007 at 10:53 am

    I find Led Zeppelin works too.
    Low-tech but effective.

    Reply

    Matthew Stibbe March 22, 2007 at 11:07 am

    Yeah, I listen to the Wu-Tang Clan for the same effect. Wall of noise is like the exact opposite of silence and has a similar effect!

    Reply

    Jude March 22, 2007 at 12:02 pm

    Don’t you find it distracting, though, when you wear earplugs or headphones, to hear the noise inside your head–blood pumping through your veins, a constant hum, and in the background, your heart?

    Reply

    Zach Everson March 22, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    I just use my original iPod earphones. They don’t block all of the sound, but they filter out enough to help me concentrate.

    Reply

    Matthew Stibbe March 22, 2007 at 7:38 pm

    I don’t hear my pulse or heart when wearing headphones or earplugs. Perhaps I’m not listening hard enough!

    Reply

    TOMAS March 22, 2007 at 7:39 pm

    I grew up in a small town and grew accustomed to peace and quiet (most nights felt as if I was in a library due to the lack of noise). When I moved to the city, I missed the peace and quiet so much that I would use earplugs to help me sleep and still do so until this day. I also own a set of Bose Noise canceling headphones, but usually reserve them for airplane and iPod use. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but a great way to generate a pleasant writing environment is by using a Buddha Machine. I’ve owned for for a few months and it’s great!

    Reply

    Schizohedron March 22, 2007 at 7:41 pm

    Upstairs neighbors who never installed rugs and who clomped around at all hours in flipflops first drew me to foam earplugs. Now, three weeks after they moved out, I still find myself enjoying the dead silence they provide. I’m also thinking of wearing them to the gym to block out the lousy in-house pop and the inane prattle of folks lolling about the gear.

    Reply

    Owen Lystrup March 23, 2007 at 3:13 am

    I’m not a big fan of over-ear headphones, so I use the E2Cs by Shure. They blog out noise like earplugs, leaving only the music. Nice sound and better price.

    Reply

    Gwen March 23, 2007 at 5:26 am

    I’d love to block out the neighbors at night, but then how would I hear the alarm clock in the morning?

    Reply

    Nick March 23, 2007 at 4:42 pm

    My wife sets up a large fan, gently blowing over our bed during the hotter summer nights.

    At first the constant humming and creaking as it changed direction drove me bananas. Like Gwen I also needed to keep an ear out for the morning radio alarm, so earplugs were not an option.

    A solution came to me one night. Maybe it was a dream, or wishful thinking, but once I imagined that the droning fan was the noise of Zeppelin motors drifting me out across the dark Atlantic, sleep quickly followed!

    Reply

    Robert March 26, 2007 at 11:29 am

    Matthew says,” I don’t hear my pulse or heart when wearing headphones or earplugs. Perhaps I’m not listening hard enough!”

    Matthew, are you warm? Or maybe that coffin in the cellar is a dead giveaway?!

    Reply

    Nichola December 31, 2009 at 6:24 am

    Would you happen to have any suggestions for music while writing? I find it ridiculously plain to the ears when I don’t hear music. Thanks(:

    Reply

    Matthew Stibbe December 31, 2009 at 8:27 am

    Here’s a post I wrote ages ago about music for writing: http://www.badlanguage.net/music-for-working.

    Reply

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