I’m an old man now, listening to classical music like Bach and Mozart on a daily basis, but the habit didn’t just spring from the ether. Since I was 16-years-old, I’ve been listening to classical music to help me work.
Perhaps you’d be shocked to learn my parents hated classical and I picked up the habit all on my own. It all started while reading in the library at my high school one day. I usually found it hard to focus, as other students chatted loudly around me. But one day the school band was doing practice in the gymnasium next door, and I could hear them playing Mozart through the wall. At first I found the music even more annoying than the chatty students. Then, after reading in my booth for a half an hour I was shocked to realized I had blazed through my reading material an hour ahead of schedule. I thought, how could this be?
The next day was as usual, chatty students and no band practice. I compared it to the last day and began to miss the classical music. Back then even a Walkman that played cassette tapes were a new thing, so I used my dishwashing job to save up for one, which took about three weeks, then another week to buy a cassette tape of Mozart. Ever since then, even though AA batteries were expensive, my life had changed as I played Mozart in my headphones every day. To this day I blame Mozart for my straight A’s in school!
I carried the habit on to university where I majored in engineering and got an architectural degree. Now, whether I’m pressure washing my car or driving my wife to the store, I always have classical music playing. It helps me focus in a way that nothing else can. That’s the story of how classical music helps me work, and I hope it inspires you to give it a try.