Music, Lately

I listen to music all day long. I find that putting headphones on acts as a cue that I'm supposed to be focusing on my work.

I'm not unique in finding that music helps my productivity. In December, I read about a music service called Focus@Will, which claims to help you focus and be productive. It seems intriguing  though I wasn't able to participate in beta testing since I'm in Canada. [Has anyone else tried it? How is it?]

I tend to find that particular types of music work best for different activities, so I wanted to share some of the music I've been listening to during different activities of my day.

Reading:
My morning reading routine at my kitchen table is in silence. If I'm reading on my computer later in the day, I'll listen to my "Deep Work" playlist, which contains Bonobo, the Bastion soundtrack, Below the Sea, MKSB (a fun accident of trying to access my own blog), Ratatat, and a few long trance music mixes (from Rank 1 and the like).




Writing: 
Typically I'll listen to my "Deep Work" playlist while writing, although occasionally I'll work through my iTunes library one album at at time. The music itself is less important than simply having music on.




Coding: 
Here, I appreciate more high-energy music. Lately, I've been streaming from Z103.5, the top 40 and dance music radio station I listened to as a teenager. Occasionally I'll stream from an iTunes radio station, although my favourite one (AscenDance) was recently removed from the list. And yes, sometimes I dance at my desk. I like to tell myself that it's good for my health.


(Off topic: what a ridiculous video)

What music do you listen to while you work? 
Do you have different playlists for different activities?
What music service or program do you use?