46 Comments to “Mini-Session 7: Music and Moods”

1. March 12th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
   Ellen Weber said

   Wow - what a fun day for Monday! What happens when one person’s music is another person’s sonar blast from hell? Let’s see how so….

2. March 12th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
   Ellen Weber said

   believe it or not, your blog is impacted by the sounds you hear - (or avoid) because sounds in music move your brain waves and there are days that I blog - where I need a shift of moods to get the words out well.

3. March 12th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
   ME Strauss said

   I’m listening. :)

4. March 12th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
   ME Strauss said

   I use music that way to write all of the time.

5. March 12th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
   Ellen Weber said

   I’ll bet you do and I’d like to hear more. Liz, you are a prime example of lifelong learner. How do you stay so fresh as a learner and listener — when you often know more than folks in your field?

6. March 12th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
   Ellen Weber said

   Music helps you to create or it makes you edgy. The key is to know the difference, but my question is how can this happen?

7. March 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
   Robyn McMaster said

   My office is across from Ellen’s and just want you to know she has a new Josh Groban CD pumped up really high. Ellen, what did that do for you this morning as you were writing? What difference does it really make to listen to music as you write?

8. March 12th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
   Ellen Weber said

   Hey Robyn, Hi and I hope you like Groban’s new CD as a background to your work:-) . There are 4 waves in your brain – and different tasks require different waves.

   It’s key to know what are the four – so that you can ensure you are not in the fastest beta waves when a delta or reflective moment opens an opportunity. How can we make better use of the science out there – which knows what music does to excite creativity in the brain – in a language that works well in our blogs or business?

9. March 12th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
   ME Strauss said

   Oh Ellen,
   My take on everything is always so different. I listen to hear how people think.

10. March 12th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Cool Liz - what do you think about sleep. Would you agree… Sleep is more than about the number of hours – it’s also about what cycle you were in when you awakened.

11. March 12th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Oh yeah! But I’m no focus group. I see pictures before I fall asleep and if I want to lower stress. Those pictures are as good as a nap.

    I also don’t like waking up from a nap when it’s dark out.

12. March 12th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Do you agree - How I slept - or did not sleep - impacts what I write and how I respond in the blog next day?

13. March 12th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Naps are a perfect example of how we can benefit –

    You awaken groggy if you interrupt sleep cycles, which complete in 90 minutes. Not that you need to complete every entire cycle, just set your alarm with your brain in mind. Keep in mind, that:

    - In the first 30 minutes, you sleep rather light, so 20-minute naps work.
    - In the second 30 minutes during REM (rapid eye movement), your brain restores levels of oxygen to the cornea, while you dream. Avoid waking REM
    - In the third 30 minute phase your brain shifts back into lighter sleep and so you’ll likely awaken feeling frisky from this session.

    My question is – “What can we do to increase our sleep benefits?”

14. March 12th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Yes, and doubly so depending on how I decide to view my lack of sleep.

15. March 12th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
    Dan Smith said

    Hi folks! Ellen, I like complete silence when I work. I prefer no music at all. It really helps me concentrate. Does that say anything in particular about me?

16. March 12th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
    Dan Smith said

    .. and the sleep topic is fascinating. =)

17. March 12th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    The dark is related to the chemical in your brain called maletonin. It is high in dark and that makes you sleepy - see why you dislike waking in dark? It impacts the way we operate mentally - yet we rarely facor it in much:-)

18. March 12th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Hey, Dan, it cool to see you here - — how so is sleep topic fascinating. Thoughts?

19. March 12th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
    Robyn McMaster said

    Hey, if I can arrange my sleep right, I won’t wake up cranky, is that what you’re saying? Liz may go to sleep seeing pictures, but what do you see first thing in the morning, Liz?

20. March 12th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    It’s a surprise to some people we work with that there are things you can do to regain your day when you awaken as if you got shot out of a canon:-)

21. March 12th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
    ME Strauss said

    I made my husband propose in the daylight. I told him that people get more emotional at night. It was November in Chicago, it took 5 days before he had a daylight hour when he could do so. I got 4 night of why he wanted to marry me and he got 4 nights of “Daylight.”

22. March 12th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
    Dan Smith said

    Interesting to hear about the sleep cycles–in particular about naps. Never knew those cycles.

23. March 12th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    You are hillarious Liz! I had not heard about the night = emotional stuff. A glass of wine for dinner would do that though. Bet he’s glad he tried it your way:-)

    Romantic music, such as Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky , Chopin and Liszt, enhances our senses and increases a sense of sympathy and love.

24. March 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Robyn,
    I wake up entirely aware of my feelings, then colors, then what’s around me.

25. March 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    After waking up in so many ready -to-go or ready-to-die moods - I was glad to see that we can be far more at the helm of sleep than most realize:-)

26. March 12th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Dion Klein showed how 51 per cent of the American workforce felt exhausted at work. The cost? For people, sleep deprivation leads to depression. For organizations? According to the National Sleep Foundation sleep deprivation costs Americans more than $100 billion yearly in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage.

27. March 12th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    dan - this was new to me too. Those who come to work with a good night’s sleep in their arsenal, tend to …

    1. Remain upbeat about times awake and even use these spaces to think or listen to classical music
    2. Maintain habits so they sleep about the same times nightly when possible
    3. Create a comfortable sleep setting, without distractions such as TV or computers
    4. Set aside problems from work or relationships and list solutions for these problems long before sleeping – with a more relaxed mind
    5. Avoid eating heavy foods for several hours before lights go out for the night.
    6. Stay away from coffee and alcohol before bed
    7. Exercise earlier in the day, and then avoid rigorous exercise late at night

    What do you do to ensure you sleep well enough to put you in a good mood at work the next day?

28. March 12th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Dan, I am intrigued by your words… “I like complete silence when I work. I prefer no music at all. It really helps me concentrate. Does that say anything in particular about me?”

    I’m biased cause I respect what you do and how you write and your leadership so much! There are things it says though:-)

    My suggestion - look at what different music does and play one very quietly while you work to see the results. Hey, Dan, let us know what happens, Ok?

29. March 12th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Okay, Ellen,
    Would you not agree that people get more romantic at night?

30. March 12th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Well, I like this idea Liz - and it’s new so I’ll have fun chewing on that one! Sounds like a blog to me!

31. March 12th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Now you have me wondering … is there research to say that feelings and relationships are influenced by the time of day? Not sure:-)

32. March 12th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
    ME Strauss said

    People think differently in broad daylight.

    Kids also grow up slower in winter climates. :)

33. March 12th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    You are dead on here Liz… Interesting … That is related to meatonin levels in the brain. These levels are low in light and high in dark. And that impacts sleep and creativity.

34. March 12th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
    ME Strauss said

    It gives new meaning to “the morning after.” :)

35. March 12th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Interesting thought - I lived in the High Arctic - among Inuit - for 2 years and it was dark … we’re talkin’ pitch black dark … for 8 months of the year. It was up by Greenland - 600 miles North of the arctic circle.

36. March 12th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
    Bill said

    I listen to ‘nothing’ as well… no music and no voices all day. I sit in my room and blog till my fingers turn nubby….then go to bed and hope they grow back by morning.

    I went through a divorce years ago…and kind of pinpoint that as the time I more or less lost my desire to listen to music…thoughts?

    Getting a good night’s sleep…work your butt of f all day so that when you hit the bed your out in seconds. I’ve fallen asleep BEFORE getting into bed and wondered in the morning how I got there. Then sleeping until you wake up feels good….you can do that if you blog for a living….

37. March 12th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Bill,
    Welcome!
    Silence is good for reflection. Reflection is good for writing. Hard to change a mood in pure silence, unless you fall back into it.

    I blog for a living and I can’t sleep until I awake. :)

38. March 12th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Liz, I am intrigued by your statement …”I blog for a living and I can’t sleep until I awake.”

    Interesting! Can you elaborate a bit?

39. March 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Hey Bill, here’s just the song for you to find that new rhythm again. A cool leader gave me the words because they represent new starts…

    http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/02/i_hope_you_dance.html

    Thanks for stopping by :-)

40. March 13th, 2007 at 8:25 am
    Ed Brenegar said

    Great topic! I used to be a night owl. However when my dear daughter decided to switch to a swim team practice twice a day, my sleep regimen had to change. We are up between 4:30 and 4:45 in the morning so we can haver in the pool at 5:30. I’was used to going to bed at Midnight, and up at 5 or 5:30. But 4:30 is totally different. So, I’m in bed most nights at 10, and find I still need a 15 minute nap in the afternoon.
    So, what music do I listen to when I’m blogging? I get XM online and I change it regularly between classical, jazz, bluegrass, film and classic rock. If I get locked into any one music, my creativity drops. However, what I find is that when I’m really tired, and trying to blog (hence the deplorable spelling and grammar) I listen to Glenn Gould on the piano playing Bach. It is both orderly and passionate. If you turn the sound up, you can hear him humming as he plays. I wonder if I’m humming as I write this? Oh well, I think I’ll take a nap.

41. March 13th, 2007 at 9:23 am
    gl hoffman said

    Hi all…slightly off topic…what I am wondering is falling asleep to the TV being on?
    I have been doing it for 20 + years now, and I have noticed my hair is turning gray and I have gained some weight too.
    But seriously, the constant droning on and on, puts me right back to sleep. My wife prefers to play computer scrabble to get back to sleep…i tell her she is just stimulating her brain, not relaxing it.
    interesting topic.

    GL

42. March 13th, 2007 at 10:45 am
    PDF to Excel conversion and other stuff » 17 Mostly Useful Links that Will Increase Your Blogging Powers said

    […] Ellen Weber on Music and Moods […]

43. March 13th, 2007 at 11:07 am
    Ellen Weber said

    Hi Ed, Great thoughts! I too used to be a night owl. I get up to write early now — but not between 4:30 and 4:45 - you are such a good dad!

    That 15 minute nap in the afternoon is brilliant - cause if you stretch it to 35 - you awaken in the REM cycle and that is a downer!

    Not surprised tou listen to music when blogging - cause your blogs rock! Wow what an interesting way to get the most from XM online - by changing it regularly between classical, jazz, bluegrass, film and classic rock.

    Your words …”If I get locked into any one music, my creativity drops,” brought to mind the Hebbian Hobo syndrom - which I described in today’s post - and it shows how too much sameness shrinks your brain.

    Ed, keep up the brilliant blogs - they are inspiration to the rest of us out here!

44. March 13th, 2007 at 11:09 am
    Ellen Weber said

    Not off topic - but interesting GL! Thanks for stopping by! You make me laugh so hard. How much wisdom can be packed into so few funny lines!

    The hebbian Hobo thing is what’s putting you to sleep, GL. Better to sit with a windmill to watch:-) Sleeping relaxes though - so it all works out. Stay cool!

45. March 13th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
    Ed Brenegar said

    My attitude toward sleep has changed dramatically with my daughter’s swim practice schedule. I used to hate to sleep. Always felt that I was missing something, even at 3am. What I really felt is the need to make the most of my time. But now, as I really need the sleep, a number of other things are beginning to happen. I’m less tense, feel less stress, can more easily live in the moment, meaning, more easily take care of what’s in front of me instead of trying to over-multi-task. I’ll never be an eight hour a night person, but I’m kind of enjoying a more relaxed approach to life.
    Anyone else find this to be true?

46. March 13th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
    Ellen Weber said

    Wow Ed, sleep is the harbinger to great ideas when you consider it is the time the brain completely rewires itsel overnight - based on your experienced that day. Those very short nights for me - tend to leave wires on the pillow! Funny how things change in the human brain’s patterns! Your story reminds me of that.