Today I have a different perspective on listening to music. I've recently spent time in Alaska on business with my full time profession. One of the options associated with traveling is what you do on the trip when it comes to your entertainment options.
The Parameters
First let's establish some parameters. Many flights, under 2 hours, give you only a short time to listen to audio, watch some video, or read. The issue I'll always have a hard time makinga decision on is what should I do for these short trips.
I don't read for recreation much anymore and I'm usually studying some aspect of learning related to my business or some other issue that is pressing for the day. Listening to music with the IPod is common, except that it can actually become a distraction for me as I begin to analyze the music and then don't concentrate on the other materials. So it's not uncommon to either listen to a seminar or interview on some business aspect that may help me do a better job at obtaining my goals.
The moments that make up a dull day
In a long flight like the ones I must take to the great north country, you actually end up with a lot of time, more than 5 hours in which you can choose a little of all the options. What plays havoc here is the timing of these flights as they happen at the end of your work day when your mind is spent on the tasks of the day.
So you would think that listening to some music could be a very relaxing option. Now have you thought about what it is like to put ear buds or headphones on for 4 to 5 hours while you have no real options of moving around. Good grief, I've found that I need more distraction to help pass the time. The music may work for a short time for me, but then the mind wonders to issues of work and getting through the trip. What should have been relaxing ends up being perplexing.
State of mind has a lot to do with these travel issues and being burdened with many tasks or projects doesn't make the trip any easier. What I have found that works for me is a quick study on some subject of the moment. Maybe a little entertainment, then picking and listening to a old favorite album from the early years that I can relax into and become a part of the tunes. This has worked to calm the mind. It's like many processes we've discussed in the past.
Getting Home
End of trip is another story, late afternoon or morning flights are easy. Your mind is fresh and zeroing in on what you want to do is fairly easy. If nothing is pressing. picking an artist and listening can be very relaxing. Listening to an audio book may kill the time even faster.
I usually have to take the red eye home and the one thing you would like to do is sleep. Not an easy task for me. As a light sleeper any banging of the overhead bins or the lav door will keep me awake. I can usually get a couple of hours of rest, but trying to listen to some music is short lived. Dead tried needing to shut down and trying to get sleep is not a good environment for anything. I'm still working on how best to make this trip. I'll be trying some low level volume on the pod and see if that helps.
Keep up the good work. Let me know how you are using your music to help you make the trips.
