The Exhaust Fan

It rained in Tokyo today. I am continuing with my work again today. We are in the middle of the rainy season, but if it’s cool outside, I like to leave the window open while I work, even when it’s raining. I love the atmosphere of hearing the sound of the rain directly. I sometimes listen to music while working, but on the days I don’t, I find I can focus better if there is some kind of background noise.

An unexpected sound that helps me concentrate is the exhaust fan. Sometimes I forget to turn it off and just start working. Even though I think it’s noisy, I know that having the sound of the exhaust fan running helps me stay focused and keep going. It does grate on my ears, so I often think about turning it off. However, once I start concentrating, I can’t bring myself to get up from my chair, so I end up just continuing to work without turning it off. I guess you could call it a weird habit.

The quiet sound of the rain, and the bothersome hum of the exhaust fan. For some reason, both of these seem to act as a switch that allows me to immerse myself in my work.

I think the ideal environment for concentration differs from person to person, but for me, rather than complete silence, somewhat meaningless sounds might be just right.