Focus Sounds

Background sound that hides the noise around you so you can get into your work. Start with deep focus below, or try a mix built for the kind of work you’re doing.

Deep focusFree · no sign-up · plays for hours without a gap
All 22 sounds: noise colors, nature, places and machines

Noise colors

Nature

Machines

Why background sound helps you focus

Most distraction isn’t the noise level; it’s the change. A voice, a door, a notification sound: each sudden change pulls your attention. A steady background sound makes those changes smaller relative to what you’re already hearing, so fewer of them break through. That masking effect is well established and is the main reason noise helps in open offices, shared homes and libraries.

There’s a second, less certain effect. A 2024 meta-analysis pooled 13 studies of white and pink noise in young people with ADHD or attention problems and found a small benefit on attention tasks (an effect size of about 0.25); in people without attention problems the same noise slightly hurt performance 1. If you’ve always worked better with some sound on, you may be one of the people it helps. If you focus easily in quiet, you may not need it.

Pick a mix for your kind of work

WorkTryWhy
Deep work: code, writing, mathSmooth and featureless, nothing to listen to
Creative work, brainstormingA gentle buzz can broaden thinking
Reading and revisionCalm, with a sense of others working
Open office, voices nearbyPink and rain cover the speech range
Long sessionsDeep and steady, easy for hours

A simple focus routine

  1. Choose one mix and keep it. Using the same sound each time can become a cue to start working.
  2. Set the volume just high enough. Raise it until the nearby voices blur, then stop.
  3. Work in blocks. Set the timer for 25, 45 or 60 minutes. When the sound fades, take a short break.
  4. Share it with your team. Share mix copies a link that opens your exact mix.

Sounds that tend to distract

Anything with words or a melody competes for the same part of your brain you use for language. That’s why lyrics hurt reading for many people, and why our café chatter has no understandable words. Birdsong and thunder are lively; save them for breaks or light tasks.

Look after your ears. Background sound only needs to be loud enough to soften other noises. A good test: you can still hear someone speaking normally next to you. Long listening through headphones should stay well below the maximum, and for sleep, keep the speaker away from your head. For scale: NIOSH’s workplace limit is 85 decibels averaged over 8 hours, halving the time for every 3 decibels more 2, and the WHO estimates over a billion people aged 12 to 35 risk hearing loss from loud listening 3.

Sources

  1. Nigg JT, Bruton A, Kozlowski MB, Johnstone JM, Karalunas SL (2024). Systematic review and meta-analysis: Do white noise or pink noise help with task performance in youth with ADHD or with elevated attention problems?. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 63(8):778–788.
  2. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC) (2024). Noise-induced hearing loss. cdc.gov.
  3. World Health Organization (2022). WHO releases new standard to tackle rising threat of hearing loss. who.int.

Watch: a focus session

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Step by step: a focus session

  1. Deep focus. Open Focus sounds and press play: brown noise with a touch of pink. Nothing in it to listen to, so it fades into the background.
  2. The timer is your work block. Set the timer for 25, 45 or 60 minutes and start. When the sound fades, take a break.
  3. Voices getting through? Add pink or rain: they cover the speech range that brown noise leaves open. For creative work, try the coffee shop.

Questions

What is the best sound for focus?

For most people, something steady and featureless: brown noise, pink noise, rain or a fan. For creative tasks, a quiet café buzz can help. Try a few for a day each and keep what works.

Is brown noise or white noise better for focus?

White noise masks voices strongly but can tire your ears; brown noise is softer and easier for long sessions. Many people use brown with a little pink.

Does background noise help with ADHD?

A 2024 meta-analysis of 13 studies found white and pink noise gave a small benefit on attention tasks for young people with ADHD, and a small drop for those without. Many adults with ADHD also say it helps. Treat it as worth trying, not as a treatment.

Can I use it at work with my team?

Yes: share a mix link, or embed the free player on your team page.

Last updated .