The Best Ways Bagpipes Better Your Business
Bagpipes are excellent productivity boosters for entrepreneurs. So start tootin’ on March 9 for International Bagpipe Day!
OK, I’m kind of kidding, but kind of not. If you’re reading this, you probably hate the sound of bagpipes (since many people do) and right now you’ve succumbed to the kind of horrified fascination that you have when you’re driving by a train wreck. The other 2 people reading this are all ready to start a-skirlin’!
Don’t worry though, if you really do hate bagpipes you don't actually have to listen to them or play them. It’s really more about music, not just the sounds of the bagpipes. (They are SO music makers! Don’t disparage my bagpipes! But if you want to bag on accordions, please be my guest. I’m pretty sure Satan himself invented those.)
If music be the food of business, play on
Did I just mangle Shakespeare for my own ends? Yes, yes I did. Yet music really is essential for life - there’s a reason that every culture develops some kind of instrument for people to play. Though we think of bagpipes as coming from Scotland or Ireland, there are other cultures that use a bag of air with some reeds in it of different sizes to make different sounds.
If you are a VERY SRS BIZPERSON, you may not think that music’s so important. After all, what’s the ROI on it? If you’re one of those quantify everything types, you’re trying to figure out how much money each blow on a pipe costs.
What you’re missing is that the human brain doesn’t operate 24/7 (or even 16/8 hours per day) like some kind of machine. It’s more like a soggy 3-pound blob, mostly fat, with electrical and chemical activity. So, bacon with dreams.
Here’s another way to look at it. There are non-productive activities (at least from a business standpoint) that actually make you more productive. By taking time to engage in activities that are not directly revenue-producing but are good for your brain-bacon, you can increase the amount of revenue production in a shorter amount of time.
WHOA. Mind blown, amirite?
Entrepreneurs should sharpen the saw for better productivity
I can’t remember which “guru” talks about sharpening the saw. You’ve probably heard the story about two dudes who go out to saw some wood. One guy is out there with his saw just sawing away for hours. The second guy periodically leaves his tree and then comes back, and somehow his pile of lumber is way bigger than the first guy’s! How can that be? According to the story, he periodically stepped away to sharpen his saw.
Those of you who know the story probably have an idea in your mind about what it means to sharpen the saw. Take some classes to upgrade your skills, for example. Go to more networking meetings so you can meet more people and get better at communication. Spend more time working on your business instead of in it, scheduling planning or thinking sessions.
Yes, these will sharpen the saw. You can also probably see pretty clearly how these activities improve your business. Better skills can make you better/faster/more efficient. More networking means more people that you get in front of, more people to communicate with, and so forth.
What is probably not as clear to you is how something like music sharpens the saw. Some of you may have some go-to anthems that you use to pump you up for a big meeting or presentation. But that’s just one small way that music helps you in your business.
Business owners and your brain-bacon
So, here’s the thing. Though your brain is not a machine, in some ways it is similar to a machine. For example, the factory adage that “If you do not schedule your system maintenance, your equipment will schedule it for you” is absolutely true for the stuff inside your skull too. The saying means that equipment breaks down when it’s not regularly maintained.
It’s the same for your brain. Ever notice when you’ve got a lot going on and you’re not getting enough sleep, or exercise, or nutritious food that you tend to get sick? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. It’s time for a little system maintenance, and since you failed to schedule it, your brain and body are going to do it for you.
Machines and computers don't need sleep, but brains do. Though actually, come to think of it, electronic devices do benefit from being shut down periodically. Keeping your browser window open for days is just asking for trouble.
Sometimes people say they’ll sleep when they’re dead… but people do die as a result of not getting enough sleep. A large number of highway crashes are due to fatigue. Caffeine, sugar, and energy drinks will keep you going for a while, but not indefinitely.
The brain actually does a lot of work when you’re asleep. When your consciousness is shut down, the real stuff can begin. You may be aware of your conscious thoughts, even hyper-aware, but what you may not realize is that your conscious thoughts and ideas and actions are a teeny tiny fragment of all the stuff that your soggy bacon handles daily.
Your conscious activity is like the tip of the iceberg, if you picture a teeny little piece of ice barely big enough for a bird to sit on. And the iceberg’s located in the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest part of the ocean.
Brag about not getting enough sleep? You’re bragging about being less productive than you could be. There’s a lot that the brain needs to do to prepare you before you wake. It cycles between three states during the night, and people need three to four of those cycles to flush out waste, build muscles, strengthen or prune neural pathways, and the like.
Sleep being key to brain health means it’s also key to productivity. Other things key to brain health include exercise or physical movement and nourishing food. In general, if it’s good for your soggy blob of brain-bacon, it’s good for productivity.
Music and the human brain
So if music is good for the brain, it must be good for productivity, right? Yup! Playing music has different benefits, but even listening to music you enjoy - bagpipes! or not - is great for the brain.
The way our brains work, and every animal’s brain, in fact, is heavily influenced by the environment. Homo sapiens has been around for about 200,000 years and we’ve had technology and spreadsheets and the complex modern world for what, 50 years? Maybe not even that.
The human brain was shaped by our experiences in the savannah, where we didn’t even have chairs to sit down in. Much less word processing programs on the cloud to type about our soggy brain-bacon and to make funny memes with puns and cute animal pictures.
We had to react to predators who could physically kill us, and so we banded together in groups to get food and protect against predators. Communication with other humans is pretty huge for the human brain, and modern work and technology are not.
All that means we have a limited time during the day for “thinky”(™) work anyway. This kind of work is actually very burdensome for the human brain, because it requires the brain system that works more slowly and requires an enormous amount of energy. Our soggy 3-pounders would really prefer to be more efficient and not use that part of the brain.
Music isn’t cognitively demanding the way spreadsheets, tax returns, financial plans, marketing strategies, etc. are. It’s a pleasant way to let the prefrontal cortex and all those thinky bits take a break while you’re doing something you enjoy.
Some music is thought to correspond with different waves or frequencies in the brain. For example, “binaural beats” are supposed to sync with certain wavelengths associated with relaxation. Though personally, I think “beats” is a total misnomer. As someone who enjoys EDM and heavy metal, I can find no beat in binaural beats.
Should business owners listen to certain types of music?
Look, you want to blast through productivity, pick up those bagpipes!
I kid, I kid. (I heard that sigh of relief.) I mentioned binaural beats above, but there isn’t exactly a ton of research as to whether it actually has the effect you want compared to other types of music. That being said, if you enjoy binaural beats, then have at it.
To me, listening to music is a lot like reading. (I like both!) But you often hear about so-called gurus saying you should listen to this music or listen to that music. Or that classical is “better” than rock, or only binaural beats will help you be more productive, or it’s somehow “wrong” to listen to certain kinds of music.
In the same way, they’ll tell you the only reason for reading is to acquire new knowledge, not for enjoyment, and that you should only read certain types of nonfiction.
And if you’ve read my stuff, you know how I come down on reading: whatever floats your boat. Read something you like, not something you’re “supposed” to read because that is what VERY SRS BIZPERSONS do.
Same with music. I played violin when I was a kid and I love classical music, to the point that as an adult when I lived in San Diego I ushered for the San Diego Symphony. And I miss doing that, I have to say. But classical isn’t “better” than other kinds of music. It’s one of the many kinds I enjoy.
Do I have a playlist? Nope. Other people do, and if that’s your jam, have at it. I listen mostly to YouTube, because I have a soundbar and a subwoofer hooked up to my TV. I don't listen to classical that way, but instead I use it mostly for dance/house/EDM and heavy metal.
I’m the kind of person that will obsess on a single song for days, and then I’ll find a new one to obsess about. Then I’ll add the first one to my rotation. (What am I obsessing about now? A metal cover of Sultans of Swing by Leo Moracchioli because I love the music and the video. He both satirizes heavy metal tropes and plays really well, so check him out.)
Playing music is great too
I think when entrepreneurs hear the words “self-care” or even “recharge”, they just think about lying around in their recliner drinking some wine or craft beer or maybe some mockohol and binging on streaming shows.
But actually, your soggy brain-bacon doesn’t like vegging all that much. Once in a while, yes. But although your brain prefers that you not dive into a spreadsheet or tax return after you’ve already been at work for 8 hours, it doesn’t necessarily want to just lie around and passively consume things either.
Your blob is much happier if you can do something that’s not necessarily cognitively demanding, or something that requires you to use your brain in a different way. Playing music is a great example if you have an instrument or want to learn one. It’s something enjoyable and at the same time can be challenging, which helps put you in a flow state.
Any kind of activity that you enjoy is good for self-care. Long walks, which I myself use because I do a lot of good thinking when I’m not thinking and have to watch the trail in front of me. Call a friend - just a reminder that commenting on social media is not in any way a signal to your brain that you’re connecting with another human. You need to actually speak with them. And not text, either, for the same reason.
Play with your family or pets. Board games, cross-stitch, woodworking, fixing up old cars, whatever. Bring a can of Lysol for the shoes and head on down to the bowling alley with your buddies and pretend you’re Walter and the Dude from the Big Lebowski.
Let the Hamlet scene between Wednesday and Pugsley in the first Addams Family movie be an inspiration for you to put on a play with your kids. Have an impromptu dance party with your playlist or favorite songs cued up on the ol’... uh, YouTube.
I want to stress that none of these activities are earning you money. And if you think that every single second of every hour should be in a profit-making activity, seriously put down the kool-aid already. And pick up the bagpipes!
The important thing is that all of these activities are actually good for your brain, and they’re helping you sharpen the saw. Even when you can’t see a single saw in sight.
Recap
Your brain is a 3-pound wad of something like soggy bacon and it has needs beyond your work activities. Yes, even for business owners and entrepreneurs. Sharpening the saw isn’t just about taking courses, and self-care isn’t just about lying around in a bubble bath. Doing non-profit-producing activities that you enjoy and that are good for your brain helps you sharpen your saw and make more money.