Music

My taste is all over the place, to be honest. On the way to work it's usually something upbeat, pop or a bit of indie, and in the evening I drift towards quieter acoustic stuff. I've also got a soft spot for the old ballads my parents used to play, which I'd never have admitted as a teenager.

Oddly enough, I lean towards the sad songs. A slow, melancholy track doesn't actually bring me down — if anything it's comforting, like somebody else has put a feeling into words for me. Cheerful music has its place, at a party for instance, but it's rarely what I reach for when I'm on my own.

It does, especially first thing in the morning. If I put on something with a strong beat while I'm getting ready, I leave the house in a noticeably better mood. It works at the gym as well — the right song can carry me through those last few minutes when I'd otherwise give up.

Nearly always. Cooking, cleaning and commuting all come with a soundtrack in my case. The one exception is anything that needs real concentration, like writing a report, because lyrics pull my attention away. For that I switch to instrumental pieces or just work in silence.