This Monday, April 18th, I had the pleasure of participating in another edition of Stefanini Open Talks, continuing the brown bag tradition that’s been growing every month. This time, my presentation focused on a concept I’ve been developing for a while — combining focus, productive cycles, and music.
The idea started from my own Pomodoro practice — which I talked about during the first Open Talks — and from my attempts to make these focus cycles more immersive. I had been experimenting with timed playlists: 25 minutes of music for deep work, followed by 5 minutes of lighter tracks for rest. I thought I was inventing something. Then at Agile Day 2010, I heard Daniel Wildt talk about exactly this — and learned he had already named, structured, and published the Songdoro concept.
Today, I shared with my colleagues how discovering Songdoro changed my daily rhythm. Instead of playing random music while working, I started treating my playlists as mental state triggers. They became clear start-and-stop signals. When the music begins, I dive in. When it ends, I take a break. It’s simple — and it works.
I explained how I found which types of music work best for me. Video game soundtracks and instrumental movie scores help keep distractions low and momentum high. For breaks, I prefer lo-fi beats, soft jazz, or nature sounds.
I played samples live to show the contrast between execution and break modes. I also shared how I use Spotify to time the cycles: a 25-minute track to signal the start, and a 5-minute piece to wrap the block.
The audience quickly asked: “Does any music work?”, “What if I get bored with the same playlist?”, “Can this work for teams?”. I opened the mic for discussion, and several people shared their own power songs — those tracks that instantly flip their mental switch. That’s when it clicked: we’re all using Songdoro already — we just hadn’t named it.
What we did in today’s talk was simply give structure and intention to something we intuitively rely on. I highlighted how this kind of practice builds self-awareness and greater control over our productivity. Knowing what energizes or distracts you, what time of day works best, and how your music shapes your state — that’s a superpower.
I also shared how Songdoro is a game changer in remote work setups. At home, surrounded by noise, chores, or family, curating a sonic workspace can be the line between flow and fatigue.
I admitted some of my early mistakes — like trying to use my favorite songs with lyrics for deep focus. Didn’t work. I ended up singing along and forgetting what I was coding. Lesson learned: functional music isn’t for entertainment — it’s a tool.
We discussed how to bring Songdoro to teams — shared Spotify sessions, pairing rituals with coordinated tracks, and even using music to signal status. If my “execution” playlist is on, I’m heads down. If I’m in the break playlist, I’m open for a chat.
I showed a visual board I use in my personal Kanban to mark what type of Songdoro cycle I’m in: standard focus, creative flow, review/refactor, or rest mode.
Songdoro isn’t meant to replace Pomodoro. It’s meant to supercharge it. It turns audio into a performance tool — a sensory cue that connects energy and output. As I said during the session: “Nothing gets my brain into work mode like the first beat of that Mega Man X track.”
We ended by building a collaborative playlist. Everyone contributed a song that helps them focus. We left with new ideas — and a new shared soundtrack.
Big thanks to Daniel Wildt for the concept and the inspiration, to Stefanini for the space, and to the Dell team for the feedback and insights.
SONGDORO isn’t a rule. It’s a strategy. A little hack that can turn headphones into a productivity engine.
If you’ve never tried it, build your first playlist and try it tomorrow. If you already use music to focus, share it with your team. The next beat might inspire someone else to get into the zone.
Here’s to more talks — with more rhythm, more flow, and more learning.
There are well-formulated instructions on Daniel’s blog for those who want to delve deeper: http://danielwildt.wordpress.com/tag/songdoro/