I mentioned in my “deep work anywhere“ workflow that I’d been using Wired Apple Earpods for headphones so that I could crank up Brain.Fm while working on-the-go…

what I used to use

I no longer use these wired earpods… and here’s why:

Recently, we had my wife’s cousins move into our home as they are young, newlywed, and just need a place to get on their feet as they build out a tiny house.

When we made that decision, I gave up my dedicated office room.

This isn’t a pat on the back, just a larger execution of the vision God has given our family — to be faithful servant leaders who love generously.

Maybe I should write more about our family vision one day.

Well, in the first two days of them being here and me working in the home, I realized that the little Apple Earpods just weren’t cutting it.

All other contexts they work great.

Main HQ Office environment? Stellar.

My dedicated office at home, fantastic.

My youngest & I getting work DONE - her first day in the family business :)

My trips to coffee shops? Beautiful blend of ambience and Brain.fm…

But when it became 10:00am with both kids awake and living their best life running around the house (and me being totally unwilling to sacrifice that dynamic for them) I realized…

Noise cancellation would be really helpful right now.

But my cute little earpods have zero noise cancellation.

In fact, they don’t really block out sound at all. They just add to the noise.

Which means I could technically drown out the laughing and stomping and giggling and crying, but that mean further sacrificing my already degraded hearing.

I did some research on some headphones that have incredible noise cancellation and ultimately ended up going with the Apple AirPods Max.

Mainly because:

a) they integrate seamlessly with all of my Apple tech

b) their noise cancellation was highly-rated in all reviews

c) their sound quality was incredible (based on the handful of times I’d tried a pair from a colleague)

Don’t get me STARTED on how much they change the game on an Airplane ✈️

They just can’t be beat.

Now I am mildly concerned about the EMF exposure that comes with them. So I try my best not to have them on my head when I’m not needing the noise cancellation and selecting my desktop speakers instead…

However, I’ve found that pairing all of this together is a productivity recipe for insane levels of focus:

  1. AirPods on w/ Noise Cancellation

  2. Caffeine (I hardly drink any, so 50mg is a huge boost for me)

  3. Brain.FM on High-Effect

  4. Focusmate Session w/ screens sharing

If I am struggling to get motivated or stay focused, if I simply check all those boxes — get out of my way.

I’m about to build the freaking internet.

Cheers,