#productivity programs

Utility computer programs have burst into popularity in the last few years, which is really interesting. They are computer programs that on the surface look like video games, but they’re not technically video games. Productive applications are one of those programs that have caught my attention.

As a general rule of thumb, I don’t normally use productive applications. For reasons unknown, doing any sort of task management or to-do list digitally tends to get forgotten in my own personal life, even though I use a lot of digital applications at work. However, a lot of these programs also come built in with their own background music. 

Background music, as I’ve gotten older, has become more important to me due to the way my brain works. I don’t like to work in silence, it bothers me in a way I can’t describe, but I can no longer write while listening to any lyrical music. It’s far too distracting and so I tend to listen to the lo-fi genre of music.

The latest one I’ve bought is called Ithya: Magic Studies. Normally, I wouldn’t have bought it because I already own Spirit City, and forget to use it on a regular basis. Even though the program is useful to me. Opening a computer program for my lo-fi music lowers my chances of getting distracted, unlike opening lo-fi music on Youtube. It’s just… I forget… constantly, that it is a choice.

So, one may ask, why did I buy another one? I wanted to see if I could trick my brain into telling a story where I am a student of magic and my work is helping me with my magic. It sounds weird, but when I was a child, I would pretend my piano practice fulfilled some sort of secret mission, and that I was solving mysteries by doing math problems.

Alas… I am an adult, and far too old to make that leap in imagination apparently. 

Still, I’m not disappointed in Ithya. In large part because of the background music. It is not lo-fi music. The developers had made a choice to make the music be part of the background of a fantasy world. This soundtrack would not be out of place in a fantasy video game or movie. It is beautiful and expansive and makes you feel like you’re on an incredible journey. 

And at 14 dollars Canadian, which is the price of a CD back in the 90s, I pretty much paid for the music, and all the extra parts of the program is just the cherry on top. It’s honestly a really good price considering the music alone.