I occasionally listen to a podcast by “Getting Things Done” guru and productivity expert David Allen. I always aspire to be a productivity God but find myself more in the “rushing around trying to get a lot of things done at once” category. Still, I do find his material inspirational in a “if only I was that organised…” kind of way.
I was surprised to find an episode that was focused on sleep. Indeed, an entire discussion with a sleep expert, which I felt certain you would rather like to listen to. You can listen to it here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/forcedn/gettingthingsdone/Episode_342_David_Allen_and_Dan_Pardi.mp3.
It also reinforces to me how important the subject of focus for the Procrastination Pen blog is, and has been. Given that the drive of these articles is to get more and better-quality sleep using distraction as a technique.
Distraction mainly by making use of restful, calming sounds, that soothe a racing mind and make it ready for some rest (where it might not have been before listening).
I have found that there are as many calming sounds as there are people prepared to listen to them. Personally, I like a quiet, peaceful sounding voice. If I can find one that sounds even a little empathetic so much the better. For this reason, for a very long time, I have been focused on YouTube videos with some medical content. (I found that medical professionals often have the better voices, but sadly, not always).
However, the longer I stayed with YouTube, the louder and more frenetic the adverts have become. Also, the more often I seem to have problems with it like a recent iterative logon prompt which went away by itself after twenty-four hours, indicating, to my mind, that the problem wasn’t mine.
On that basis I have started to cast around for material that does not rely upon YouTube, and I have found that some of the video content seems to have been archived onto the Internet Archive.
For example, this one, it is only eight minutes but the voice is excellent. It is also available as a physical file
PE: Shoulder Pain – OSCE Prep (Pulm, Cardiac, Pulses, Screening OSE, UE Neuro, MSK, Special Tests)
This seems to be the advantage of this site. Ostensibly you could download the files and assemble them into a playlist offline, without needing to listen to those adverts. Sadly, there do not appear to be a huge number of these in the Internet Archive so it isn’t any YouTube replacement. However, it maybe sufficient to assemble a few videos from various sources and that maybe enough to drop off to.
For some time now I have been reviewing Calm material. I’m making the assumption that at least some of the people that happen across this blog one way or another can access Calm. (Calm requires a subscription). I like it because I have a subscription and more importantly it does not have adverts. I will readily admit that the content is a bit on the variable side and the ones I feature here are just the ones I have got on with the best (so far anyway).
This week, I recommend this one:
https://www.calm.com/app/player/4xcp92NKYa
Silence
NARRATOR
Tamara Levitt
AUTHOR
Tamara Levitt
I’ve often reflected that I like most of the artists that record the Calm dailies on Calm (well their voices anyway) but perhaps Tamara has my favourite voice.
This is ten minutes on the value of silence. Including doing everything that you can to preserve silence when you find it.
I have reflected that it is a fortunate person who can find much silence in the modern world. I also recognise that some people with conditions such as tinnitus might find absolute silence to be too distracting. Where you both have and want silence what a privilege it is, and in some cases an asset to sleep as well.
For this week’s ASMR professional I came across a video from an artist who I first discovered by visiting a forum where someone was saying that this person was their favourite ASMR artist. The forum entry seems to be lost now and in my brief reviews of the videos (at that time) I did not find this to be my favourite artist.
I also discovered that all the original YouTube material for this channel was removed some time ago. It is therefore only where someone has reposted a video that you will even get the chance to listen:
ASMRaurette – Cranial Nerve Examination
The channel is Sapper MacDonald so not ASMRaurette.
A search reveals no ASMRaurette channel.
It seems that some personal information was leaked and ASMRaurette left YouTube for keeps.
However, there is some content on the Internet Archive.
Including
and
and
and
So, plenty of opportunity to try out the odd video and see if you like the sound.
Today’s video is a little less than seventeen minutes long. The notes are incredibly brief: “712,958 views 23 Jul 2014
20121010″
Comments are denied (perhaps wisely). There is no startup music but there is some background noise. The voice is very muted and almost childlike in fact (perhaps ASMRaurette was very young when she recorded this). The background noise seems to rise and fall which makes me wonder if it is the fan on the computer this was recorded on or similar. The visual quality is poor which may reflect the fact that this has probably been recorded from somewhere and not that well… (such as a piece of software used to stream and record a YouTube video, for example). Although not my favourite voice, this is still a very good voice and if someone caused this artist to leave YouTube then it was a sad day for ASMR fans, I fear. Perhaps a good opportunity to celebrate the videos that we still have.
You may recall a previous post in which I mentioned a URL which linked to thirty two videos. The URL is this one:
It has thirty-two videos (discounting the introductory one). Last time we managed to review just four of these, so there is a fair few left to look at…
The next one in the series is this:
Airway Adjuncts – NPA, Guedel, BVM
Just less than eight minutes. The notes are: “272,764 views 13 May 2012
This video – produced by students at Oxford University Medical School in conjunction with the faculty – demonstrates the safe and correct use of airway adjuncts in maintaining an open airway.
It is part of a series of videos covering Respiratory Medicine skills and is linked to Oxford Medical Education (www.oxfordmedicaleducation.com)
This video was produced in collaboration with Oxford Medical Illustration – a department of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. For more information, please visit www.oxfordmi.nhs.uk”
The narrator has a reasonable voice; there is a small amount of hiss on the track, however. As before there is no music (hurray) and the approach is nicely measured.
The actual examination is silent, and so rather useful for us.
Oxygen Therapy and Delivery – How to Prescribe Oxygen
it is seven and a quarter minutes and the notes are: “695,126 views 13 May 2012 Nursing Skills
This video – produced by students at Oxford University Medical School in conjunction with the faculty – demonstrates how to deliver oxygen therapy through various devices, as well as the prescribing of oxygen. It is part of a series of videos covering Respiratory Medicine skills and is linked to Oxford Medical Education (www.oxfordmedicaleducation.com)
Please see the BTS guidelines for more information:
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/guide…
This video was produced in collaboration with Oxford Medical Illustration – a department of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. For more information, please visit www.oxfordmi.nhs.uk”
The narrator has a good voice and the background noise consists merely of a muted hiss whenever the narrator speaks. The actual medical procedure is conducted in silence – which is quite useful in this context as we only have the narrator’s voice to attend to.
Inhaler and Nebuliser Explanation – Asthma
Just over five minutes and the notes are: “183,310 views 13 May 2012 Nursing Skills
This video – produced by students at Oxford University Medical School in conjunction with the faculty – demonstrates how to use a nebuliser and explain correct inhaler technique to a patient. It is part of a series of videos covering Respiratory Medicine skills and is linked to Oxford Medical Education (www.oxfordmedicaleducation.com)
Please see the BTS guidelines for more information:
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/guide…
This video was produced in collaboration with Oxford Medical Illustration – a department of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. For more information, please visit www.oxfordmi.nhs.uk”
The narrator is not as good as the last video but still reasonably quiet. Background noise is absent as is startup music. The lack of startup music really distinguishes this set of videos from a number of others that we have reviewed.
The medical process is initially silent and so we only have to attend to the narrator which is rather good. However subsequently we realise that the narrator and the medical professional have either the same or similar voices (i.e. it is more than likely it is the same person) which makes for great continuity.
Peak Flow and Spirometry – Lung Function Tests
A little less than seven and a half minutes, the notes are: “464,178 views 13 May 2012 Nursing Skills
This video – produced by students at Oxford University Medical School in conjunction with the faculty – demonstrates how to perform the basic lung function tests of spirometry and peak flow.
It is part of a series of videos covering Respiratory Medicine skills.”
The narrator has a reasonable voice (not the best we’ve heard in this blog article) but it is adequate for us. The actual medical procedure is actually better than the narration in this one. However, the breathing exercises are too loud for this to belong in the Procrastination Pen playlist.
I think that I will conclude the blog post at this one and continue in another post. Failing that this blog post would become really large indeed, to the point of boredom, I imagine.
That’s it on this occasion, more next time.
The Oxford Medical Education Hospitals playlist on the Procrastination Pen is here:
The overall playlist of videos covered so far on the Procrastination Pen is here:
The videos weeded out because over time they are just not as good as the others is in this archive list:
I keep this in case subscribers to the Procrastination Pen have personal favourites that they want to hear.
The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:
I can’t be bothered to stop my listening to log on, this interrupts the experience. You may not mind this in which case this list is for you.
I hope that you find the playlists restful and I hope you get plenty of sleep.
If you liked this blog article, why not follow this blog.
Until next time.
Photo by DeepAI
The Procrastination Pen 