I wish focus were something we could flip on and off. Sometimes it seems like I should strip away everything extraneous to be able to get the most done, but often obnoxious music helps keep my brain from going off on tangents...
It's somewhat like the 'coffee shop noise' effect. If you can work remotely from a coffee shop, the background noise can hit the sweet spot between distraction and unnerving silence for many people. It's as though the brain needs *just enough* to push against....
(of course this was all pre-covid before all coffee was to-go...)