Blog | Page 89 | Jean Galea

The Best Productivity and Relaxation Music

Last updated: April 05, 20244 Comments

Music is a very important thing in my life; I listen to a wide range of music styles, have experience in DJing, and play basic guitar and piano. In this article I will focus on music styles and apps that help me immerse myself in work and shut the rest of the world out.

Research on Music’s Effectivity

There is some good research done with regard to music and concentration:

Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned. Baroque music, such as that composed by Bach, Handel or Telemann, that is 50 to 80 beats per minute creates an atmosphere of focus that leads students into deep concentration in the alpha brain wave state. Learning vocabulary, memorizing facts or reading to this music is highly effective. On the other hand, energizing Mozart music assists in holding attention during sleepy times of day and helps students stay alert while reading or working on projects.

Music Streaming Services

Music streaming services have revolutionized the way we listen to music. They offer vast libraries of songs and albums, personalized recommendations, and the ability to stream music on multiple devices, making it easier than ever to discover and enjoy music on demand.

The size of the music libraries offered by Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, and Apple Music are similar, with all four services offering over 70 million songs.

While all four services have a vast library of songs, the specific selection of music may differ between the platforms. Some songs or albums may be available on one platform but not on the others, so it may be worth checking the libraries of all four services to see which one offers the specific content you are looking for. Additionally, the pricing and features offered by each service may differ, so it is important to compare them and choose the one that best meets your needs and budget.

For general background music, I like to discover new music from the following styles:

Instrumental Jazz
Instrumental Bossa Nova

I don’t have any favourite jazz or bossa nova bands so I rely on Spotify to find new albums whenever I get tired of what I’m currently listening to.

Ambient music works really well for tasks such as programming and tech related work. Here are my recommendations:

Brian Eno
Tycho
Jens Buchert
Emancipator
Kraftwerk
Jean-Michel Jarre

While remaining in the electronic realm, trance and electro sometimes work well for me, especially when I need music that packs more punch and infuses a sense of urgency to what I’m doing. This can turn out to be ideal also in the afternoon when I generally tend to feel a bit sleepy. I don’t have too many favourites here, although I do love to listen to the album Berlin Calling from Paul Kalkbrenner every now and then. The Tron soundtrack is also awesome, as is that of The Social Network.

When I need to be really pumped up and I don’t mind lyrics I turn to my favourite music in the form of euro dance and rock. I have an extensive euro dance collection from the late 90s and early 00s and that’s what I put on in these occasions. My favourite rock band is Queen and they are usually the ones on my playlist when I need some comforting music to help me through some menial work that I would be dreading doing.

You can also check out classical music such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Many people work well with classical music. It’s not my favorite for working but I do use it at times when I’m tired of everything else.

At times all I need is some background noise; I might use some white noise collections on Spotify, Coffitivity, or Noisli.

Spotify

Spotify is a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service that provides access to millions of songs, albums, and other audio content. It was founded in 2006 in Sweden and has since become one of the largest and most popular streaming services in the world. With Spotify, users can stream music on demand, create playlists, discover new music, and listen to podcasts.

The service is available as a free, ad-supported version, as well as a premium version that offers additional features, such as offline playback and higher quality audio. Spotify also provides a platform for artists to share their music and reach a large audience, and it offers a variety of tools for music discovery, such as curated playlists and personalized recommendations based on users’ listening habits. Overall, Spotify is a popular choice for people who want to access a large library of music and audio content from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.

I use Spotify (€9.99/month in Spain, or €6.99 in Malta), and they have geographical pricing in play, see this interactive chart of Spotify prices around the world. Most other services have similar regional pricing schemes.

Amazon Music

Amazon Music ($9.99 or $14.99 for a family plan) is a music streaming service offered by Amazon. It provides access to a vast library of songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts, as well as live radio stations and original content. Amazon Music is available as a standalone service or as part of Amazon’s Prime membership, which includes other benefits such as free shipping, access to Prime Video, and more.

With Amazon Music, users can stream music on demand, create playlists, download songs for offline playback, and access personalized recommendations based on their listening habits. The service also provides a platform for artists to share their music and reach a large audience. Amazon Music integrates with Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, allowing users to control playback using voice commands. Overall, Amazon Music is a popular choice for people who are already Amazon Prime members or who are looking for a music streaming service that is closely integrated with other Amazon services.

Apple Music

Apple Music (€9.99 or €14.99 for a family plan) is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. It allows users to stream over 70 million songs, as well as a large collection of music videos, live concerts, and exclusive content from artists. Users can also create their own playlists, listen to curated playlists and radio stations, and access expert recommendations based on their listening history.

In addition to music streaming, Apple Music also offers music downloads, allowing users to store music locally for offline playback. The service is available on Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, as well as on Android and Windows devices through a dedicated app. Apple Music also integrates with Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, allowing users to control their music with voice commands. Overall, Apple Music is designed to provide a comprehensive music experience for its users, combining the best of traditional music services with cutting-edge technology and a focus on artists and their work. The new Apple Music Sing feature allows you to turn off voice tracks, converting any song into an instrumental piece, potentially suitable as a background for focused work.

Music and Sound Therapy Apps

These apps provide audio content, such as music and soundscapes, aimed at promoting relaxation, sleep, focus, and well-being. They use various techniques, such as binaural beats, psychoacoustics, and neuropriming, to create personalized audio experiences that are designed to have a positive impact on the brain and body.

This type of technology is often referred to as “music therapy” or “sound therapy” and is gaining popularity as a tool for improving mental health and overall well-being.

Brain.fm

Brain.fm is a website and app that offers audio programs designed to enhance focus, relaxation, and sleep using sound patterns and music. It is based on the principles of binaural beats and other sound frequencies that are believed to have an impact on the brain and promote various cognitive and emotional states.

Brain.fm claims to use artificial intelligence and scientific research to create soundscapes that can help users focus, sleep better, or reduce anxiety and stress. The app provides access to a library of audio programs that users can choose from based on their desired outcome.

Focus@Will

Focus@Will is a website and app that provides music specifically designed to help people concentrate and increase their productivity. It is based on the concept of “neuropriming,” which involves using specific types of music to stimulate different areas of the brain and enhance focus.

The app features a library of more than 50 channels of music that have been specifically selected and composed to promote focus and minimize distractions. The channels range from classical music to nature sounds and ambient soundscapes. Focus@Will claims to use science and research to create its music and states that it has been tested and proven to increase focus and productivity. The app allows users to customize their listening experience by adjusting the volume, tempo, and type of music, and also includes a timer to help users stay focused for a set period of time.

Endel

Endel is a mobile app and web platform that provides personalized audio for better sleep, focus, and relaxation. Endel uses a proprietary algorithm to generate real-time, adaptive soundscapes based on specific parameters like the time of day, weather, and user’s preferences. The soundscapes produced by Endel are designed to enhance sleep quality, improve focus and concentration, and reduce stress and anxiety.

The app offers a variety of sound profiles that users can choose from depending on their needs, and the audio adapts in real-time to provide a personalized experience. The app is based on the principles of psychoacoustics, which is the study of how sound affects the human brain and body, and is aimed at helping people improve their well-being through sound.

Alternative Music Apps

Digitally Imported

Digitally Imported (DI.FM) is a web-based music streaming service that specializes in electronic dance music (EDM) and other dance music genres. It was established in 1999 and has since grown into one of the largest online music streaming platforms for electronic dance music fans. DI.FM offers over 80 channels of hand-curated music from a wide range of dance music genres, including trance, house, techno, and more. The service also offers personalized recommendations, song information, and a user-friendly interface.

In addition to its web-based service, DI.FM also offers a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, allowing users to stream music on the go. The service offers both free and premium subscriptions, with the latter offering ad-free listening, higher-quality audio, and offline playback. Overall, DI.FM is designed to provide a comprehensive and immersive music experience for fans of electronic dance music and other dance music genres.

Coffitivity

Coffitivity is a mobile app and website that recreates the ambient sounds of a coffee shop to boost creativity and productivity. It provides users with a background soundtrack of café noise, including the sounds of people chatting, espresso machines, and gentle background music, to create a calming and inspiring environment for work, study, or relaxation.

The idea behind Coffitivity is that the moderate level of background noise in a coffee shop can help people focus and be more productive, while also reducing stress and improving mood. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices, as well as on the web. Users can choose from a selection of different coffee shop sounds, or create a customized mix of sounds to suit their preferences.

Noisli

Noisli is a Chrome browser extension that provides ambient soundscapes to help you focus, relax, or sleep. It offers a variety of sound options, including white noise, rain, thunder, wind, forest, and coffee shop sounds, among others. The extension can be used for productivity, to reduce stress and anxiety, or for background noise while working, studying, or reading. You can customize the sound mix to your liking and save your favorite combinations for later use.

YouTube

I’m including YouTube as an alternative app as it isn’t strictly for music, but many still use it as their main platform for listening to and discovering music.

I typically use YouTube on my secondary monitor to listen to DJ sets from the channel Cercle and some similar ones.

Hope this is helpful and I’d love to know what music you all listen to while working!

🏦 Best Commission-Free Banks in Spain (Updated 2024)

Last updated: February 14, 2024294 Comments

Upon moving to Spain, one of the first things you need to do is open a bank account.

You will need it for several things, most importantly for paying your monthly rent. A foreign bank account is not that useful in Spain as many institutions rely on direct debits to a local account. For example, if you make a gym subscription, or if you sign up for private health insurance, you will need to provide your bank details, and you need to give a Spanish IBAN number.

See also: Best broker for buying stocks in Spain

The same thing applies if you have an iPhone and want to use the Spanish app store; you need a Spanish debit or credit card.

When I arrived in Spain, I had a list of criteria that I used to search for the best bank here. Let me share them with you:

Commission-free.
I’m giving money to the bank and they will use it to gain money, I shouldn’t be paying them. If anything, they should be compensating me for providing the capital.
Straightforward to open and operate.
I didn’t want to jump through too many hoops to open a bank account, and I expect a modern web and mobile interface to operate on a daily basis.
English-speaking staff and multilingual website and contracts.
Not so much of a deal-breaker as I’m fluent in Spanish, but it’s always a plus.
Stable and highly-regarded bank.
I don’t want nasty surprises in the future, so let’s keep to the top banks and avoid going with the lesser-known ones.

Here are some of the typical bank fees charged by banks here that I was not prepared to pay:

Maintenance fees
There is usually an average fee for having your bank account and this is anything from €40 year and upwards
Transferring money
If you use your bank account to transfer money, even to another Spanish account, you may be charged. The transfer cost is usually around €2 or C3 for every transaction you make. Online transactions are usually free.
ATM
If you use a cash machine that is not linked to the bank you use then you will be charged a fee. This varies but is likely to be at least €2.
Credit and debit cards
Some banks may charge a small fee per year for maintaining your card and can be around €8 and €10 per year.

After spending many hours in online research, speaking to people and visiting bank branches, these were my shortlisted banks:

Currency Conversions

Before we delve into details about each of these banks and my top pick, I’d like to make a special note for those who will be transferring money from other countries. The most common cases are GBP and USD but this applies to any other non-Euro currency.

I suggest that you use Wise for your conversions as you will save a ton of money versus any local bank. You can also set up a Wise Borderless account which gives you a debit card in multiple currencies that is perfect for travel.

Ok, now that you now know how to do currency exchanges the right way, let’s move on to Spanish banks. If you have any questions about currency exchange, leave a comment and I’ll try to help out.

N26 – Best Low-Cost Bank in Spain for 2023

Unfortunately, I haven’t been very impressed by banking in Spain. It’s decent enough, don’t get me wrong, and most banks have very good online systems and apps, however, support and compliance can get very frustrating.

That is why I would recommend N26, a German bank with the very latest technology and an amazing mobile app through which you manage your account.

Since April 2019, N26 gives its Spanish users a Spanish IBAN account, so you will be able to use the bank for any direct debits as you would use other Spanish bank accounts.

Now that we have the option, I recommend opening an account with N26, which is a new breed of bank that is totally app-based. This is the future of banking, so they give you best-in-class digital facilities such as an app and website to go with it, while also helping you track your expenses.

I use DEGIRO as a stockbroker in combination with N26 as a bank account, and I have zero hassle with local branches and any other issues.

Revolut

The famous online bank Revolut is also available to residents of Spain. Revolut is a digital banking app and card that focuses on technology, low fees and premium features. It’s designed for those who travel a lot and offers ways to spend abroad, including international money transfers with no hidden fees.

When you sign up, you will need to choose between three account tiers, starting at €0 per month for the Standard account.

For all account tiers, Revolut gives you a free IBAN account, a free UK current account and a bank card so you can spend your money. You can spend in over 150 currencies at the interbank exchange rate and exchange 29 fiat currencies. There are a number of features that come with each account tier, such as free ATM withdrawals plus exclusive features that come with the Premium and Metal accounts.

Revolut has three tiers: Standard, Premium and Metal. The Standard account is €0 per month, the Premium account is €7.99 per month and the Metal account is €13.99 per month.

One of Revolut’s most appealing features is that it lets you spend fee-free at the interbank rate in over 150 currencies.

Using it abroad is much like using it in Spain. However, don’t forget that while there’s no spending limit for card payments, free ATM withdrawals are limited to €200 per month with the Standard account (higher for Premium and Metal), after which you’ll be charged a 2% fee.

Revolut received its European banking license from the European Central Bank in December 2018. This means that if you open a current account with Revolut in the future your funds will be protected up to €100,000. However, at the time of writing, this was still being put into place. For now, Revolut still has obligations to safeguard your funds in a separate bank so you can get them back should anything happen to Revolut.

Revolut stands out from its competitors in cryptocurrencies. In 2017, it became the first challenger bank to let customers buy cryptos within the app.

What’s more, it’s incredibly easy for anyone to use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin with Revolut. Revolut’s aim is to make cryptocurrencies accessible. Customers have access to five different cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and XRP. However, you have to hold a Premium account or higher to access the cryptocurrency feature automatically. Otherwise, you will need to invite three or more friends to use the app to unlock the feature.

Revolut shows you real-time cryptocurrency graphs which shows you current rates. You can also set up price alerts to hear when your cryptocurrency hits a certain value.

Revolut applies a markup of 0.5% on major currencies and 1% on other currencies over the weekend when markets are closed.

You are charged at least a 1% markup for currencies such as the Thai baht, Russian rouble, Ukrainian hryvnia and the Turkish lira. This rises to 2% on weekends.

You can make fee-free currency conversions up to €6,000 per month, after which a 0.5% fee applies.

The big disadvantage of using Revolut at the moment is that you don’t get a Spanish IBAN. Although according to EU rules, businesses here in Spain should accept European IBANs for direct debit purposes, in practice there are some big companies that still refuse to do so. You might want to check which companies you will need to work with and decide accordingly.

Having said that, since there is no cost to signing up to and maintaining a standard Revolut, I would still recommend having it, especially since you like to travel. Having more options is always better than less options. If you’re worried about managing multiple cards, have a look at the solution I found for that further down in the article.

Wise

Before you move abroad consider opening a TransferWise multi-currency account. You get your own free local bank account details in Europe, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand so you can have a local bank account before arriving.

It comes with a debit card so you can pay and withdraw money at ATMs once you come to Spain with much lower fees than with your bank.

Read my full Wise Borderless review or go ahead and open an account using the link below.

[Read more…]

📈 The Best Online Stock Brokers in Spain in 2024

Last updated: March 21, 202467 Comments

Following my move to Spain, I started searching for a local broker to start investing in stocks.

I’m not a huge fan of Spanish financial institutions, and given the choice, I’d much rather use an international stockbroker. That also makes it easier for me if I eventually move my residence to another country.

There are two main advantages of working with a Spanish broker, on the other hand:

No need to fill in any foreign asset reporting documents at the end of the year (Spanish Modelo 720 in this case).
Advantageous commissions (or lack thereof) for the local stock market.

The Modelo 720 form is an absolute drag to compile, but once you get the hang of it or outsource it, this factor becomes less of a deal-breaker. However when the March deadline for that form comes around, it’s a good reminder of how backward the Spanish taxation system is. I invest internationally and not in the Spanish market, so the second advantage is not so important to me.

With that said, here are the best options I’ve found.

[Read more…]

An Introduction to Padel (aka Paddle)

Last updated: March 20, 202323 Comments

Meet my favorite sport: Padel (or Paddle, as it is sometimes referred to in the English-speaking community).

My Padel Story

Until 2015, I’d been a football (soccer) fan all my life and I used to enjoy practicing this sport on a weekly basis with my friends back in Malta. It was my favorite sport by far. However, once I started playing padel it immediately replaced football’s place in my life. I became thoroughly addicted to this sport and many years later I still can’t get enough of it.

Before trying padel, I’d played a few racket sports sporadically, mostly tennis and table tennis, and I enjoyed both of them.

In 2015, while holidaying in Seville, I saw some people playing padel and I was captivated. I made a promise to myself to try out this strange sport whenever I had the chance. I had no idea what it was called back then.

I later learned that it was called padel and that it is very popular all around Spain. One of the first things I did upon my arrival in Barcelona was to attend a padel meetup. Thus I fulfilled my earlier promise. I was hooked from the very first match I played. Soon enough I was trying out different rackets and reading all the material I could get my hands onto.

Padel is a very social sport, here’s a photo with some friends from the Barcelona meetup.

I took the sport very seriously and continue to enjoy watching and playing it. You can read about my full padel journey here.

So What is Padel?

Padel is a very social sport. It is always played in doubles format, unlike tennis where the main focus is on the singles matches. It is also very easy to learn compared to tennis, so you don’t even need lessons to start playing with your friends. This is especially true if you have played other racket sports in the past. Here in Barcelona, one can find various tournaments called Americanas which mean that everyone plays against everyone, changing partners for every match. As you can imagine you can get to know a lot of people during such tournaments. They’re the perfect place for expats to make new friends especially if you want to make some local friends.

The sport is essentially a combination of tennis and squash and is great for players of all ages and skills. The court is one-third the size of a tennis court and is enclosed with wire mesh and glass walls which you can play off when you need to. Rules are a mixture of squash and tennis, and use the same scoring system as tennis. Compared to tennis it is less focused on strength and more on tactics and psychology.

Padel in its current form was invented by Mexican millionaire Enrique Corcuera in the 1960s, although we can trace back its origins to 1890 when it was played by British sailors in the lower levels of their navy ships. The first padel courts in Spain were built in 1974, in Marbella. Spain counts with nearly 10,000 padel courts (about the same number as Argentina where the game was developed earlier), approximately 4 million regular players, and the number of registered players is continuously increasing. Sales of paddle rackets in Spain are nearly four times that of tennis rackets.

Padel is very popular in Spain and Argentina as it’s been played in these countries for decades, however, many other countries are experiencing a padel boom and are catching up. We might in fact be entering the golden age of Padel as it is currently the fastest-growing racket sport in the world.

With Spain being a very popular tourist destination, many tourists are getting introduced to Padel there and then taking their new-found hobby back to their countries. This is currently one of the main drivers behind Padel’s growth in Europe. World Padel Tour and Premier Padel, the biggest worldwide competitions, also help create interest outside of Spain.

Building padel courts is also a great investment opportunity since courts are smaller than tennis and the rental is paid by four people, therefore maximizing revenues. It is, therefore, more feasible to build padel courts versus tennis courts, especially in densely populated areas where the cost of land is very high.

Essential Padel Equipment

If you’re interested in trying padel, you’ll need the following equipment:

Padel racket: Padel rackets are solid, perforated, and stringless. They are usually made of composite materials, such as carbon fiber or fiberglass, and are lighter than tennis rackets. When choosing a padel racket, consider factors such as weight, balance, and shape to find the one that best suits your playing style and skill level.
Padel balls: Padel balls are similar to tennis balls but with slightly less pressure. Make sure to purchase balls specifically designed for padel, as using tennis balls can affect the gameplay and damage your racket.
Court shoes: Proper footwear is crucial for playing padel, as it provides the necessary grip and support for the quick movements and changes of direction typical of the sport. Look for court shoes with padel-specific soles, good cushioning, and lateral support.
Comfortable sportswear: Wear comfortable, breathable sportswear that allows for freedom of movement during the game. Padel-specific clothing is available, but any sportswear suitable for tennis or other racket sports will work just as well.

My racket

Watching Padel

At a professional level, both men’s and women’s matches are very exciting to watch. However, I’d say the women’s matches are better if you are watching to learn new techniques.

The men’s matches are more exciting as the points tend to be longer and crowd-pleasers such as smashes and out-of-court play are more common. However, since they are played at breakneck speed it’s hard to follow the particular movements of the players and hence harder to learn from. Of course you can always grab a recording and play it in slow motion to learn how your favorite player hits the ball. It’s just very hard to do so when you’re watching live games.

Padel tournaments are not only for the pros. Any padel player can also join amateur tournaments that are held in many cities in Spain. We are now seeing international amateur padel tournaments start to take place, as it’s becoming a profitable niche in the sports tourism sector.

If you’re in Barcelona you can join our Barcelona padel community on Facebook.

Have you ever played padel or seen it being played? I’d love to hear from padel players from all around the world!

How To Send and Receive Faxes for Free Without a Fax Machine

Last updated: March 21, 20205 Comments

Fax machines must be one of the most loathed gadgets ever invented, however, they are still in use by many corporations and governments.

If you have been asked to send a fax to someone and you don’t have a fax machine at home or in your office, worry not, I have a great solution for you.

Sending Faxes for Free

Head over to HelloFax and sign up (email address and password, or via your Google/Facebook accounts)
Have the documents ready on your computer, then upload them to the HelloFax site via their easy upload system. You can even upload files from Dropbox, Evernote, Box or Google Drive.
Enter the fax number of the recipient and hit send. That’s it!

With the free plan, you can send up to 5 free faxes per month. If you need to regularly send and receive faxes (yes, you can also receive faxes, they get sent to your email account), you can purchase a monthly subscription for just $9.99. That will give you up to 300 pages per month.

Of course, there is also a 30 day no strings attached trial.

For occasional use, I’ve just stuck to the free plan which works swimmingly well and has solved the fax problem for me going forward.

Send a free fax with HelloFax

Another great option for sending faxes, just in case you need to send more pages than the ones HelloFax gives you for free, is Fax.Plus.

Receiving Faxes for Free

The free plan at HelloFax does not allow you to receive faxes for free. Instead, I use FaxBurner, a similar service that also allows you to receive and send faxes for free. The sending of faxes with FaxBurner is limited to USA and Canada, so I prefer HelloFax for sending.

To receive faxes with FaxBurner all you need to do is sign up for a free account, then create a free number using the interface. You are then able to receive faxes on that temporary number.

Send a free fax with FaxBurner