I asked the following question to a few of my colleagues/friends: What do you do while testing/writing tests?
I mostly listen to some EDM/Techno/Metal music while writing tests with a cold drink in front of me.
The weirdest answer I had so far was:
I’m interested to see what you guys do, perhaps some new idea’s might come up.
Any weird habits? 
I used to play with my hair while I thought until my wife made me a fidget ring. She didn’t want me to pull all my hair out 
I also talk out loud during coding because my thoughts go too fast and all over the place. Talking out loud slows me down and seriously helps me to solve the problem more quickly.
Music wise, give me black metal any day as coding music. It’s just a wall of sound that’s calming to me, though I guess not many people would agree with me
I need to get a fiddle ring at some point. I have at least 2 drinks at any one time (usually a combo or water, tea, and coke zero). I also cannot work to music, but I can’t work in silence either so I have to play an audiobook or a podcast so I have the background noise of voices to work to 
I wish I could listen to podcasts, webinars and such, but sadly my brain doesn’t allow me to.
I can listen to music though, so I listen to that a lot.
But I also like joining virtual team rooms or the Tester’s Hangout, for background noise.
Nothing kills me more than silence.
I listen to metal, hip hop or asmr 
Looks so familiar! 
Yes indeed!
Seems many do like metal
I tend to have my music library on shuffle when doing any kind of testing activity (which mostly seems to be reviewing stuff or writing strategies nowadays…)
Music, tea, comedy or audiobooks depending on the complexity of the tasks as well as how I feel on a particular day.
With that said, tea is my default.
I’m talking to my two Duck (who, I imagine, like pair listening to me).
Normally I prefer the silence while working, but when I play music it’s usually something electronic (Jean Michel Jarre, Software).
For drinks: In the morning it’s mostly freshly hand-brewed coffee, and water in the afternoon/evening. For me: No coffee in the afternoon ➙ better sleep at night ➙ less cofffee needed the next day ➙ better sleep. 
It wasn’t easy to break the more coffee ➙ more coffee ➙ more coffee cycle.
Looking through the previous contributions, I suspect my choice of aural accompaniment to testing is certainly not in the same mould. Mornings - Radio 4. Afternoons - predominantly classical. Yesterday, for example, it was Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth).
My choice of music while testing/coding depends very much on just how much I need to concentrate and what my mood is. If I need something mellow then probably classical; Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” or Smetana’s “Vltava” for example. The other day, when I was in a good mood and the automation I was working on was going well, the playlist was classic, bouncy Jamaican ska tunes from the Skatalites. On the other hand, when I’m doing something when I really need to keep concentration I tend to go for dark ambient that most people wouldn’t even consider music, such as Black Mountain Transmitter or Cities Last Broadcast - I know this won’t work for everyone, but for me, having non-vocal and non-rhythmic sounds in the background does a good job of focusing me on the task in hand.
I’ve also got a selection of tactile toys to fiddle with, like foam squeezers or flexy puzzles to play with, or failing that assorted guitar bits around my home desk as it doubles as my workbench; they help to keep me awake during boring meetings!
Mahler! I love Mahler, but I find it too beautiful to put on during work. That music touches me too much, if you know what I mean.
I read a study once that said that video game music is composed to help build concentration and flow, so I listen to that!
When JENOVA from final fantasy 7 comes on… I get very pumped to test!
I’m the same with Beethoven.
I often listen to videogame soundtracks when I am working. “The Witcher” and “Borderlands 2” are a couple of my favorites.
If I really need to get into the zone and focus on something for a few hours then something with a bit of bass that gets my heart rate up is great. The Bass Arcade playlist on Spotify is pretty good for that.
Although, when I was at Uni I went through a phase where the only thing that would get me in the zone while doing my programming assignments was Duffy. So maybe I am just a bit weird?
I think I need one!!
I listen to Podcasts or a variety of music. I enjoy the podcasts about conspiracies, historical event or modern day society. If I’m working from home I have the tv on something mindless.
A wife or a ring? 
ow! That I wouldn’t be able to do. I mainly play music on the background so I can’t see it. If I see it, I would be distracted.
I’m a metal fan too but need to start my day with something a bit more chilled so I usually listen to some Jon Gomm or some acoustic finger style guitar players.
Also I can’t work without a cup of tea in the morning but have to try and remind myself to drink water throughout the day.
