How music affects your productivity

Music has a way of expressing that which cannot be put into words. It is for this reason (and many more) that music is regarded as one of the triumphs of human creativity-but does music itself help one to create? Truthfully, this is an important question to examine for anyone, because music has increasingly become apart of the modern-day work session

Music may help make repetitive tasks easier

When the task is clearly defined and is repetitive in nature, music is definitely useful

A series of experiments investigated the relationship between the playing of background music during the performance of repetitive work and efficiency in performing such a task
The results give strong support to the contention that economic benefits can accure from the use of music in industry
Music with a dissonant tone had no impact to productivity while music in the major mode had different results

Lyrics can be very distracting

With immersive tasks, lyrics are especially destructive to our focus.

Since listening to words activates the language center of your brain, trying to engage in other language related tasks (like writing) would be akin to trying to hold a conversation while another person talks over you.

Music for Immersive Tasks: What Works

There are certain types of music that, from the research above, might be best suited to make us all more productive during immersive tasks.

List the type of music, why it may be useful for you, and a link on where you can find more.

Video game music

The music for certain situations is music that can be played in the background and not distract the player.

Where to listen
OverClocked Remix
VGMusic.com
Reddit’s r/GameMusic
Examples from Skyrim and SimCity 5

Music seems to interfere with learning

Study participants had a much more difficult time recalling a complex task when they had listened to music

Music demands too much attention, even when the sounds are subtle
Imagine trying to “read above your level” while being pulled away by the sound of music

“Everything else”

Anything else that may be ‘low key’ could be a good potential playlist for the right people

Where to listen: Reddit’s r/Music For Concentration
Spotify
Pandora
Examples: Jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, blues

Ambient noise may be the creative sweet spot

Moderate levels of ambient noise can get the creative juices flowing, but too much noise can have the opposite effect

Music with especially low-lows or especially high-highs should be avoided
Deep basses and screeching synths might get you energized, but when listening and engaging in deep work, favor a more mellow sound

Familiarity is best for focus

Listen to music you are familiar with if you need to intensely focus for a project

New music is surprising, and you are inclined to listen closely to see what comes next
With familiar music, you know what lies ahead and thus the sound doesn’t become your primary focus

No music at all

If a task is so demanding that your attention might falter due to any music, you should focus on creating a very quiet workplace

SimplyNoise
Playing nothing but a low pitch white noise in the background is amazing for certain productive scenarios
RainyMood
Work like it’s drizzling outside even when it’s sunny outside

In a noisy workplace, music may be an escape

Dr. Lesiuk’s research focuses on how music affects workplace performance

Those who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who did not
The idea that headphones might beat out the constant yapping of your office co-workers has caused somewhat of a debate due to the rising popularity of open offices