7 Types Of Music That Will Make Your Productivity Skyrocket
Have you ever felt like you’re stuck between many piles of tasks just because you can’t pull yourself together? Whether it’s your mood that has been down lately, or maybe you feel tired, losing your focus very easily.
And when you’ve tried out the many other productivity tips – from trying to wake up early to stuff your stomach with nutritious nuts and other healthy meals – that still don’t do it for you, you have to look for other creative solutions to help you with your workflow.
That’s how we got here as well – searching the Internet up and down, left and right, we found out that different types of music can affect the way you get your work done, depending on your needs.
How does music affect your workflow?
There has been a research that shows how listening to music while working affects our brains. It states that listening to music can improve our focus, boost our mood and manage stress.
Work efficiency improvement
In that same research, it has been proved that participants who listened to music while working got better results in work efficiency – those workers completed their duties way quicker, giving overall better ideas than those that worked in silence.
Though, you have to keep in mind that not all kinds of music are good for listening to while doing the work but more on that later in this blog post.
Boosting the mood
A different study researched music’s effects on people’s moods before a stressful event. One-half of the participants listened to music, while the other half took anti-anxiety pills. The results showed that those who listened to music had lower cortisol levels, making them less anxious than those who took the drugs.
It has also been proven that music can create a positive change in the mood, stimulating many creative outlets simultaneously.
What kinds of music you shouldn't listen to while working?
As mentioned before, there are some music genres that can actually decrease your ability to focus and do your work effectively. Let’s have a look at what types of music can decrease your productivity levels!
Music with a more complex structure
It’s obvious that songs with multi-level structures, tons of different instruments, and tempos can make you distracted. That’s why complex songs like “Muffin Man” by Frank Zappa are less likely to make your workflow more efficient.
Songs with lyrics in them
Have you ever noticed that you can get easily distracted from work when someone near you is talking? The same goes with music – songs that have lyrics in them can often make you lose your focus instead of helping you do your work.
Popular songs
For jobs where you have to mainly use your brain (desk jobs, for example), noticeable and popular songs (like radio’s TOP 30 superhits) are not going to be beneficial for productivity as they may cause a loss of focus from work. Instead, play lesser-known music as it plays in the background, making no distractions and helping the time fly more quickly.
Source: Pexels
7 types of music for making your productivity fly through the roof
When you’re searching for music to listen to while working, there are many options to take into consideration. However, it all depends on what kind of task you’re trying to complete and what are your needs to do that. Do you need to open up your creative side? Do you need to just deepen your focus? Or maybe you just have to complete your daily repetitive task.
When you’re working on a task where you have to use every cell of your brain, not losing focus is crucial. In this instance, classical or instrumental music can help with creating a focus-inducing environment.
A phenomenon called “The Mozart Effect” suggests that listening to classical music can significantly increase brain activity, improving overall health and well-being at the same time. And many studies have backed up this claim – classical music, in fact, can also improve one’s ability to solve spatial puzzles.
It is thought that classical and instrumental pieces help with focus by filling the silence without being too distracting.
2. Lo-fi for relaxing and stimulating creativity
Lo-fi or low-fidelity music is ideal for doing creative tasks because it is intended to create a mood rather than amuse. As Masterclass describes it: “Lo-fi music mixed elements of house, jazz, easy listening, and hip-hop beats and samples with a DIY music aesthetic that emphasized the imperfect, homemade quality of analog recordings”.
The drum loops and other elements in lo-fi songs can increase brain activity, elevate mood, calm you down, reduce anxiety, and boost your creativity.
3. Ambient and nature sounds for de-stressing
Do you know that extremely calming feeling when, after a stressful day, you walk to your nearest forest, listening to the beautiful bird songs, and the sounds of leaves shaking in the branches, and that magical stillness calms you down instantly?
The same goes for ambient music or videos of nature sounds. When you’re stressed at work and have no way of going for a walk in nature, play some ambient music – it is amazing for helping you focus on the tasks while de-stressing you.
While classical music is also great for your productivity, and boosting concentration, a study shows that people who listened to ambient music and nature sounds had lower stress levels than those who listened to classical music or no music at all.
Source: Pexels
4. One song on repeat for achieving flow
Playing one song on an endless loop might sound like a strange idea at first but it actually works wonders in helping you make your workflow more efficient. How?
Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, the author of “On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind” and “The Psychology of Music: A Very Short Introduction”, directs the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. In one of her books, she states that when you’re listening to one song on a loop you can tend to dissolve into that song, blocking out the need for the mind to wander.
5. Video game music for stimulating thinking are problem-solving
Who doesn’t love at least one soundtrack from a video game (even if we’re ashamed to admit it)? Leave all your shame aside because it has been proven – music that was composed for a video game can significantly increase your ability to focus on completing tasks.
That’s because the many elements in a video game have been designed to enhance your gaming experience for all senses – meaning that the music is specifically made to help you focus on playing it.
In many of these video games, you have to put your logical thinking to them because they involve solving puzzles and dealing with intense situations, making you subject yourself to simulated, stress-causing challenges. So video game creators put a lot of resources into creating the perfect soundtracks that would help players focus more.
6. Cinematic music for inspiration and motivation
If you need a little boost of inspiration while you’re trying to complete a task, cinematic music might work wonders for you! We’re talking intense, dramatic, powerful music that can make you feel like you’re some kind of superhuman that can do anything in the world!
Cinematic soundtracks will empower you, dramatically lifting your mood at the same time. This kind of music is amazing at times when you feel exhausted, mentally and physically drained, and unmotivated.
7. Your favorite music for boosting your mood
We know you’ve been waiting for this – yes, your favorite songs can also make you more productive by lifting your spirit. BUT don’t get too excited yet!
Studies have found that your favorite genre of music absolutely can boost your mood, which also helps with completing tasks that you’re not too excited about. By listening to music they like, participants completed their tasks much faster, also giving some amazing ideas.
However, this only works with music that doesn’t get you distracted – by playing a song with many lyrics or fast beats, you can lose your focus from the task you’re trying to complete, so keep that in mind!
BONUS – Brain.fm for improving your brain activity
This was something new for us, but while we were looking for types of music to help us boost our productivity, we stumbled upon a website called Brain.FM. It is AI-generated music, called “functional music”, that stimulates neuron activity that’s associated with meditation, focus, and relaxation.
The way it works is simple: within 15 minutes or less, you find yourself mesmerized by these strange sounds that throw you into a mental state that doesn’t divert your attention. It’s harder to explain than you might think – just try it out for yourself. They offer a free trial with 5 sessions included.
Conclusion
When you need a fast way to make yourself more productive, music can be an awesome solution. By choosing the right type of music for your task, you can make your workflow efficiency skyrocket. So take the tips above into consideration, create a playlist for each intention you need, and get your tasks finally completed.
LUXAFOR HELPS PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF OFFICE PRODUCTS. LET’S BE PRODUCTIVE TOGETHER!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Author's Bio
Jessica Chapman is a writing editor from Chicago who enjoys traveling. She works with Australian Writings, and if you need programming assignment help, she is the best person you can ask. She is also into politics and sports.
