Listening to music at work: how to choose the right type of tune?
There is a direct connection between productivity and music at the workplaceEveryone loves music and everyone fancies a specific type of it. In the last couple of decades technology has had a massive impact on why and when we choose to listen to our favourite songs, thanks to an easy, fast and free access to various musical platforms. Open spaces, global mobility and great connectivity have created the perfect match: music and work. Studies show that music and productivity are strongly linked together, and the former is not just a mere distraction. Of course, choosing the right type of music will contribute to boosting your focus and productivity. It’s all about finding the right balance between the tunes and the tasks that you are performing during your working routine.
If you are looking to be more focused pick songs without any lyrics
According to Forbes, ‘studies have found that listening to music with lyrics while completing language-based tasks can make you less productive. In one study, intelligible background speech made people bad at proofreading while they could perform tasks like basic math unaffected.’ On a more general note, either you are working or studying, listening to songs without lyrics will allow your brain to save a lot of memory space.
How to deal with repetitive activities and what tunes should you listen to
If you have a job that requires a lot of repetitive and monotonous tasks, try listening to some fun and lively music. For example, ‘researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK studied assembly-line workers and found that music made them more efficient.’ This type of choice can improve your productivity. During mechanical and tedious tasks, you can easily get distracted or bored, which may cause serious delays and procrastination. You can avoid that by listening to a lively song.
When you’re having a hard time at work, your most beloved songs will save the day
No matter the role one covers at work, everyone deals with challenges and difficult days. Sometimes you just don’t feel like being at the top of your game. Then, your favourite singer can bring back the enthusiasm and cheer you up. You would be curious to know that ‘most studies have found music to be helpful for increasing surgeons’ concentration. Specifically, they’ve noted that performance improved the most when workers got to select their own music as compared to generic background music’.
Each job requires its own type of music, and both your productivity and creativity are affected by it. If you are interested in learning more about scientific evidence behind this idea, click here! You will find fascinating insights about ‘music and creative design, visual patterns and repetitive music, attention, procedure, and self-chosen music, background music and studying, creativity, music, and construal level, arousing music and creativity, noise and learning, work and music preference, belief about music’s effect.’ Cognitive studies are delivering endless and intriguing insights on the relationship between music and intellectual or physical tasks in the workplace.
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