Do you tend to listen to music while you work?
If so… you’re not alone! And actually, that’s a good thing.
There are a large number of benefits associated with listening to music while we work. And for many of us, it’s something we’ve been doing since we were young.
Think back to elementary school…
Did your teacher play classical music during study hall or quiet work times? For a lot of us, the answer is yes. And the reason is this: there’s actually evidence that suggests listening to Mozart improves mental performance; it’s called the “Mozart Effect”.
And the best teachers know about it! So we’re taught early on about the benefits of music to improve focus (and relaxation) when we’re studying.
The same holds true for music in the workplace.
Music and its’ effect on workplace performance
Teresa Lesiuk, an assistant professor in the music therapy program at the University of Miami, conducts research on how music affects workplace performance.
In one of her studies involving information technology specialists, she found that those who listen to music while working completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas and solutions than those who didn’t.
The music improved both their mood and their overall effectiveness in their work.
Feeling a little tired? Your work music can help that, too!
Music is also known to help reduce task fatigue.
It increases dopamine production which is the brain chemical associated with rewards.
The heightened level of dopamine in your body as you work through tedious mundane tasks, keeps you from getting frustrated or burnt out, in turn increasing your productivity and keeping you motivated through completion.
So if you’re working on the same tasks repeatedly, or your task list is a mile long, put on some tunes to keep you focused and motivated.
A few instances where this may be helpful are:
- Uploading photos to dropbox and organizing them into the appropriate folders
- Embedding videos on each page of your membership site for your new program
- Paying your affiliates from a recent program launch
- Pulling stats for your monthly sales and traffic
- Scheduling your social media posts for the upcoming month
- Designing new graphics for your website or social media profiles
Why music increases productivity and relaxation
Music helps us relax in general and releases muscle tension in the body. If you do most of your work from a laptop every day (like most online entrepreneurs!), this is incredibly beneficial.
But… what’s the perfect sound mix to achieve all of this?
Now, the big question is… what type of music should you be listening to while you work?
The answer to why music increases productivity might be obvious, but what kind of music you’ll benefit from…
It really depends!
Some studies suggest that you stick strictly to instrumentals, as the words can be distracting. Other studies suggest just listening to music that you know and like, regardless of the lyrics, tempo, and beat.
But here’s what we found:
Our AccessAlly team picks songs (and genres) based on the task at hand:
Writing & Coding Tasks (major concentration/focus): Instrumentals, movie soundtracks and more zen style nature tracks as background noise.
Scheduling, designing, social media, & customer support (less sustained focus required):
Something a little more upbeat and fun to sing along to.
(Personally, early 2k hip hop and R&B keep me going so I’m in favor of working while jamming to my favorite tunes, but you’re the only one who can figure out what works best for you!)
So… we’re sharing our favorites for you to jam to!
As you can see from our playlist below, our virtual team here at AccessAlly has a very eclectic taste in music. Even though we work from all corners of the US and Canada, each of us attests to working better when we’re able to have the music of our choice playing.
As you test the waters to find out what best supports you and your productivity, feel free to tune into a few of our favorites… and see if anything resonates with you!
Happy working!
If you’re familiar with who is on the AccessAlly team… can you guess who likes each of these songs?
Some of these might make it obvious why music increases productivity, but others might surprise you!
