The Amazing Connection Between Music and Concentration Can Make You More Productive Than Ever, If You Use It

Kholiq Ashidiq    November 14, 2023   

As a child, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed in public and private concerts. He performed at his family home in London, where people would come to hear the young man play for an admission fee. He performed in front of Louis XV's daughters, Princesses Adélaïde and Victoire, as well as the king and queen themselves. At that time, the first music listening devices had not been invented. (Thomas Edison would introduce the phonograph more than a century later, in 1877.) Live music was the only way to listen.

How Music Can Transform Your Productivity Levels

Today, music is becoming more and more accessible. It is everywhere, and there are many. Fun fact: You'll have to wait until the 27th century to listen to the 100 million songs currently available on Spotify. Music serves many other purposes than entertaining the generals. We use it to motivate us during exercise, to distract us during root canals, or to help us sleep. Go into my office on JotForm and you'll often find me listening to classical music (if I'm writing) or rock and roll (if I'm catching up on emails). And I'm not alone: ​​In one survey, 85% of respondents said they like to listen to music at work. 71% say they are more productive when music is playing in the office, with pop, rock and country songs giving a big boost.

Although the so-called "Mozart effect" is disputed - learning music does not improve intelligence - researchers have found a strong connection between music and creativity. With millions of options at your disposal, it's important to understand the latest trends in music and production before creating your next playlist.

Your musical taste is important 

One man's trash is another man's treasure. One person's inspiring music is another person's noise pollution. If you want to listen to music to increase your productivity, it is important to choose music that you enjoy.

 

As Merriam Saunders, a psychologist and professor of psychology at the Dominican University, explains Business News Daily, music has a dopaminergic effect on the brain, which means it produces dopamine. Dopamine, in turn, stimulates the prefrontal cortex - the center of the brain responsible for planning, organizing, controlling inhibitions and attention. In short, if your brain is producing more dopamine, it can help you to be more productive. But, Saunders said, the key is to choose music that you love but also listen carefully enough that you don't focus on the lyrics or the sound.

 

This explains why I find myself listening to the same music I love over and over again while I work. Music makes me feel good (in other words, it gets the dopamine flowing), but I've listened to these songs so many times that I'm registering music. It's almost Pavlovian, the way I type music and immerse myself in my work.

Your attitude is also important 

It's not just your music taste that makes music help or hurt your productivity. Your attitude - openness to crime - also affects how and to what extent you benefit from background music. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, director of innovation at ManpowerGroup and professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, writes for the Harvard Business Review: "If you are being harassed, you will -tends to be a negative person, so you are more likely to do your work. increase with background music or small distractions. On the other hand, being an introvert increases the chances you will find background noise, including music, distracting, to the point of harming your performance." 

 

In fact, most of us fall somewhere between introversion and extroversion. But it helps to understand that while extroverts will benefit more from ambient music, extroverts may enjoy more uplifting music. While an introvert may benefit from elevator pitches, an extrovert may do well at ACDC.

Consider job complexity 

Before choosing a track, you should also consider the complexity of the task at hand. Chamorro-Premuzic explains that if you feel good doing something (because, say, you've done it many times), background music will help you focus. If you are new to something and it is complicated, you should avoid background music, at least at first.

 

We all have jobs that are challenging and involve us with others and that we complete on autopilot. In my new book, I wonder if work is meaningful (or "great") as opposed to busy. The purpose of writing the book is to give readers the tools to recreate the latter and make room for the former. The truth is that although we can reduce tedious work by creating, outsourcing or eliminating it, we cannot eliminate it completely. An invoice will still need to be sent. A meeting should be organized. The inbox should be organized. As we perform important and busy tasks that combine the most useful parts of our day, music can help us to complete it efficiently and effectively.

Reminder: Work should be fun 

If you're still not convinced about creating a new company playlist, consider this: work should be fun. Research shows that having fun at work has a positive effect on engagement, productivity and purpose, which reduces employee retention and reduces turnover. As part of their study Work Made Fun Gets Done, authors Bob Nelson and Mario Tamayo surveyed hundreds of employees across industries and job levels to better understand what people did to make work more enjoyable.

 

What did they discover? Music is an effective strategy to increase pleasure.

 

So listen to the music you like and the music that suits your mood. If you're looking for inspiration, maybe a Queen ballad will do the trick. If you're looking for some zen music to finish a stressful job, a relaxing piano composition can set the tone.

Final Thoughts 

Music can make work more enjoyable. It can help you manage your busy schedule. This may allow you to engage in more meaningful work. If you think about it, it is one of the most productive tools and it is very free. With the above features, we hope you can choose from over 100 million songs available and create your perfect production playlist.