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A scientific look at music and productivity  By Shannon Marshburn I am a busy person with a busy mind. When I am working my train of thought often derails and questions of when I need to do laundry and what I should make for dinner float by as I pick the font for promotional posters. This is not too much of a hit on my work productivity, but I am not working at my full potential. One thing that helps fill my busy mind is playing music while I work. This is effective for me, but is it effective for you? I set out to find some scientific back up and here’s what I found. In a study by Teresa Leesuik of the University of Windsor, Canada, she examined a software company of 56 developers on music and productivity. She found that when music wasn't present in the work environment tasks took longer and quality of work was at the lowest. When music was present, that’s when moods and productivity increased. For me, I find that my busy mind can’t have lots going on at once so music with words just doesn't work. I like to create playlists with soundtracks from my favorite movies which are often symphony like melodies, calming orchestral ensembles and it boosts my mood when I hear a movie main theme come into the shuffle! Dr. Sood, at the Mayo Clinic, said it takes just 15 minutes to a half-hour of listening time to regain concentration. It’s also great to note here that Fox and Embrey found from a study in 1972 that listening to background music helped improve the efficiency of performing a repetitive task—even when competing with machine noise. More specifically, this study found that productivity increased when workplace music was in a Major mode. That’s why I love listening to movie soundtracks, it hacks my brain to think I’m watching my favorite movie, when I’m really just busy at work. Here are some soundtrack staples for you to try out:
What you may not have considered is listening to video game soundtracks at work. These soundtracks are meticulously designed with progress in mind. Gaming’s a more interactive hobby than film, so the music has to create as much mood as in film all without distracting from game activity. In a game's tense moment, the player’s have to think on their feet in quick bursts to get through levels. The music conveys just that, but without ever getting in the way of figuring out the next move or fogging up your mind too much. Game soundtracks are designed exactly for these tough and quick situations. Portal keeps you focused on puzzles. Fallout moves the cautious but stubborn explorer in you. You are open to the colorful world with creativity and optimism in The Legend of Zelda. Early games like Sonic and Mario have energetic beats and repetitive notes that have you moving quick and keep you dialed in. All of these soundtracks are made for you to keep moving forward and achieve accomplishments, so why not bring this into your workplace? Here are some solo video game soundtracks I picked,
Give a few of these a listen the next time you find your mind drifting at work and let me know what you think! Just remember, everyone works differently, but the most important part is to be open to new ideas and to try your best at what you do.
Let us know if any of these suggestions helped and if you'd like some more recommendations!
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