Focus & Productivity
There’s no doubt that music is an effective tool, played pretty much everywhere we go and filled with the power to fuel the mood of any room in an instant. Music has the power to create a focused and productive working environment. Creating a driven atmosphere at work is key. Employees often do their best work when they can concentrate and feel comfortable in their setting.
Whilst some employees may thrive off the hustle and bustle that an open office can bring, the point remains that for many, a constantly noisy working environment can be a threat to their productivity. Music is a great mood setter and if you listen to the right types of music, can help you focus on your work more than a silent environment can as well as spark imagination and creativity.
Especially with long-form writing projects like presentations, articles or reports, music can help to channel your concentration and keep your attention undivided. This doesn’t only help with the quality of work you produce, but also the amount of time you spend on it. By listening to a beat or the fast-moving rhythm of certain music genres, your brain will start to process information faster, meaning you cut down on the time you spend thinking about the content of your task and just get it done.
Mental health & well-being
Music has also been seen to create a calm and comfortable atmosphere for the whole workspace. Playing music through a radio in the office not only creates a sense of togetherness, but also a level of calm. You’re no longer sat in complete silence at your desk, instead, there is a background noise that can help you concentrate, but also helps to create conversations and sociability between employees.
Depending on the type of music you’re listening to in your workspaces, the stimulation of music and background noise can also improve your mental health and well-being. Being stimulated by positive, upbeat music can help to produce oxytocin, a hormone directly located to positive, happy feelings.
Happiness in the workspace will not only help to create a relaxing atmosphere but also create a space where employees will feel more comfortable in socialising and collaborating with others.
Mental health and well-being are key factors that more and more businesses are starting to focus on when it comes to their customers and their employees. Having a happy and healthy workplace can only be a good thing. Happier employees will feel more renewed and confident in the work they’re producing and will feel more confident to collaborate on projects and socialise with others during breaks and video calls.
The best types of music to listen to work
The type of music you listen to whilst working is just as important as the music is itself. If you’re not listening to the right music, your productivity and creativity could falter. If you’re listening to fast-paced music while working on a relatively slow task, it could cause you to make mistakes or get distracted and lose your focus. On the other hand, if you’re listening to mellow, slow music when trying to complete a task in minimal time, it could slow you down and draw your focus away from your task.
If you’re working on long, slow tasks then classical or naturistic/ ambient music is suggested. The music will act as background noise and help you to concentrate on the work in front of you and stop you from getting pulled into the daily distractions within your workspace.
If you do the same tasks daily, creating a work playlist, or having a specific track to listen to can really help. Listening to the same music day in and day out at work will train your brain to focus on tasks and cement the idea of routine and achieve workflow, ultimately leading to better productivity and creativity.
If you’re working on a task that needs to be completed quickly, fast-paced, upbeat music can really help to capture your focus and help your mind to process information quicker. Video games, epic cinematic or indie music can also help with this. While focusing on the work, your brain will follow the beat of the music subconsciously, creating a rhythm that your focused mind can follow easily.
How to play music
It’s not just the type of music we need to focus on. The way you listen to your music is a key factor to being productive in your workspace. If you work in busy call centres or office spaces, radio noise may not be the best solution. Conversely, if you work in a very collaborative and project heavy environment, headphones and earphones may not be the best channel to use.
Radios
Radios can create a calm and sociable atmosphere. It creates background noise, making it easier for people to feel like they can have conversations with others without everybody listening in. If you do go for the radio option, be sure to pick a channel that varies in music taste and genre so that everyone feels included.
Headphones
Headphones and earphones are easily the way forward for busy environments and solitary project work. Having your own pair of headphones or earphones not only means that you can listen to the music you like, without having to accommodate others, but also means that you can concentrate for longer periods of time and finish tasks that usually would take you a bit longer if you’re working in a busy and crowded office setting.
Source: Emily Hannan TC Group