Music is an art form that has been universally treasured throughout history and in all corners of the world. Everyone has personal preferences about their favourite artist or the type of music they enjoy, some people use music to create a calm and ambient environment, and others are stimulated by music such as heavy metal or dance. With all this to consider, It is quite intriguing to ask can music enhance office productivity in the modern workplace?

Many people find music creates a calming atmosphere, a relaxing sound stage that gives the listener room to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Others find music a terrible distraction, something that interrupts their workflow and a nuisance to concentration. It depends on the type of person and no doubt the type of music being listened to.

How Does Music Improve Productivity?

Numerous studies have looked at the relationship between music and productivity. In 1993, a famous study called “The Mozart Effect” argued that listening to Mozart sonatas for just 10 minutes increased IQ scores, lowered blood pressure, and enhanced spatial reasoning skills in test subjects. Other research suggests that music has healing properties and is one of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety and make you feel relaxed in a positive environment. Although, evidence suggests that not all music has a productive effect on an individual's performance and that the choice of music absolutely impacts the listener in different ways.

Many people's work environment has changed dramatically in the last 2 years as working from home has become the new normal. This dynamic has benefits regarding work-life balance, but in many households, there are countless distractions, perhaps unexpected visitors interrupting your routine or children needing your attention. Either way, it is encouraging to know that listening to the right music can help create a purposeful distraction.

What Kind Of Music?

One of the main questions people have when considering this topic is what type of music works best to enhance office productivity? Workers must enjoy the type of music they are listening to, meaning that music from favourite artists and loved genres is probably the best. The general consensus is that classical music can greatly boost mood and the concentration levels of the listener, but the listener must enjoy this style of music to reap the rewards of listening to it.

Music Is Personal

Music can trigger an emotional response from the listener,  have you ever got in the car after a stressful day and blasted music the entire journey home? Music is appropriate in different scenarios, when reading a book or a journal often silence is needed to allow the reader to absorb and retain the content.

Workers of various professions respond differently to listening to music at work. For example, computer programmers often comment that music blocks out all other distractions around them, and it helps with the flow of their work. Factory workers who listen to music may get greater enjoyment out of the working day. It is clear that music is personal and the scenario often dictates if music is appropriate or not.

What Are The Benefits of Listening to Music for Office Productivity?

It has been proven that listening to music can help to reduce stress and anxiety. It can distract us from our worries and help us to manage stressful situations. Music increases productivity in many scenarios, it can also improve the morale of the workforce by reducing stress and brightening everyone's mood. Some employees may have improved concentration and it has been suggested music can even aid memory retention.

Tips For Enhancing Office Productivity When Listening To Music

If you enjoy listening to music whilst working, here are some tips to enhance your listening pleasure:

• Keep Your Music Personal: this can be done by using headphones or earbuds. It is advisable not to use laptop speakers or Bluetooth speakers. This way you are not interrupting people who want to work in silence.
• Use Quality Headphones at a Sensible Volume: protecting your ears is important especially if you listen to music for several hours a day. Invest in some good-quality headphones and use a sensible amount of volume to protect yourself and also limit the distraction to others.
• Go Wireless: Have you ever been listening to music and accidentally pulled your headphones out of the jack? Yes, me too! This can be distracting to colleagues and even cause you some embarrassment! Wireless headphones are the answer!
• Never Sing-Along: Save the karaoke for the after-work drinks. Singing, humming, and tapping along to songs can be annoying for your colleagues.
• Choose the Right Music: of course, this is subjective but choosing the right music style will either help or hinder your levels of concentration as discussed above.

Final Thoughts

To summarize it is very clear that music can have both good and bad connotations for work productivity. Much of it is determined by the person listening to the music, the type of music that is being played, and the scenario in which the music is being listened to. If you get this balance right the music will help you breeze through the next task, get it wrong and it will cause a distraction and inhibit your ability to focus and get the job done.