Everyone likes listening to music, no matter the context.
While your personal choice for music is best kept for yourself, and not, for example blared out on public transport, there is always the question of music’s place in the workplace.
Some people swear by listening to music while they work no matter what their job is, whereas others are confident that listening music distracts them.
So, which is right? Is music actually a good thing for your working environment?
#1: Can You Wear Earbuds?
One of the first things you need to decide when thinking about listening to music at work is whether or not you can wear earbuds.
If you work in a busy, active and somewhat dangerous work environment, earbuds just might not be a possibility. For example, those working in a busy kitchen environment or at something like a lumber yard, wearing earbuds mean that you might actually be putting yourself or others in danger.
If you can’t hear instructions or advice from your fellow employees, you might not be able to react and thus, perform badly or even hurt yourself.
However, if you work in an office, or in a working environment where you can easily work independently, especially if you are working from home, then there likely isn’t going to be a problem.
Just make sure that your workplace doesn’t have a problem with you wearing earbuds or headphones, otherwise you risk getting penalized for listening to music, all without you even knowing!
#2: What Kind Of Music Is Right For Work?
Before trying to decide whether or not music is a good thing to listen o while working, attention should be paid to deciding what kind of music it is.
Certain work environments work better with certain types of music, regardless of an individual’s preference.
For example, it is extremely common to walk into a busy restaurant kitchen and hear loud, blaring metal music playing throughout the kitchen, practically deafening everyone. However, everyone is used to the music, and indeed some chefs say that the music helps their work flow.
If you tried to play that same music while working in an office, however, you might find some different results, even if you can only play it through your headphones.
Certain music styles just work better in different environments and for different people as well.
Classical music might seem a bit basic, but it is actually one of the most popular options for office workers, or anyone doing work based at a computer.
It is simply easier to concentrate on your work with gentle, calm music playing, rather than anything loud and bass heavy. You should also consider the lyrics, or whether or not they are there at all.
Lyrics can easily overwhelm your concentration, and leave you unable to concentrate on what is going on.
Maybe look for music that has no words at all; a good suggestion is popular playlists like lofi hip hop, which play gentle, soothing tunes 24 hours a day with almost no lyrics whatsoever.
#3: Could It Help Your Concentration?
While music is often considered as nothing more than an unnecessary distraction for many people when working, for some it can actually rally aid in their concentration.
While many people do enjoy the anbility to calmly concentrate without any interruptions, others find that music is the only thing that can actually help them concentrate at all.
Whether it is just the distracting sound of music itself, or because of the fact that they can block out the sounds around them, music can be really helpful for certain people in the workplace.
It can also be beneficial for those that struggle with their mental health, or are neurodivergent – music can settle and help orient certain people’s behaviours and mindsets, allowing them to work harder and better.
So, before you assume that someone listening to music isn’t doing their job properly, consider instead that it might actually be making them better at what they do.
#4: Do You Just Want Some Good noise Cancelling?
The only final thing to consider about listening to music when working is that, for many people they are not interested in music at all, but instead in having something that blocks out the sounds around them and allows them to focus.
For those people, a good pair of noise cancelling headphones might be just what they need. If charging is a problem then they can consider getting a height-adjustable desk that comes with some USB charging ports!
It is not only good for the back and for your work environment but also makes charging and using headphones at work much easier.
