How music affects our productivity

We all sometimes wondered distracting or, on the contrary, makes the music work? Or maybe you think that music has a positive effect on your work, but your boss thinks quite differently. If you want to convince your boss, show them this article.

It is difficult to estimate how much space in our lives for music. Even if you do not specifically seek to listen to her, she was still somewhere near shops, bus, people in large headphones that distribute music wave at 3 meters in front of and behind him... Yes, that really there, our day often begins with music: we wake favorite tune on the alarm clock, or a classic example of a song Zemfira, when the neighbors decided to make a musical marathon in the morning early.

Music - the highest art in the world. Lev Tolstoy

Without any doubt, the music - one of the greatest creations of man. But if the music helps a person to create and work with? Let's see this.

Does music are compatible and work

Based on my own experience and personal preferences can all answer the question: "obstructs or, on the contrary, helps music to work?". If you are an avid music fan, who is accustomed to the music with them everywhere and always, you, of course, the answer is that to listen to music during the operation - it's great, it is not at all distracting and helps wake up better than two cups of strong coffee. If you think that the work you need to deal only with cases and more than anything else, you'll never have to listen to music during their working day. Moreover, you will be immensely annoying colleague wearing headphones, with which you will be for the company to listen to his favorite tracks, unwittingly.

Studies on the effect of music on productivity

Now let's briefly digress from my personal experience and turn to the research conducted in this area.

• A couple of years ago, British researchers found that 90% of surgeons listen to music during surgery. This creates a more relaxed atmosphere, it helps to cope with stress. Of musical genres surgeons prefer rock, pop and classical music.
• A study conducted at the University of Windsor (Canada), was aimed at finding out the effect of music on the work of software developers and web designers. According to the results: no background music pros took longer to complete the task. And listening to music, they showed improved performance and interest in the task.
• Conducted numerous experiments, whose purpose was to find out how music affects industrial workers. According to the results: the use of background music when performing tasks significantly increases the productivity of workers, and do they feel less tired after a hard day's work. Music has been able to compete even with the noise of factory equipment.

The music is useful at work

Music - rescue from the noisy colleagues

It often happens that people who co-exist in the same workspace, interfere with each other to work. At my last job we were sitting in the same office four: two PR-Manager, IT-specialist and manager to work with corporate clients. Managers loved to talk, and when there were no calls from clients, began to talk among themselves. IT specialist, who all his time faithfully kodil, we, of course, constantly distracted and angered its endless phone calls and conversations.

Music could easily solve this problem. For programmers who do not need to answer the phone or somehow differently in contact with "no aytishnym 'world during the working day, your favorite music in the headphones will be the ideal solution.

Music is fun

Most people, no doubt, love their work, but we all have those moments when you need to deal with boring routine chores, such as drawing up the monthly report. At such moments, our time is similar to the hard labor, the pleasure at the same time, we clearly do not feel. If you look at this situation from a physiological point of view, our body does not have enough dopamine - the pleasure hormone. Of course, this problem can be solved by eating chocolate at work, but then there is a risk for them to pull a quarter of the salary and gain a few extra kilos. Scientists have found that when we listen to your favorite music in our brain also produces dopamine. So straightened with a boring job with pleasure and without material costs.

Music - a panacea when monotonous work

If you do monotonous work, the music will save you from boredom and sleepiness. Music will help to increase your energy, you will be able to execute more tasks in the same time.

Creative people to listen to be sure!

Have you ever noticed that the people of creative professions (journalists, designers, and so on. d.) is very like to work in a cafe or in the free spaces? In such places often background music plays a non-intrusive, and sometimes you can even hear the chords and live. Creative people get their inspiration from the music, they always subconsciously drawn to musical places.

How to choose the music for

Best music - is, of course, your favorite music. But if you want some variety, we recommend a look at infographicTo help choose the music that is appropriate for your profession.

Also, many scientists say that classical music is a good background for the workflow. Science the phenomenon known as "Mozart effect». According to this effect, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus activates the brain.

Psychologists advise to choose for the workflow to music without words, as when listening to music compositions "with subtext" it is likely that you will be distracted by thinking about the meaning of heard phrases.

What to remember when listening to music at work

• Your music should not interfere with your colleagues. Of course, the perfect option when you are around the office like the same soundtrack and listen to them in columns, but this, unfortunately, is very, very rare.
• In the working process of the music is a tool that helps you to more effectively carry out the assigned tasks.
  

  Music to help you reach your goal, and not be a goal.

  Do not be distracted by the fact that, for example, to send a friend a favorite track "VKontakte" or wander the forum music lovers to share their impressions about heard.

• Despite the fact that music has a beneficial effect on our productivity, are working moments, in that listening to music is not desirable: for example, you need to memorize quite a large amount information. Or before you set the task to which you want to dive completely. Or do you do a new activity (replacing a colleague who went on vacation, for example).

P.S. And if you do not accept to music at work and prefer to enjoy peace, then we wish you productive work in complete silence. Just do not forget that silence - this is also music. ;)

While I was writing this post

... I decided to ask my colleagues to find out how music affects their productivity.

All people are divided into:
- those who can only work in silence;
- those who need a background Free of tension;
- those who are rushing to the music.

For me, the loud music with headphones while working - a shield, another assistant to turn things around and concentration on the task.

Preferences, again, are very dependent on the mood and task. Playlist contains and exclusively lyrical compositions a la Blue October - Worry List, a lot of tin like Disturbed, Korn, Mudvayne and, of course, a lot of instrumental masterpieces, the soundtracks of "28 Days Later," "Twin Peaks", almost all of the music from the series Silent games Hill.

Sergey Suyagin

I rarely listen to music when I work, as the most comfortable I work in silence or background noise or people around the street at a cafe or office. But if you listen, I prefer quiet electronic music (Cascandy - Five Front, Hot Chip - One Life Stand, for example). If I find the blues, for the encouragement of itself can listen to more vigorous electronics or American rap, for example. My favorite artists: Kanye West, Jay Z, Kid Cudi.

Alexander Marfitsin

I like sometimes to work with the music. In my opinion, it is very important to choose it for a specific activity. Calm music allows you to focus, and something more rhythmic - to activate and add your work pace. Over time, they begin to accumulate playlists to a particular case.

Vadim Marin

And how music affects your productivity? Which compositions are able to raise your working spirit? Share in the comments.