The effects of music on productivity and concentration were first studied in 1878 after CPA Chester O’Bannon finished an entire tax season’s filings in record time. When asked how he had sailed ahead of all estimates, he replied, “Why, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on the phonograph, of course. My quill was my conductor’s baton, and each form, verily, was as a measure of music. And each client—a movement.” You see, working with music in the background was new, as the phonograph brought recorded music into the home.
The above story is not at all true. In reality, there have been dozens of studies coming from various angles. Classical vs. metal as college students study literary passages. Blasting jazz while kids do puzzles. Letting one group of workers listen to whatever they want while another group works in silence.
The University of Windsor tested software designers and more or less determined that quality of work was at its lowest without music, but time-on-task was lowest with music. So it’s a balancing act. Unless you’re listening to Mozart. Then, according to some, you’re essentially turning yourself into a genius.
For many, each type of work warrants a particular soundtrack. Music is at times an energy drink, and at others, an opiate.
"I use a variety of musical genres to change my creative perspective. Hip hop helps me write. Deepak Chopra meditation music for logging footage. Bluegrass for returning emails. And back to hip hop for that pre-shoot to get me pumped up. Not a pretty sight, but it works." – Jordan Brady, filmmaker
And while some types of music can actually stimulate concentration and productivity, it can almost certainly be said that certain types of work require more concentration and less outside distraction than others. For less mindful work, go ahead and listen to the mathiest, most lyrically-intense stuff you can find. Or use that time for podcasts.
“When I’m writing I don’t listen to anything. I like the silence. When I’m working on a project or editing photos though, I usually listen to a podcast like Smart Passive Income or Entrepreneur on Fire.” – Abby Lawson, lifestyle blogger
“If I’m just drawing or doing work in Photoshop, I mostly listen to music, just whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s more likely that I’ll listen to podcasts while painting because my brain is less focused on inventing and more just sort of on autopilot, trying to complete a task, so I can give more of my attention to listening to someone tell a story or talk about something funny or interesting. If I’m writing, I mostly listen to instrumental music or music that isn’t super distracting. Lately that’s been stuff like 42 Repeatable Examples by Bobby Burg, anything by Geotic, or this amazing EP that my brother Ray made under the name MKSEARCH. – Phil McAndrew, illustrator, cartoonist, and writer
For others, there’s no room for extra stimuli. Music and podcasts are too distracting.
“I’ve actually stopped listening to music while I work because I’ve found that it interferes with creative and critical thinking.” – Poornima Vijayashanker, engineer, founder
And I can see that. I made the mistake of putting on a favorite album as I started putting this post together. After about a half hour of little-to-no productivity, I turned it off and found that, almost immediately, the rhythm that kept me going was the clicking of my laptop’s keys.
Then Steve started playing Billy Joel pretty loudly, so I put my headphones back on. New Age drones turned out to be almost as effective as sweet, sweet silence.
It’s hard to not zero in on lyrics, so for work that demands concentration and creativity, stimulating music that can fade into the background is the way to go.
So if you’re in a busy office with lots of distracting sound, or if you need a little something to reign in your focus, here are a few recommendations:
Learning Monkey has produced audio files and video timers of isochronic tones set to a backdrop of ocean waves and thunderstorms set in four Pomodoro cycles (a technique based on the idea that mental agility can be boosted by blocking work time into segments, usually 25 minutes, and taking frequent breaks). Paid projects include video timers to keep you on track and fresh.
Megan D Harrigan’s music mixes spacey pads with beats that are stirring but not aggressive. I personally listen to it a lot while writing. You can hear a couple of her tracks as the bed music in one of our Gumroad Trip videos from last year.
Brokenkites is perfect for coding or other tasks that are heavy on problem-solving. The downtempo sounds are spooky and moody, like the soundtrack to a cyber-thriller or a puzzle-rich video game. You know, the kind of game where you think, wait—this game has awesome music. Bonus: James Willard of Brokenkites also writes paranormal comics that you can buy via Gumroad.
Look for AZEDIA in a Creator Story in a couple weeks, and in the meantime, check out how they mix electronic beats and sounds with acoustic instruments. They also incorporate chopped vocal sounds in a really neat way.
So what about you? What do you listen to while you work?