Bored or demotivated? Here’s how music can help boost your morale

You don’t need research to tell you that music can really help boost your morale – in your living room, on your daily commutes, and inside your cubicles. From helping you break the monotony and patterns of thought in your mind to releasing dopamine to kick-start your general feel-good and productivity, music has many rewards.

Here are a few playlist recommendations that can bring the fun back into work:

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High-energy workout or video game tracks for pace

Workout music and fast-paced video game tracks are designed for focus and energy. Listening to a playlist like this at work can have the same effect on pace of work too. Tight deadline? Get on with the same playlist you use on your morning runs or in the gym.

Old favourites for repetitive tasks

According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience of Behaviour and Physiology, an individual's capability to recognize patterns, numbers, images, and words gets enhanced when their favourite rock or classical numbers play in the background compared to when there was no music. Clearly, familiar music has an effect that helps you recognize familiar patterns. Once you are in a similar headspace, you will be able to get through repetitive tasks faster and with a little less boredom.

Need to immerse in the task at hand? Try instrumentals

If you have a task at hand that needs complete, undivided attention, try music with no lyrics. These songs reduce cognitive overload and allow you to focus on the task at hand. Even songs with more even musical notes work, reducing the complexity your mind is engaged in and yet, providing the boost you need to complete the job.

On a creative deadline? Lower the tempo

Songs with 50-80 beats per minute induce an alpha state that keeps your mind calm yet alert, fuels your imagination, and heightens concentration. Alpha state is said to be the best frame of mind to find creative insight from a pool of data, thus further fueling your creativity.

Feel-good songs for Monday and post-holiday blues

After two days of complete freedom, Mondays are by far the worst day of the week as far as productivity is concerned. You can get yourself a relaxed, happy Sunday and immerse yourself in meetings and brainstorms to get your brain cells active again. But if that is not a choice and you just have to get through the piles of work, try some feel good music to get going.

In my personal opinion, the best use of your headphones at work is to keep away noise and conversations, especially when there is a workload waiting for your undivided attention. That’s right, the white noise of headphones come with rewards too.

What songs or playlists are your go-to for productivity and feel-good?

Read Also: How listening to music at work makes you productive