Musical tastes for the workplace (Infographic)

 7/17/2015

I’m grateful to be able to listen to music while at work.

Music actually distracts me; not from working but from daydreaming, if that makes any sense. If it’s too quiet in the office, my brain works overtime to fill the silence. My mind starts to wander from the current task to the next one, or two, or three on my checklist.

Weird that, in a sense, music helps me focus. But this infographic by Superfi seems to be back me up on that. Based on an article by Fast Company and then reviewed by Marketing Profs, the infographic outlines how music affects our productivity. This brings up an interesting debate on whether the findings are more reflective of routine activities (think assembly line) than creative ones, such as writing.

On that note (sorry), I agree with the notion that it’s best not to listen to music with lyrics when trying to write. At least for me, it’s too distracting as I’ll eventually start studying the lyrics or singing along (apologies to my co-workers). At work, I usually tune my Internet radio to one of two stations, Classical Guitar or The Breeze, a mix of easy listening instrumentals and jazzy takes on popular songs. I wouldn’t call it elevator music, but some might...

On its blog, Quartz looks at the science of music and the mind, and even makes song recommendations for particular work duties: “The complete guide to listening to music at work.” 

Do you like to have music while you work? Does it depend on the activity and type of music as the infographic suggests? What do you listen to that makes you most productive?

Modi Kwanza, digital communications specialist