Do you ever find yourself staring at your computer screen, with no motivation to get your work done? Maybe you’re really dreading getting through that pile of paperwork on your desk, or have a case of the Mondays. Let’s help you get out of that rut and into a more productive, focused mindset, shall we? How? With music!
Music has been proven to affect our mood. It is often used in marketing and advertising to get us to feel a certain way – think of the commercial with those sad animal eyes and Sarah McLachlan’s In the Arms of an Angel playing in the background. Tell me that didn’t pull at your heartstrings and make you want to grab your wallet to give a donation!?
When we are shopping at the mall, fast paced music is played to get us in the mood to shop and try clothes on quickly. The effect of music on our mood has been researched for many years and there is definitely a link! So why not try using music to help you focus at work?
I reached out to my fellow Slayers to see what music gets them in the mood to slay their tasks like ninjas! Of course we are all different, so there were some varying responses:
Spotify was the most popular program used amongst our team. It is a free app (although you can upgrade to access their “premium features”) that has several playlists to choose from. A few that we recommend to help you focus include Brain Food, Deep Focus, Piano in the Background, Creativity Boost, Whisperings: Solo Piano and the Lucifer Soundtrack.
You can also search for music in the “Genres & Moods” section to find a playlist that best suits your musical taste. Maybe you like to bust a few moves from your office chair to something a little less conventional – no judgement here!
Google Play Music (formerly Songza) is another popular app similar to Spotify. It has several “radio stations” including Working from Home, Jazz for Working, Techno for Working Hard and Electronic Focus. There is a Moods section and separate Genres section on Google Play Music, so you can pick what suits your mood and recommended stations will show up for you – how convenient is that?
Slacker Radio. Despite its name, Slacker Radio has its own variety of music to help you get-your-focus-on. You can search through their stations by genre from Alternative to Rock or use their search feature to look for a specific song or album.
If you’re a little old fashioned (as one Slayer self-identified), you can always go with your favourite local radio station. Upgrade to the 21st century by finding your station online and avoid fumbling with a dial to get the perfect sound, and minimal fuzz.
Maybe you really just need to work in silence to maintain your focus and get your work done, and that’s alright too! So now you really have no excuse – pick a playlist, a radio station, or the sound of silence and get to it! That pile of paperwork is not getting any smaller…