Large factories use music to motivate their workers on the assembly line. Like most people I have a knee-jerk reaction to this and consider it manipulative, especially if it is without the worker’s consent. Yet I work for myself, so why not use this to improve my own productivity? That way, there is no issue of consent either.
When I exercise, I really have two genres, depending on the workout. Normally I listen to Electronic Dance Music like Deadmaus, Groove Armada, and more modern acts like Showtek to keep me moving. I suppose that repetitive beat encourages me to keep pace with it, which then leads to longer workouts.
When I drive to a meeting, I typically listen to classic rock. The quality of car radios is not very high, so music sounds bad already; then there is the road and car noise (no I don't drive a Maybach around town). Because of this, my car music is more mid-range and vocal. It's mostly classic rock – anything from early 60's The Who to 80's Journey will do.
Not only do I need to adapt the music to my environment, but I also adapt it to the mood I need to be in. If I'm feeling cheeky, I may even venture out to country and blues, like a little Old Dominion or Kris Barras. Since I’m driving, it also needs to keep me awake so I need to be able to crank the volume up as well.
In sharp contrast to this, when I write, I need to slow things down a bit. That is when I reach for music that focuses me, that has less bass and less dynamic range. This is when I’ll chose jazz, typically, smooth jazz like this saxophonist from London that I discovered recently called Nubya Garcia. Yes, jazz can have a heavier beat at times, but for writing I'll chose smoother varieties.
Another benefit to incorporating music into your work is that familiar music keeps me concentrated on the task I have come to associate with it. This is most obvious when working out and it just becomes a habit. Exercises become easier when my mind is not on my deadlines. In that way, music carries me away.
When I listen to EDM when I exercise, my mind wanders to distant places and helps me forget how tired my muscles are. As a matter of fact, I measured this effect some time back. I found that I cover at least 25% more distance running or hiking with music than without.
So the next time you need to “get in the mood” to start on your presentation, get moving on dinner for the kids, or get your but off the couch and outside, consider the music you listened to the last time you did that activity. Chances are, just putting on the same music will motivate you to get going again.
(This article is an abridged version of a longer article that can be found on my blog at Gig-Zine.com.)