By Sara Sosnowski, courtesy SBAM Approved Partner ASE
Distractions come at us all day in the workplace. It is no secret that distractions can stop productivity in its tracks. To combat the distractions, you might try turning your phone to “do not disturb”, prioritizing projects, or closing your office door. But have you ever tried putting on some headphones? In their Music at Work Survey, Accountemps found that 85% of employees like to listen to music at work, and 71% think they are more productive at work when music is playing. When asked if their employer has a policy about listening to music at work, only 9% said that it is not allowed.
If you aren’t convinced that listening to music could do the trick, Zing Instruments put together a list of 12 ways that music makes you more productive at work:
1. Instant mood lifter – Listening to something you enjoy will cheer you up.
2. Makes repetitive tasks more enjoyable – When you are only working on a “copy paste” type task, listening to music can help remove the feeling of repetitiveness.
3. Gets you into a “flow state” – Music can help you get into the state where you are fully immersed in the task at hand.
4. Speeds up your work – When music gets your endorphins firing you will find that you get through your work quicker.
5. Reduces distractions – Listening to music can get you into a groove making it less likely you’ll be distracted.
6. Drowns out colleagues – When you can’t close your door, music can drown out any chit chat that might bother you.
7. Provides company in a quiet office – Not everyone likes a quiet office and listening to music can help fill the void.
8. Brings out your creative side – Even if you don’t consider yourself a creative person, music gets the creative juices flowing.
9. Makes you want to move – Slumping in your office chair all day is certainly not going to help your productivity. Hearing a song that makes you want to move will help keep you from slumping.
10. Adds a virtual “do not disturb” sign – Headphones are the universal sign for “leave me alone I’m busy.”
11. Makes you more sociable – After jamming and powering through your work for a few hours you more likely to indulge in conversations after taking off the headphones.
12. Stops the clock watching – While you are listening to music and plugging away you are less likely to keep checking the clock and getting frustrated if it feels like it’s moving slow.
Next time you are feeling distracted or sitting under a pile of work, try putting on some headphones and listening to some tunes. According to Zing Instruments “listening to music at work makes us more productive. With music flowing through us, we are quicker, less stressed, more creative, focused, even happier. Go music!”