Focus Music: What it is and Why it Works

Though this past year seems that it was sent to us as a gift from hell, one benefit that COVID and lockdown brought forth was a recognition and agreement that the archetypal ‘office space’ is a sure thing of the past.

Tech has developed in a way that proves we don’t need to be in the same room, let alone the same building as our team, in order to be productive and inspired. Part of the reason we’re able to work so efficiently from “home” is also because there is a level of trust managers are forced to have with their teams. Gone are the days of micromanaging our minutes; we’ve been put in a situation where we have to perform for our paycheck. But human beings are savvy. They’re innovative and they’re quick. We’re innate problem-solvers. We’ve weened out the unnecessary ‘work bull-shit’ if you will, ie; ten-minute catch-up meetings snuck onto the calendar when something could have been solved with an email, once-a-week town halls have been changed to every other week, hopping on the phone to talk something out instead of sending misread emails throughout the day. Most jobs can be done from an out-of-office location. Working from “home” had to go into effect by law because of quarantine, but we also had to take into consideration people who flew back to their homes and were on different time-zones. Because of this new norm, it’s cleared some space for travel working. We’ve already proven we can get the job done outside of the office, so what’s the difference if we’re home or we rented a house outside the city for a couple of weeks?

Now that we can virtually work from the mountains in Wyoming or the beaches in Southeast Asia, how can we make sure to optimize our work ethic? I’ve been a free-lancer for a chunk of my career, and the advice I give to anyone starting to work from home is simple. Begin your day with a walk, yoga, or some type of exercise; make sure you’ve created a space to work in which clear thinking can be done, hydrate, and find a way in which to focus while on your computer. My number one recommendation, especially if you’re a writer, a designer, or have a job that needs full attention, find a playlist to listen to while you work.

Music has been proven to enhance our ability to focus, study, take in information and perform. The catch is, it has to be non-invasive music to really get your mind to focus. What is non-invasive music, you ask? Non-invasive music is music that doesn’t distract your subconscious. Have you ever had a dream at night of a person you don’t know in real life, and it led you to wonder who that person is and why they visited you in your sleep? Well, that person is a real human that you’ve either seen passing by on the street, someone in a picture with someone else that you scrolled by on social media, or as distant as a face in a crowd while watching a Ted Talk. Our brains are fascinating organs; although we may not have registered that face that showed in our dream, our brain took note and stored it in our subconscious. The brain registers music in the same way. You know when you start singing something you have no recollection of hearing, and you say, “wait, why is this in my ear”? It’s because when you were at the supermarket, “Dancing in the Street”’ started playing, and your brain caught it, kept it, and is now poking at the back of your subconscious with Mick Jagger.

In 2016, the Guardian published an article titled “Does music really help you concentrate?”

“For all its amazing abilities, the brain hasn’t really evolved to take in abstract information or spend prolonged periods thinking about one thing. We seem to have two attention systems: a conscious one that enables us to direct our focus towards things we know we want to concentrate on and an unconscious one that shifts attention towards anything our senses pick up that might be significant. The unconscious one is simpler, more fundamental, and linked to emotional processing rather than higher reasoning. It also operates faster. So when you hear a noise when you’re alone at home, you’re paying attention to it long before you’re able to work out what it might have been. You can’t help it. … Have you ever worked in an open-plan office and been working on a very important task, only to be driven slowly mad by a co-worker constantly sniffing, or sipping their coffee, or clipping their nails? Something quite innocuous suddenly becomes much more infuriating when you’re trying to work on something your brain doesn’t necessarily enjoy. Music is a very useful tool in such situations. It provides non-invasive noise and pleasurable feelings, to effectively neutralize the unconscious attention system’s ability to distract us.”

This is especially true in a random environment when you can’t control the noise. Often times when we’re in an area that’s new, we become distracted by unknown noises and new sounds. A great way to reclaim control and block the reality that’s happening around you is choosing what to put in your ears. So then, what non-invasive music can we listen to in order to be productive? Studies have shown that classical music helps retain information and boots performance levels. A study in California tested a group of students taking a standard IQ test, and prior to taking the test had a third listen to a piano sonata by Mozart, a third listen to a meditation tape, and the last third wait in silence. The group who listened to Mozart had higher test scores. This is called “The Mozart Effect”, and although argued by scientists that it’s not a high enough cognitive climb in results, there is solid proof that non-invasive music can help productivity.

I’ve attached three playlists via Spotify (classical and electro) and Soundcloud (a mix) that I have found to be the most effective while meeting a deadline.