How to use music for motivation

Whether you're working in an office, a shop floor or some other setting, it's important to stay motivated during busy periods. Many people use music to keep themselves motivated and improve their productivity at work. Over the years, studies have demonstrated that, for some people, music is an effective motivator. In this article, we explore why so many people use music for motivation and list some of the best songs to listen to when you want to stay motivated.

Why is music for motivation important?

Not everybody uses music to motivate themselves for work, but for those who do, it can be a vital part of keeping their energy levels up and staying motivated in the face of tough challenges. Many people listen to music to help them complete a wide range of tasks, including:

• Exercise, at the gym or outside

• Housework, such as vacuuming or tidying

• Cleaning and other physical tasks

• Studying or research

• Paperwork, data entry, and other repetitive tasks

Listening to music while you work, especially during monotonous or tiresome tasks, can serve multiple functions in the workplace. When performing time-consuming physical tasks like cleaning, music can give your body a rhythm to follow and take your mind off the task at hand. Conversely, many people listen to music even when they're performing more complex tasks, such as studying or writing. Compared to other background mediums like TV, it allows them to focus more on the task at hand while still providing some form of distraction and encouragement.

How does music affect us when we're working?

If you're interested in the science behind using music to motivate yourself, below are four ways in which listening to music can help people to stay motivated during difficult or monotonous tasks:

1. Music reduces fatigue

Research has shown that relaxing music can have positive effects on mental fatigue during routine, repetitive tasks. During long shifts, it may not be possible to take time out to have a proper rest or break, which is the most common way to effectively reduce mental fatigue. In these situations, listening to music is an effective way to bring 'change' to your activity and reduce mental fatigue without reducing your productivity or disrupting your work.

2. Music increases stimulation

One of the reasons why people so often listen to music when they're running or doing other physically exhausting activities is because music increases stimulation to motor neurons throughout the body. Listening to music helps us to stay moving and physically active for longer. This is one reason why HR departments, therapists, and fitness instructors often incorporate music into work and exercise routines to keep participants focused and increase productivity across a range of activities, from simple office tasks to intensive workouts.

3. Music supports motor coordination

Music can also help to support motor coordination, which is why it's so commonly used by people carrying out mundane physical tasks. For example, when you're running, cleaning or tidying, you might find yourself moving in time with the music you're listening to. Not only does this boost your productivity, particularly if you're listening to music with a strong tempo, but it also boosts your confidence and your mood, helping you to stay motivated without thinking about it.

4. Music reduces stress

Music helps reduce stress, particularly relaxing music such as certain kinds of classical and pop music. Stress is similar to motivation because reducing stress is a simple way to ease exhaustion and so increase energy levels. Music is a natural distraction for our brains, allowing us to switch off from stressful thoughts and instead focus on something that we enjoy, which helps to recharge the body and mind.

How to use music for self-motivation

If you're thinking of incorporating music into your working day to motivate yourself and boost your productivity, follow the steps below.

1. Find out your work's policy on music

The first step to using music to motivate yourself at work is finding out what your work's policy on music is. You may be able to listen to music using headphones in the office, or at certain times of the day. Talk to your manager about listening to music at work and explain why you think it is useful for your productivity. You can also listen to music at home when you're working.

2. Identify those times that music may be most helpful to you

The next stage is identifying which times during the workday it may be most useful for you to listen to music. Determine if the music is for motivation during cleaning and physical tasks, or to increase your focus and concentration. It's also important to make sure that you do not listen to music at any time when customers might need your attention. Identifying when you want to use music for focus is key to choosing the right music.

3. Choose music that may motivate you

Next, you can create playlists of music that you enjoy listening to and that you think may help you to stay motivated at work. If you plan to listen to music for different types of tasks, for example, when concentrating or when carrying out physical duties, you can make separate playlists for each. You may want to choose upbeat, happy songs as a background for cleaning, and relaxing, gentle songs when concentrating, for example.

4. Use a suitable music player and headphones

If you're working from home, you can listen to music using your laptop speakers or a similar device without disturbing your colleagues. If you're listening to music at work in an office or other professional setting, you may either need to use a laptop or a portable device such as a phone or music player to listen to music with headphones or earphones. Choose a device and headphones that are comfortable, discreet, and portable to ensure that they don't interfere with your work.

Source: www.uk.indeed.com