Music is one of the best things that resulted from human creativity. There is a vast number of types of music out there and I am certain at least one of the type of music resonates with you.
As software developers, we need to think most of the time, but that may not be possible due to our environment. When we cannot think, we are not being productive. In such a situation, music can help us become more productive.
The topics I am going to cover about music and productivity are:
- Makes repetitive or boring tasks more enjoyable
- Encourages cooperation
- Relieves you of anxiety
- Reduces your muscle tension
- Improves your memory
- Helps you get better sleep
- Blocks out distractions
- “Productive” music
Makes repetitive or boring tasks more enjoyable
Software development is not always so exciting, where you get to come up with new ideas and implement them. There are times where you need to do bug fixes or hunt for bugs in either your own code or someone else’s code.
Hunting for bugs is a repetitive task and it will make you bored quite fast. When you listen to music, it makes tasks such as bug hunting and fixing them to be more bearable. Music helps improve your mood, which as a result improves your efficiency performing tasks you find boring or repetitive.
Encourages cooperation
Researchers conducted two experiments in a study to see what effect “happy” music had on a group of workers. In one experiment, researchers let one group listen to “happy” songs and another group listen to “unpleasant” songs, such as heavy metal. The results show that group contribution was about one-third higher when “happy” music was playing.
In the second experiment, researchers let one group listen to “happy” songs and another group listen to no music. Similar to the first experiment, workplace contribution was higher for the group that was able to listen to music.
Relieves you of anxiety
Music is one of the most effective tools for reducing your anxiety. You just need to close your eyes and focus on the music for even a few minutes. You will no doubt start to feel your body and mind begin to relax to the sounds you are hearing.
Reduces your muscle tension
Besides anxiety, one of the most common issues you may experience is muscle tension. As a software developer, you are likely to sit for many hours a day.
Listening to music helps to reduce tension throughout the body, including the back and shoulders. Your back and shoulders are likely to be a victim of sitting too much.
To find out more about being healthy as a software developer you can check out my post about 7 ways to be a healthier developer. If you are concerned about your posture and or RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), you can check out my post about ergonomics.
Improves your memory
Music can help improve your memory. When you listen to music, your left and right brain work simultaneously. This helps improve the way in which memories are formed and retained.
Helps you get better sleep
Sleep is an essential component of our productivity. Ironically, it is also the most overlooked component. If you are not getting the sleep you need, chances are you are not feeling very well.
Research shows that listening to classical music may be an effective way to improve the quality of one’s sleep. The result is a more refreshed feeling each morning, which increases your productivity throughout the day.
To find out more about the benefits of sleep, you can check out my post about 21 benefits of sleep. To find out how sleep affects your ability to learn new things, you can check out my post about how sleep affects your learning.
Blocks out distractions
Nowadays, an open-office space is all the rage. This may help increase collaboration, but it can also easily turn into a noisy environment, which can halt your personal productivity.
Software development requires a lot of thinking and when you are exposed to a noisy environment, you will not make any progress. Listening to music with a pair of headphones can remedy a noisy environment.
According to Dr. Lesiuk’s research about how music affects workplace performance, developers who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly. They also came up with better ideas than those who did not listen to music. Both these points are tied to the fact that music improved their mood.
“Productive” music
Not all music helps foster better productivity. Some music may even create distractions for you. For example, a song can rely heavily on lyrics to get a point across that it demands your attention away from your project.
You must be wondering, what exactly is “productive” music then? Unfortunately, there is no universal answer that applies to everyone. Everyone has their own unique taste for music that makes them productive. The music that sets you into “work mode” might be distracting for another person.
If you do not have any music that puts you into “work mode” then I advise you to experiment with different types of music. Internet radio is a good place to start. Pay attention to your mood when listening to music. The music that heightens your mood is the kind of music you want to listen to when you need to get things done.
I hope this post was helpful to you. If you found this post helpful, share it with others who can benefit from the post.
Are there something important I did not mention? Do you have a particular type of music that gets you into “working mode” and would like to share it with others? Feel free to leave a comment. Also, to stay in touch, you can follow me on twitter.