Research has shown that listening to music while working can increase your productivity. Well, at least for some people. And not all music. And not while doing any kind of work. Ok, I should say that when I say ‘research’, I mean my own personal experience.

I’ve found that certain styles of music during different times of the day help me focus and get more work done.

High energy morning

If I need some energy boost to get my workday started, I will most definitely put my Spotify Daily Mix which is basically 80% pop punk. There's nothing better than having angsty, whiny voices yelling in the background while I make explainer videos or whatever motion graphics I’m working on. That, mixed with my morning black coffee will definitely get me going.

Side effect: my arms will get tired of all the air drumming I feel obliged to do during this time.

Low key afternoon

This is where I need to turn it down a bit. It’s now 2 p.m. and I need some quieter background music. Recently I’ve been listening a lot to Icelandic folk/indie/pop Of Monsters And Men, Scottish synth pop Chvrches, and the classic Nat King Cole. These soothing atmosphere puts me in a very relaxed state where I can work with absolutely no distractions for several hours straight.

Non musical days

Some days music is not right for me. It gets me distracted to the point I have to turn it off completely. When it comes to this, I take one of these three paths.

Podcasts. I mean, they’re everywhere. Am I doing 2019 right? Some of my favorites are Ear Biscuits, The Minimalists, and Couples Therapy with Candice and Casey.

Silence. Silence is good. It can really boost my focus when complete silence fills the room. That is of course, as long as the dog’s not barking, the neighbors are quiet, no street cars pass by and no one comes knocking on my door selling something.

A little less silence. Yes, sometimes there can be too much of it. For those times I like to use Noisli, an extremely simple website that plays background noise. Just that. Rain, wind, thunderstorms, fire. If you’re into that, i suggest giving it a try. I am by no means affiliated to the site, I just like to use it myself.

So, there you go.

That’s what helps me work better.

Again, this is based on my own experience, tastes and personality. And that’s constantly changing. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be listening to something completely different. In fact, as I’m writing this, my background noise is an NBA game and the annoying soundtrack of the game ‘Frozen’ that my wife’s playing.