Sometimes, focusing all of our attention on a single task can be quite the challenge. We are like little ants shuffling backwards and forwards never stopping, we are living in an era of heightened stress. We just need to take a look at everyday traffic, overpopulation, and non-stopping pollution to see why we are in a constant state of desperation.
If you’re one of those persons that has to put up with the noisy seventies music of the passenger who’s next to you in the bus, or has to stand the garish and lachrymose tunes of your fellow metalhead or depressive coworker, you know how stressing this situation can be. You have tried putting on your headphones and listening to the same old band, but that turns out to be just as distracting. Plus, you already know the entire playlist by heart. No matter how hard you try, concentration slips farther away from you.
According to the BBC, the average time a person can focus their undivided attention is for 10 minutes, so we can focus completely on an activity only during this time. Subsequently, productivity decreases. There’s no solution as such; you may either make concentration exercises or change your work playlist. However, a survey of 2,000 office workers in the United Kingdom revealed that 9 out of 10 employees perform better when listening to music, as they feel their productivity flows better.
But the question is, what’s the best music to help you stay focused? For some it may be heavy metal, for others it may be classical music. Some may prefer to stick to current pop hits. Luckily, today we have platforms like Spotify, Soundcloud, and Youtube that give us access to different kinds of playlists, like those designed to help us concentrate, cry, or fall in love. The same study revealed that a worker’s concentration improves when they listen to classical rock and some pop songs. Some of the main artists they listened to was Queen, Adele, and Pharrell Williams, figures that stand out, but also offer good melodies and lyrics.
Here is the playlist that the study proposed, with some more songs to help you build a better work environment and make things smoother while you’re sending emails.
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“Angels”
by Robbie Williams
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“Rolling in the Deep”
by Adele
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“Wonderwall”
by Oasis
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“Don’t Stop Me Now”
by Queen
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“Happy”
by Pharrell
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When writing an important document
According to the survey, songs can help you in different situations, for instance writing a text. If you feel you cannot write anything or come up with ideas, the best option is to be accompanied by motivational music.
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“Shape of You”
by Ed Sheeran
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“Eye of the Tiger”
by Survivor
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“Water Under the Bridge”
by Adele
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_T5bpmBrwI
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“5th Symphony”
by Beethoven
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“Bohemian Rhapsody”
by Queen
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When reading important information
The survey also took into account the workers’ reading habits and how they were affected by music. Most of them performed better with ballads, power ballads, and the slower part of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” What’s most surprising about this is that an upbeat song like “Happy” also worked in this situation.
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“With or Without You”
by U2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ
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“Yellow”
by Coldplay
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“Feel”
by Robbie Williams
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“Happy”
by Pharrell
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When doing complex calculations
A discipline that requires of your best moments of concentration is maths. This may surprise you, but according to the survey, people reached their highest levels of concentration when listening to heavy metal music or fast music, as the brain performs better.
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“Back in Black”
by AC/DC
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“Dizzy Miss Lizzy”
by The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU4yTCtrqmI
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“Rolling in the Deep”
by Adele
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For brainstorming
When a team of employees gathered to brainstorm, they reached their highest level of concentration with catchy rock and pop songs. This could mean that the more familiar we are with a song, the better ideas will flow.
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“Paranoid Android”
by Radiohead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIklhgI-m2s
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“Don’t Stop Me Now”
by Queen
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“Bat Out of Hell”
by Meat Loaf
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Focusing is difficult but not impossible, you just need the right music and your own determination, and you’ll see how simple it can become. So for now just listen to them and focus.
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TelegraphBBC
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Translated by Andrea Valle Gracia