Many surgeons around the world prefer playing music while working in the operating room. Doing so helps them stay focused on what they do and keep them calm during their stressful job. As a remote employee or a freelancer, you may not necessarily be saving lives every day. However, you could still use a little boost from music. Aside from that, diverting your pent-up frustrations onto music may spare your roommate from your temper tantrums!
If you’ve been a remote worker for quite some time, you understand the dangers of having no supervisor hovering behind your desk. Working from home means you can take a nap in the middle of an important task and no one will be there to judge you—except maybe your cat. However, with nobody to keep you in check, you can easily have too much of certain things. The same is true with listening to music. While it brings an array of benefits for the uninspired freelancer, it can also have some disadvantages.
So, what are the pros and cons of playing music while working?
# PROS:
1. PRO: Boosting Your Productivity
Have you been typing and deleting that paragraph for the last 30 minutes? Have you been scrolling through Facebook and Instagram for the past hour instead of working? Welcome to the hell hole widely known as ‘the mental rut.’ We’ve all been there, but music can help you find the inspiration you need.
In general, music without lyrics like instrumental, classical, jazz and nature sounds are associated with improved productivity. Especially that trending youtube searches target: Light and Relaxing Music – positive, uplifting, work and study music. Meanwhile, for the energetic and uneasy worker, upbeat genres like dance or pop music can help them concentrate better. If you’re an artist or your job involves creative thinking, you may stumble upon the rainbow that leads to your unicorn when you listen to music.
2. PRO: Improving Your Mood
Among the benefits of working from home is you can throw a temper tantrum and break stuff whenever you feel frustrated. However, the downside of that is you’re destroying items you bought with your hard-earned cash. Your client asked for the hundredth revision and you feel like punching your PC monitor—not a good idea. Well, instead of doing that, why not try boosting your mood by listening to music?
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Singing to Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff will help you release some of the anger you’re keeping within. If you want to express your hatred without wiping the smile off your face, you can sing along Lily Allen’s F*ck You. How pleasant it is to leisurely dance around your home office while gleefully singing, “F*ck you. F*ck you very, very mu-huh-huch!”
3. PRO: Finding Interest in Routine Tasks
Do you feel like you’re slowly turning into a robot with all the repetitive tasks you’re doing? If only you could live by the beach and work in your swim suit, freelance work wouldn’t be so boring. Unfortunately, not all of us are casually graced by a running hottie while tapping away on our keyboards. Well, as we’ve mentioned, listening to instrumental music can make your brain work faster. By increasing your mental performance, mundane tasks would become more bearable. So, when your work requires you to do repetitive activities all day long, listen to music and it will make you and your environment tranquil.
4. PRO: Drowning Out the Voices in Your Head
We all have inner demons that we try to keep at bay. You can try calling your local witch and have them burn leaves and perform rituals. Another option would be to contact a priest and have them exorcise the demon out of you. However, we’re not recommending anything as dramatic or drastic as those. You can try listening to positive music to help calm your tensed mind. Purchase an essential oil diffuser and have the aromatic scent of lavender linger around the room to relax your body.
# CONS:
1. CON: Creating More Distractions
It is true that playing music can help you concentrate. However, choosing the wrong one can create more distractions for you. Vitamin C’s Graduation will make your mind drift to your high school days when all you worried about was your date to the prom. Playing Coldplay’s The Scientist may trigger the pain of lost love, causing you to spiral back into a habit of ugly crying while eating a gallon of ice cream. So, if you want to minimize the distractions, be careful in choosing the right music or just find another love.
For many people, it can be easy to keep track of their productivity. However, if you’re finding it hard to identify the music that keeps you distracted, consider using a reliable task monitoring app like Traqq. You can use this tool to evaluate when your productivity levels are down. Put similar songs in a playlist that will run for an hour. If you have the time, you can make several playlists that can last for an entire work day. Traqq will help you monitor the hours wherein you are less productive or motivated, allowing you to choose the perfect playlist.
2. CON: Damaging Your Ears
Some remote workers prefer working in cafes and co-working establishments. However, the experience can be distracting, especially once the soccer moms come in with their toddlers. Of course, listening to loud music can help eliminate background noise. A lot of freelancers end up placing the volume at unhealthy levels. Keep in mind that anything over 85 decibels can cause physical pain and even harm to your hearing ability. Now, when you wear headphones while listening to music on full volume, you’re exposing your ears to over 100 decibels. You’ll quickly damage your ears if you do not take precautions.
3. CON: Isolating Yourself
We get it. Humans are awful. Dogs should be rewarded for not being people. Listening to music while working can help you avoid interactions in the café or in your home. However, while you’re drowning out other noises, the strategy might work too well and prevent you from hearing others when they’re calling your attention. You may find yourself more productive when no one is talking to you. However, no man is an island. What if your house is on fire and someone is trying to warn you? What if your soulmate tried to start a conversation with you? Well, you’ve missed your chance for happiness.
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4. CON: Making Your Mind Forgetful
When you listen to music while working on several tasks, you may experience memory gaps from time to time. It is true that this is a sign of aging. However, it could also be a result of playing music. According to a study conducted by Cardiff Metropolitan University researchers, listening to music while doing an expected task may not be a good idea. Hearing something you like may heighten your mood and arousal, making it difficult to focus on the work at hand. Since you’re distracted, you may end up losing track of what you were doing, consequently triggering the memory gap.
Indeed, listening to music can keep your creative juices at their peak. However, you should still be careful not to let the tunes distract you and cause harm to your productivity and ear health. As always, everything is lawful as long as you keep it at moderate levels.
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