Get Your Jam On! How Music Can Help You Get More Done (Plus 20 Best Songs, Artists)

Do you get your jam on every day — or some days — at work?

Well, if you’re going to listen, you might as well listen to some of the top music for productivity.

But music at work isn’t just a productivity booster. Harvard Business School researchers found music in the workplace — whether it’s on your headphones, in the background or played in shared space — can:

• improve performance on cognitive tasks
• regulate moods and emotions
• improve attention
• reduce stress levels, and
• block other distractions.

Music Not One-Size-Fits-All

But music isn’t a one-size-fits-all remedy to workplace issues. In fact, the Harvard researchers found your personality, motivation level, propensity for distraction and favorite genres play into the right playlist.

For instance, extroverts will find background music stimulating. Introverts often find it a distraction from performance. Creative types thrive with tunes. Employees who are methodical lose focus and steam with tunes playing in the background.

What Type of Tunes to Turn On?

As far as the type of music that works best to boost performance, it depends on what you want to accomplish. The researchers found the most effective tunes are those that match your mood and what you want to accomplish.

When you want to get focused or inspired, either:

• Pick music that will naturally enhance your emotional state, or
• Augment your emotional state by choosing music that represents how you want to feel.

For instance, when your work would benefit from getting away from the junk up in your head — perhaps a bad commute or argument at home — classical tunes can help reset the mood. A melancholy love ballad will likely hinder you.

Know Your Function

Now, music also needs to align with the work you do. The researchers found when you work on autopilot — doing things you’re skilled or experienced at — your background tunes will likely help you get more focused. But if it’s something complex, you want to avoid music or any background noise.

Boring work? Turn on the radio because it enhances your attention and stimulates your brain.

What About Distractions?

So, some people consider music a distraction (I’m one of those weirdos who prefers to work in total silence). But truth is, most of us can’t avoid other distractions — barking dogs, screaming kids, noisy co-workers and communication alerts.

Turns out, music is a soothing distraction to the other bothersome distractions. And if you’re someone who works with words a lot — writing, reading, thinking — the best distraction is lyric-free tunes.

Top 10 Songs

Now, for the fun part — the songs people listen to most when they’re hell-bent on boosting productivity.

Our friends at TollFreeForwarding analyzed nearly 4,000 work-related Spotify playlists and over a million songs to find the tracks that appear most frequently.

The top songs people like to listen to while they work include a mix of both classic and more recent tracks, and while most of the songs are upbeat and fun, they also span several genres, from classic rock to hip-hop. Even though I don’t like to listen to tunes while working, I can definitely get behind some of these all-time faves from Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus.

Top 10 Artists

With the hot songs compiled, the TollFreeForwarding gang used their combined list of 150 songs that appeared most frequently across work playlists and found the artists who were the most popular.

Another shout-out to some of my favorites — AC/DC and Eminem. And thanks to the researchers for the introduction to the magic of Hans Zimmer.