Do you feel stuck today? Sitting in front of your computer, you look at your workload and scan a small notepad where you’ve written your to-do list that’s tacked off to the side of your monitor. The notepad says “send out event invitations”, “meeting at 1 pm”, and “create style guide” as your priority tasks for the day. You hunker down and start to get to work. You stare at the screen. You have a spill proof mug full of coffee and your tools open on your PC or laptop, but inspiration does not come.

You seem stuck and unable to start work. If only you had something that could jump-start you and get your brain running. How do you get into a productive mindset? Try putting on a playlist.

Music can help supercharge your productivity. But you can’t just listen to any kind of music – you have to listen to a playlist with productivity in mind. The right kind of playlist will help you get out of that slump. Here’s how:

Playlist: Pop Hits and Chart Toppers
First, take a look at your task list. For repetitive or mundane tasks, like sending out event invites, you could probably get away with listening to your favorite pop hits that you know the lyrics to. Repetitive tasks tend to be boring and monotonous, therefore, a challenge to finish. Music with lyrics can help by providing a relief from doing the same old work.

Listening to music while doing a repetitive task relieves stress, improves focus, and enhances performance resulting in faster performance and fewer errors.

Playlist: Classical or Ambient Music
So, for the first part of your day, you’ve been listening to your favorite hits while you do admin work. After lunch, you should switch to a different playlist for the next 2 tasks on your list. For tasks that require concentration or creativity, like a meeting or creating a style guide, it is best to listen to ambient music or classical music. Classical music increases mood and concentration on work while ambient music can enhance cognitive function and concentration.

Try playing a classical music playlist or an ambient music playlist in the background for your next team meeting. Keep the volume low enough to be slightly interesting and be able to accommodate different levels of listening attention but easily ignorable so that it doesn’t steal everyone’s concentration.

Playlist: Nature sounds or White noise
Bonus playlist: So you’re home and trying to relax. You’re now ready to get some shut-eye but your brain is still running a list of things to do for tomorrow. Try a playlist with nature sounds or instrumental music to calm you down and get yourself into a relaxed state of mind.

What kind of music do you listen to at work? Share them with us in the comments. Or better yet, share a link to your Spotify playlists. We’d love to listen to your jam. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help