Psychology: What productive people do differently in everyday life

psychology
Productive people have this habit ahead of us

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We like to be distracted in everyday life – it is rather difficult for us to be concentrated and productive. For some, it gets better after the first caffeine of the day, but for others, there’s another habit that can work wonders. You should also try this trick of productive people.

There is one thing we have that many other living beings have: our reaction to and love of music. While there are some cute animal videos with budgerigars bobbing around or dogs responding to certain songs, music has its own magic for humans. In fact, it is so big that it can help us in a wide variety of situations. It can put us in a better mood or give comfort, calm down or, for example, in the combination of driving and fast music, lead to careless driving behavior; so please avoid that if you react to music like that.

In addition to all these aspects, music also has the special advantage that it can help us to be more productive. At least if we find the one that suits us.

Music as a wake-up, pick-me-up and productive maker

Not all music works for everyone. For example, if you absolutely hate dubstep, the fast beats won’t help you work better and more focused. Maybe it’s more classical, film music or just your favorite songs – all these options have been proven to have positive effects. So one came study for example, to the conclusion that rock music or classical music can help to accomplish certain tasks faster than without musical support. A Test model from 1994 also showed that surgeons who listened to their favorite music in the OR responded faster than those without music or with music they did not choose themselves.

Classical music: listen actively or passively

Various research results for the effects of classical music are presented on the website of the University of Southern California. Some occur even when we are not actively listening. In an experimental setup with students, researchers found that the group in which classical music was playing in the background performed better in a subsequent quiz than the group in which no music was played. One possible reason is that music makes us more emotionally accessible and thus has a positive influence on the absorption of information. Classical music has also been linked to reduced stress, relaxation and lower blood pressure in other studies. A real all-rounder.

Nature sounds: forest or waves in the study

There are sounds from nature that relax us. For one person it might be rain, for another the chirping of birds, for someone else perhaps the sound of rushing and breaking waves is what they prefer – even the atmosphere of a thunderstorm is pleasant and calming for some people. One study looked at how nature sounds could be a good option to create a more relaxed environment in open plan offices, for example. In any case, natural sounds are always more pleasant than constant typing. At home, too, it can help if we simply mentally imagine ourselves in a forest or on the beach with the help of headphones. Because even in the home office, we often have to deal with annoying background noise that bothers us.

Soundtracks from movies or video games

It could be the motivating tune of “Indiana Jones” penned by John Williams, which spurs you on with energetic tones – or the “Interstellar” soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, which is a bit calmer but also very impressive at times. Maybe something inspiring and playful like from “The Fabulous World of Amélie”, composed by Yann Tiersen? Instrumental soundtracks from Studio Ghibli movies or certain video game soundtracks can also be good choices. For example, we would recommend “Detroit: Become Human” or music from indie games like “Hoa” or “Ori and the Blind Forest” – there are many beautiful melodies that were composed for films, series or video games. Find out which one suits you.

Favorite music for a good mood

Being in a good mood is also a great way to work, so why not fire up your favorite playlist and see what happens? In some cases, our favorite songs can make us want to drop everything and sing along at the top of our voices – then these songs may not be for your work environment. Other people, on the other hand, feel motivated by them and can therefore concentrate better. You have to find out for yourself whether you are one of these people.

The way to the right music

As you can already see, the way to your own music mix is ​​very individual. For many people, songs without lyrics work best, otherwise they often listen in a short, inattentive pause and lose their focus on the task at hand. Put together your own songs that will keep you motivated at work, with housework or with those annoying tax returns. You may have to experiment, but finding the right music can make your life a whole lot easier.

Sources used: University of Southern California, Entrepreneur, Harvard Business Preview, Medium

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