The Power of Music: A Workplace Perspective

RING! RING! RING! Sounds of a telephone are posing an issue as you try to jot down ideas while a client describes his/her needs to you. Perhaps voices of fellow co-workers having personal conversations while you're trying to focus on meeting deadlines is a better alternative. 



Sounds familiar? Every work environment has its own soundtrack. Whether it be the sounds of telephones ringing, people talking, doors opening/closing, keyboard typing, mouse clicking, etc. With all these sounds present, many distractions can be created. Question is: How do you maintain focus and get things done among all these distractions? Any suggestions?

Some workers listen to music when they find themselves losing focus. In addition, they may put on headphones to help distract them from a noisy environment. Sounds like you? 

According to research by Dr. Teresa Lesiuk, an Assistant Professor in the Music Therapy program at the University of Miami, "those who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who didn’t, because the music improved their mood." Hence, the better your mood, the more effective you'll be.

Important factors that need to be analyzed are personal choice in music as well as the duration of listening time. Dr. Amit Sood, a physician of  integrative medicine with the Mayo Clinic, says "music without lyrics usually works best and it takes just 15 minutes to a half-hour listening time to regain concentration." 

Closing remarks: Few companies have policies about music listening therefore why not explore how workplace music works for you. According to Dr. Sood, "those who are moderately skilled at their jobs benefited the most, while experts saw little or no effect. And some novices regarded the music as distracting." With that being said, I challenge you, my fellow reader, to listen to music (of all types) at work for a week. At the end of the week, I want you contact me at themedsetter@gmail.com and let me know what type of music worked best for you & how it improved your work performance. I look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful day & Happy Listening! Peace, Love & God Bless. 1.

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For additional info on music in the workplace, click here.