Can music help you concentrate?
There has been so much work done in the field of the human brain. The brain loves patterns, and music is filled with patterns. The brain craves music that establishes patterns and fulfills expectations. It loves music that varies patterns to delight us. And it loves surprises.
All of these elements of music attract the brain to pay attention.
But what if we need to pay attention to our work, and not to the music?
There is an entire industry springing up for people who need to concentrate on something OTHER than music. These special musical compositions put one in the mood to concentrate on one task and stay focused for a set period of time. Furthermore, this type of music is not intended to create attractive and distracting patterns or to surprise and delight us.
I can say, from personal experience, that if I hear a song I know and like, it is very distracting.
I find myself humming along and singing (mostly to myself). A recognizable song does not put me in the mood to focus, and a song with lyrics is just too tempting.
I am not listening to the conversation I’m having – I’m listening to the music.
I’m not focused on the task at hand – I’m distracted by the song.
I do know that silence isn’t helpful either! I need something, the question is WHAT?
If you’d like to experiment with focus music, you might try www.focusatwill.com, which is scientifically engineered for concentration. You can preview songs on YouTube. There are songs for every taste and personality type. If you have a clinical condition that makes it difficult to pay attention, there is music on the site for that as well.
Another option is www.brain.fm which is AI created and allows you to track your results. Check out their study results when you visit their page, they are interesting and eye opening.
The key is to clear all distractions during the period when you try the experiment.
Turn off email, phone, shut the door to your office, and get your coffee beforehand. This type of music often starts with a tone or a gong that signals you to begin. You work for the entire period you choose, until you hear the gong again.
The beginning and end cues are really an important element in the exercise. Without them, our brain plays tricks on us and tries to pull us away too soon. If you rely on the music to cue you, then you remove that subliminal anxiety about “working too long.” It’s like an irrational fear of losing a deal because you think you might miss an email. You can release yourself to the timer that is in the music.
The other thing that is nice about these music services is that you’re not pushing to working all day or all morning. It is a short focus period and the music keeps us on track.
The music plays for an hour, you focus like crazy, and then you get a break.
Here’s an article from Inc.com “Do You Listen to Music While Working? Here’s What It Does to Your Brain (and It’s Pretty Awesome)”
Cheers,
Lynn
P.S. BURSTFocus® is all about a burst of concentrated activity to help you accelerate your efficiency, music is only one of the tools you can use; November 6th I’ll be presenting a 20-minute how-to.
Comments (0)