How to Improve Your Writing Productivity by Listening to Specific Music

There are many days I struggle to write.

I feel uninspired and think I have nothing to say.

I convince myself that I’m a hack and can’t put a decent sentence together.

I distract myself with email and games on my phone then kick myself for wasting time.

Sometimes I do what others advise: go for a run, draw (or be creative in a different way), take a shower, meditate, plant butt in chair and write anyway.

But until recently, I forgot about my former number one go-to. You may not believe me, but it works every time and for a very good reason.

Here’s how I rediscovered my lost partner in writing.

My husband and I set a goal of going through everything we own and purging those items that we’ve been holding onto for reasons that no longer matter.

“What about all these?” he pointed to a stand with hundreds of CDs.

I looked at the plastic jewel cases that I had carefully organized by genre.

“I’m pretty sure it’s all on my iPod, but I’ll double check. Since you stream music, I suppose they can go into the donation pile.”

One by one, I checked off each CD, until…

“I’m glad I went through these. This one is missing.” I held up a two CD set.

“What is it?” Bill took it and made a face.

“It’s my writing music.”

He laughed. “Oh, that.”

Years ago, when I decided to get serious about being a writer, I read a magazine advertisement about the effect of music on the brain. Out of curiosity, I bought the CDs.

Every time I sat down to write I’d play the music. After a couple of weeks, I decided to see if the ad lived up to its promise.

I tried to write without the music and had a hard time focusing.

I was certain it was all in my head, and the CDs did nothing for me. I listened to other music but ended up singing along and being distracted.

After two days with no productivity, I gave in and turned it on.

Just like Pavlov’s dogs, I was conditioned. Not to salivate at the sound of a bell, but to write when the music started.

I used this technique faithfully for years until I started writing less because I let my legal career get in the way.

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson is a leading expert on the effect of sound. It started with him tuning sound frequencies to make spinal adjustments in his chiropractic practice. His interest in sound expanded to its influence on brain waves.

As a musician, he has created brainwave technologies and incorporated them into his compositions for various situations, including meditation, sleep, and creativity.

The Creative Mind System uses inaudible sound pulses that your brain reflects, which pulls you into a creative state.

I wondered if my mind was still trained after a few years of not listening to the music.

I was happily surprised that upon hitting play, I fell right into the inspirational rhythm of writing that I’d experienced before.

I admit, I was skeptical when I bought these CDs back in 2007. But I figured they were worth a try after attempting to work in silence or with other music playing in the background and having less than successful results.

Ever since I went back to using The Creative Mind System, I’ve become a more prolific writer.

In analyzing why, I made three observations of the negative effect other music may have on productivity.

Music with Lyrics

Catchy songs, or lyrics that have meaning for you will draw attention away from the task you’re working on. You’ll dance around in your chair, sing along, and once out of the zone, you may have a difficult time refocusing.

The issue is that your brain must concentrate on two undertakings—writing and listening. But if you listen to music without lyrics, your attention isn’t as conflicted by divergent activities.

Often people default to classical and jazz, which are usually fine choices. There is also instrumental music. Many popular songs are recorded this way, but if you know the words, you still might sing along.

I know someone who enjoys listening to ambient sounds on her sound machine, usually the babbling brook. This may also be a great option for you if you want noise that isn’t music.

Check the Intensity

When I said classical and jazz are usually fine choices, here’s what I meant: sometimes the piece builds and gets intense and vigorous in a beautiful way. Horns blare, percussion is struck, and bows on stringed instruments are frenzied. However, it takes you from the calm, smooth, soothing sounds.

For example, Aaron Copeland is one of my favorite composers. His music is often lively, and for me, can be difficult to write to.

Music draws out emotions and can make you experience joy, sadness, anger. If that’s what you need to write an effective piece, then choose music that will help you keep that feeling.

But calm, smooth, soothing sounds in the background won’t disrupt your creativity.

Watch the Volume

A closely related reason that classical and jazz can be the wrong choice for writing is that the volume fluctuates. Passages are pianissimo, or very soft, then crescendo and become fortissimo, or very loud.

Maybe you’ve experienced this before—the music is so quiet you forget it’s on, then suddenly it’s booming and scares you.

It’s often better to have music that doesn’t vary in decibel level so it’s a steady state that is largely unnoticed.

If you are struggling to write, you might want to give my choice of writing music a try. I am happy to have rediscovered it!

When you need a focused writer who can produce quality copy and content, look no further! Email me at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn, and let’s discuss how I can help you.

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Joanne Hirase-Stacey is a Compliance Communications Specialist who writes copy and content for companies who sell compliance products and services. She is a former General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Risk Manager who has navigated the vast world of regulatory compliance and has lived to write (and tell) about it. Visit her website at www.jhstacey.com to learn more.