Whistle while you work...(?)

Well that's that; week two done and dusted, and working from home is far easier by the day. I have managed to maintain last week's routine religiously, and I am adjusting to my new norm like a (slightly couch potato-esque) duck to water. Each of my daily habits and "rituals" are allowing me to compartmentalise work, entertainment, relaxation and exercise, all under one roof, and I have been thinking even more about what myself and colleagues have been doing to promote higher productivity levels whilst WFH.

One common theme, is that now we are WFH, the majority of us are favouring listening to music whilst we work, something which of course we don't do when in the office. Throughout school and university I always listened to music whilst writing essays and revising and really felt the benefits of doing so; both in terms of ensuring I remained focused for longer periods of time and drowning out background noise (particularly helpful when I was in halls!). Even now, I associate the songs in this playlist with working at home at my desk when I hear them.

But what is it about us listening to music as we work which increases productivity? Why is it that when I am providing perfectly timed harmonies and backing vocals to ABBA, I am able to stay 'on task' for much longer periods of time? So I decided to do a bit of research...

Dopamine Release:

The boost that I experience when I come into the office and see my colleagues in the morning, has temporarily been lost throughout this period; something which other extroverts may also be struggling with. Whilst I still feel a bit flat about this sometimes, I have noticed an improvement in my mood when I fill the eerie silence of home (and occasional groaning of the boiler) with music.

It has been scientifically proven that as well as drawing away your attention from small background noises which may be distracting, listening to music is actually associated with increased dopamine release from the brain.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone, which when released by the brain has many affects throughout the body. However, in this context, its release may be associated with both increased pleasure and motivation- two things which I am sure the majority of us could make use of during this period!

Decreased Stress:

One of the biggest hindrances that many are facing to their productivity at this time, are their own increased stress levels; whether these arise as a result of adapting to WFH, or as a result of external factors (COVID-19 worries for example). Many have very openly discussed that they are finding it difficult to focus on working at the moment, as their brains are preoccupied with so many other things.

However, when we listen to music that we enjoy, cortisol levels within the body have been shown to decrease, with lower levels of cortisol in most instances directly correlating to lower stress levels.

With some of this stress eliminated, we are able to focus our attention more readily to the task at hand, and remained focused on our work. Thanks Avril Lavigne...

Mozart or MC Hammer:

So, if you aren't already listening to music whilst you are WFH, maybe give it a go this week and see what you think? Maybe experiment a bit with several different genres, that you know you enjoy, and see which you find the easiest to work alongside.

For me, I tend to listen to classical music (particularly piano) when I am completing tasks which involve a lot of thinking, as I find that lyrics can sometimes distract my trail of thought. However, when engaged in more administrative tasks, I favour an eclectic pop/rock/indie mix which I can obnoxiously sing along to.

Stuck for ideas on what to include in your WFH playlist?

Some of Storm2's Favourites Include:

• Beautiful Girls- Sean Kingston (on repeat)
• Tame Impala, The Strokes, Devendra Banhart
• MC Hammer
• Enrique Inglesias, Fuse ODG, NSYNC
• Anything Billy Joel
• White Flag- Dido (a certified banger)
• Nature sounds
• Jazz and Blues compilations
• Absolutely anything remotely country. With special mentions going to: Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and Mitchell Tupenny
• All out 00. Including classics such as: Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield, Party In The USA and a variety of Destiny's Child masterpieces

Try assembling your own WFH playlist this coming week, and see whether you notice any difference when listening to it alongside working. I will be very surprised yours are anything like as chaotic (yet still completely genius) as ours are...but I am willing to be challenged on that.

Happy singing whilst you work!