How to Use Music to Boost Your (and Your Team's) Productivity and Creativity | Growth Strategies - Entrepreneur

Aytekin Tank, founder and CEO of JotForm, the easiest online form builder suggest, When it comes to listening while you work, not all songs are helpful.

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Early in my career, I wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing headphones at the office. Today, if one of our employees stays inside a pair of noise-canceling airpods for the better part of a day, I don’t think twice about it. Listening to their favorite playlists helps them work better.

A growing body of research supports them, too. One study focusing on Canadian software developers found that listening to music resulted in improved moods, productivity and work quality. It also boosted the developers’s creative problem-solving abilities. One participant explained that the music helped with relaxation and getting around mental blocks. Also, the more developers listened to music, the greater effect it seemed to have.

 The researchers confirmed that music listening should be encouraged in the workplace, but with a couple of caveats. Here a few ideas to keep in mind when creating guidelines (or your own playlist) for tuning in at the office...

Practice Office Etiquette
By now, you’re probably ready to install a new sound system in your office, but don’t ignore your colleagues who still prefer silence. A survey of 1,000 U.S. employees found that 15 percent of respondents didn’t like listening to music while working. Though the majority do enjoy tuning in -- 71 percent of respondents reported that they are “much more” or “somewhat more” productive when music is playing -- we can’t disregard that 15 percent.

And music can be even more disruptive to the introverts among us. According to University College London psychologists:

“Some people may thrive with music on while others, the extreme introverts, will find it immensely debilitating. This consideration is important for management who wish to optimize the output of their workforce.”

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Source: Entrepreneur