Music that increases work day productivity

For the hordes of us that sit at a computer all day, click-clacking away at keyboards and frying our eyes with LCD displays, there’s always the question of what to listen to. There’s a fine line between enjoyment and distraction, and knowing how to negotiate it can mean the difference between productivity and inaction.

Throughout this past year of working and listening, I’ve figured out what works best for me, choosing to listen to things that will help me maintain my focus and successfully block out the office chatter. So far, I’ve worked out a few basic truths to office productivity.




Talk Radio
It’s tempting to listen to audio books, podcasts, and internet talk radio during the day, but time after time I’ve found myself glazing over my work because I’ve been caught up in a sea of words. This is the most distracting and dangerous audio int he workplace. I love podcasts, and regularly listen to “Stuff You Should Know”, and “The Adam Corolla Podcast”, but only do so when I don’t have other more important things to concentrate on. Reserve the talk radio format for your commute.

Playlists
Playlists and “shuffle” are you best friends during the working day. I regularly throw together playlists that are hours long so that I don’t waste time browsing my music library.

Now for the good stuff. Here’s a list of my favorite music to work to. I’ve found that these bands offer the perfect mix of ambient, yet upbeat tunes that will keep you energized, focused, and productive.

1. Daft Punk

Website: http://www.daftpunk.com
Maybe it’s just me, but there’s definitely something to the catchy repetition that makes long periods of concentration easily to handle. I consider Daft Punk the Red Bull of work music.
Suggested Listening: Homework

2. Talkdemonic

Website: http://www.talkdemonic.com
The folktronic Portland-based duo consisting of Kevin O’Connor and Lisa Molinaro combine electronic percussion with acoustic drums, viola, banjo and accordion for a startling effect. Their punchy beats and smooth string melodies will serve to drown out the office ambiance without dominating your cerebellum.
Suggested Listening: Beat Romantic

3. Tortoise

Website: www.trts.com
Suggested Listening: It’s All Around You

4. Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto

Website: http://www.sitesakamoto.com
These two titans of ambience combine to create other-wordly sounds that make a perfect companion to the work day.
Suggested Listening: Insen

5. Junior Boys

Website: www.juniorboys.net
Suggested Listening: So This is Goodbye

6. Chihei Hatakeyama

Website: http://www.myspace.com/chiheihatakeyama
This Japanese electronic musician makes ambient “audial-meditations” similar to Sakamoto, but is much prettier and less challenging than his more-famous predecessor.
Suggested Listening: Minima Moralia

7. Riceboy Sleeps

Jón Þór Birgisson (lead singer in Sigur Ros) and his partner Alex Somers make “their ambient album.” Heavily treated synths and strings augment the singer’s famous falsetto for fantastic results.
Website: jonsiandalex.com

8. Mogwai

Website: www.mogwai.co.uk
Suggested Listening: Happy Songs for Happy People

9. The Books

Website: http://www.thebooksmusic.com
With the perfect blend of folk, electronica, soft vocals, and unusual compositions, this experimental duo keeps getting better.
Suggested Listening: The Lemon of Pink

10. The Necks

Website: www.thenecks.com
The Necks are an experimental jazz trio, whose blend of upbeat, yet enigmatic songs are a perfect accompaniment to the working environment. If you have to concentrate on your work closely, they’ll set the mood without getting in the way.

Tags: chihei hatakeyama, daft punk, junior boys, mogwai, riceboy sleeps, ryuichi sakamoto, talkdemonic, the books, the necks, tortoise, workflow, workplace productivity, workspace

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 12:20 am and is filed under Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.