What’s on your productivity playlist? Add your recommendations to get a badge! 🎶

[Angelie Stephens]

Curating the perfect playlist can set the stage for your most productive days, and choosing the right combination of songs or sounds creates the atmosphere you need to do your best work.

For this month’s Work Life blog, we dig into the research behind some long-held beliefs about music and productivity (hint: Mozart doesn’t really make you smarter) and explore how different types of music affect our state of mind.

What do you like to listen to while you’re working? Are there any particular songs that help you get through your day?

I enjoy listening to '90s pop or '00s English alternative rock when I’m doing more data-driven work. But when I’m writing anything more extensive, I need to listen to lyric-free music so I don’t get words mixed up! So I like a film score, or orchestral covers of popular songs.

We’re putting together a Work Life + Community Spotify playlist, so please share your favorite (safe for work!) songs below, and we might add them our playlist!

After adding your recommendations in the comments, you’ll earn a Work Life kudos badge. ✨

(PS: If you’ve received this badge before, you can get it again!)

[Susan Waldrip]

This is a fun topic! I actually can't listen to music while working (most of the time), I work best in a  "library quiet" environment. Old school, I guess. 😊

[Dick]

I'm glad I'm not the only "old school" type. At work we have this air conditioning hum that stops at 17.00 hrs. The difference is huuuuuge, and often the reason I'm late for dinner.... :D

[Haunani Nakabara]

"Frank Sinatra Radio" for when I need a little uplift to my day.

[Mel Policicchio]

This is a fun prompt! I also can't listen to music with lyrics when I'm working, which is why it's Lofi Girl all day every day :) If I need something a little more fun for lighter work, instrumental covers of popular music are always nice jams.

[Juan Carlos Pin]

Halloween LoFi!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LzXH6mHZ0U

[Kristian Klima]

I usually reply that I listen to pretty much anything from ABBA to ZZ Top but at work it's, depending on what I'm doing and general circumstances... in no particular order:

• Jimmy Eat World
• Liquido
• Rammstein 
• Leonard Cohen (Thanks for the Dance album)
• Toehider
• Héroes del Silencio (I don't speak Spanish so there's no danger of focusing on the lyrics) 
• Helloween and Gamma Ray - when it's really bad and things must move quickly

[Stephen_Lugton]

I've currently got the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack on repeat.

Other than that I've been using the Youtube method of play a song then see what comes up in suggestions

[Amanda Barber]

The Bridgerton soundtrack is a great work playlist!

[Angelie Stephens]

I'm also a big fan of the Bridgerton soundtrack @Amanda Barber ! Do you have a favourite cover from the show? 

[Amanda Barber]

@Angelie Stephens - honestly, I always just throw on the first season's album and play it through. I'll have to try some other seasons to mix it up! :-D 

[Frankie C_]

This is a tough one! I tend to go on genre-bending spurts every week. But some of my go-tos include:

- EDM

- 80's hits

- Anything by Sade

[Dave Mathijs]

For me it's movie soundtracks, I cannot concentrate when listening to lyrics or singing along (at home) Here are my favorites:

- The Unforgivable

- Suburra

- Mayor of Kingstown

- Gomorra

- Maltese

- TRON

- Rush

- Oblivion

[Angelie Stephens]

Lots of new movie soundtracks to try out! Thank you for the recommendations @Dave Mathijs 😁

[Dick]

Two-socks at play from the movie dances with wolves... but not at work....

[Maria Ginsbourg]

Hi Angelie Stephens, I love this question! My top 7 tracks for this week: 

1. "Dawn" – Jean-Michel Blais

   • A calm piano piece with a subtle and steady rhythm.

2. "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite" – Michael Giacchino (from Rogue One)

   • Soft orchestral elements with a measured, rhythmic feel.

3. "Nuvole Bianche" – Ludovico Einaudi

   • Minimalist piano with a steady, flowing rhythm that's less emotional but still evocative.

4. "Ghostwriter" – RJD2

   • An instrumental hip-hop track with a groovy, steady beat.

5. "Les Jours Tristes" – Yann Tiersen (instrumental version)

   • From the same composer as Amelie, this track has a similar feel but with a more consistent rhythm and less emotional pull.

6. "We Move Lightly" – Dustin O'Halloran

   • A soft piano melody that keeps a steady rhythm, ideal for concentration.

7. "Time" – Hans Zimmer (from Inception)

   • Repetitive, rhythmic strings and a gradual build-up that creates focus without overwhelming emotion.

[Tomislav Tobijas]

For me, I would say a mixture of everything mentioned in the comments

• If it's some repetitive work where I don't need to think a lot, then it's usually EDM
• If the work requires some focus, then I would move more toward Tropical House (Kygo and such)
• If extensive thinking is required, then Lofi or movie/epic soundtracks (e.g. Interstellar from Hans Zimmer)
• If it's like an 'all hands on deck' situation, then no music helps so it's silence all the way 😅

I'm interested to see what will come out of this playlist you're building 👀

[Rebecca Dixon]

Great themed question! We have a playlist for our Friday afternoons in the office while we relax and catch up on the week...

I like quiet when I'm deep thinking or reading; but if I'm doing not deep thinking tasks I like Dua Lipa - keeps the energy up on the less energising tasks; and drowns out the office conversations if I can't concentrate...

[Juan Carlos Pin]

As @Mel Policicchio said, LoFi is great! BUT! D'you know what's even greater?

SYNTHWAVE RADIO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xDzrJKXOOY

[Juan Carlos Pin]

That, and Linkin Park.

https://giphy.com/gifs/coiToIngvOGHyN3eL7

[Barbara Szczesniak]

I had an office mate once whose only rule about the music I played was that it had to be loud enough for him to hear it too. He was always amazed at how I could be singing along with Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Shania Twain, or Metallica while I wrote software documentation.

Nowadays, I generally have my local NPR (National Public Radio) station on when I'm not in a meeting, so I feel informed (and often disheartened) about the state of the world. Today, I think I've already heard too many reports about Hurricane Milton that is heading right at our area.

I do want to add one for the no-lyrics movie soundtracks list: Ladyhawke. 

[Rodrigo]

Singing along while writing technical documentation? Intriguing! Do you play instruments by chance? I can imagine a Piano would be down your alley (I can't fathom focusing on hands doing their own separate thing simultaneously). 

[Emily Conroy]

Great topic! Enjoying seeing everyone's recommendations. I also usually can't work well while listening to music with lyrics, so usually listen to movie, tv and some game soundtracks; although mainly more gentle tracks rather than those from the action packed parts! I have quite a variety on my playlist, but for some examples, I have music from Lord of the Rings films, Finding Nemo/Dory, Lion King (original animated), Narnia movies, Wingspan and Zelda Breath of the Wild games.

[Rodrigo]

100% agreed. Gentle tracks for thinking and planning (Zelda, Elder Scrolls Oblivion), while listening to more aggressive, upbeat tracks for the actual doing (Doom ost, Hades soundtrack).

[Sherilyn Tasker]

I love a bit of music in the office to drown out the teams meetings all around me. But it has to be instrumental or I get distracted. Land of the Long White Cloud by Mike Nock currently fits the bill. 

[Frank Carter]

Thanks for sharing this! I’m a big believer in the power of music to enhance productivity. When I’m working on repetitive tasks, I love listening to upbeat synth-pop. It keeps my energy high and makes the time fly. For focused working sessions, I usually switch to ambient music; it’s great for blocking out distractions.

I’d suggest adding 'Night Owl' by Galimatias for a chill vibe and 'Experience' by Ludovico Einaudi for a beautifully inspiring piece.

[jbo]

I put on some hour-long mix of "dark techno / cyberpunk / EBM / industrial" to help me stay sharp. It's also completely instrumental.

Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8MeMpYICn8

It's a real energizer for me. Can't listen to that all day though, 1-3 hours is enough and then I need a break.

[Gillian Gardiner]

The Orb

Kiasmos

Orbital

Brian Eno

[Sandra Franchetto]

I like upbeat tunes to rev me up. My music tastes range from Andrea Bocelli through to Inxs to Country Rock to Boy Bands which confuses many people. 😅🤣😂 Alas as soon as you said safe for work I knew my favourite Enimen couldn't make the cut. 😝

[Dani Werner]

As someone with ADHD, I vary greatly depending on how my brain is feeling that day and what I need to be doing.

Sometimes I have podcasts playing in the background. Other times, I'll listen to classical music or instrumental pop (Vitamin String Quartet, anyone?). And then sometimes I really just need that chill lofi going.

[Angelie Stephens]

I've put a few Vitamin String Quartet covers on the playlist @Dani Werner 😁 let me know if you have any favourite covers in particular and I can maybe add some more! 

[Angelie Stephens]

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts and suggestions! 

I've made a few additions to the Work Life + Community playlist thanks to recommendations from:

@Tomislav Tobijas 
@Mel Policicchio 
@Dave Mathijs 
@Stephen_Lugton 
@Amanda Barber 
@Juan Carlos Pin 
@Barbara Szczesniak 
@Emily Conroy 
@Rodrigo 
@Sherilyn Tasker 
@Frank Carter 

We hope you enjoy seeing how you've inspired us! 💙

Please keep the comments coming and we'll keep adding to the playlist 😄

[Rodrigo]

Thanks to you for the interesting topic. Now that is a very varied playlist. 10/10.

[Liz Tanner]

Go-to genres are House, trance, and eurodance/europop. I love my 70/80s/90s ladies: My favorite artist ever is Madonna, girl band is The Go-Gos. If my tasks need focus, I listen to all (work-safe) Madonna list*:

Over and Over, Dress You Up, La Isla Bonita, True Blue, Who's That Girl?, Fever (best version IMO), Deeper and Deeper, Secret, Bedtime Stories, Nobody's Perfect, Love Profusion, Jump. She's Not Me, Voices

If I don't have to focus, I have a mix* (work-safe edits):

Ace of Base: Beautiful Life; Paul Oakenfold w/ Brittany Murphy: Faster Kill Pussycat; Goldfrapp: Strict Machine, I Wanna Be Loved (new stuff out!); The Go Gos: Head Over Heels; Girls Aloud: Graffiti My Soul; Blondie: Rapture, Maria... Gaga, Britney, Laura Brannigan, Heart, Odd Mob, Frankie Knuckles, Kylie Minogue, Madison Beer, Hayley Kiyoko, and Massive Attack too.  

*I loved reading through this thread and discovering old-but-new to me music and rediscovering old faves people mentioned! Thus, I took big hits off my lists. Please know songs like Like A Prayer are in fact there and sung at appropriately loud volumes when played. 

[Andy Gladstone]

I find that listening to music with words or podcasts when working is more distracting than helpful.

I am an avid YouTube Music user and I que up playlists of movie score music. I have 'listened' to more movies than I have watched, and some movie franchises are brought to life in my imagination by the musical score.

I've discovered amazing conductors and artists while listening to these scores, and have lists built for mellow scores (when I need some deep thinking), fast-paced scores (when I am trying to plow through a large block of work) and emotional scores (for when I need to write over notes or publish articles in Confluence).

[Angelie Stephens]

Thank you for sharing @Andy Gladstone! Do you have a favourite score / piece? I'd love to add some more to the playlist 😄

[Andy Gladstone]

My all time favorites, in order, are:

1. Star Wars Prequels (must be listened to in order!)
2. Lord of the Rings (again, in order)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End
4. 1917

These scores have recently been on repeat for me too:

• The Queen (all seasons)
• 13 Hours
• Avengers: Endgame
• Oppenheimer

The secret is to not listen too often that the music starts to bother you, so I try to keep an active playlist of at least 60-100 tracks (except of course when I am listening to a score straight through).

Hope some of these resonate with you.

[Allan O_ Millar]

Spotify's 'This is Drumcomplex' playlist is my go-to for staying in the zone. The beats are so energizing that I feel like I can conquer anything on my to-do list. Trust me, you’ll get what I mean once you give it a spin. Let me know if it pumps you up too! 👂🥁🎶💻

[Hanna Nowicka]

Tones and I - Cloudy Day, especially between meeting-maratons :D

[Mariana Zilli]

Hola!!! Que tema el de escuchar música mientras se trabaja, prefiero el silencio para poder concentrarme mas, aunque los viernes compartimos música con todo el equipo de desarrollo, para disfrutar la llegada del fin de semana.