For over 3 decades, numerous studies suggest that background music can enhance focus and productivity for some people. A study by Lesiuk (2005) found that people who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and had better ideas overall than those who didn’t.

Video game music, with its specific composition, serves to facilitate focus and immersion. Composers of this genre strategically craft non-distracting, atmospheric, and repetitive ambient tracks, all aimed at sustaining a player’s focus on the in-game tasks (Adams, Rollings, & Morris, 2006). Let’s explore some practical strategies for using music to increase focus and productivity:

Right Music for the Task

When choosing music, it’s important to consider the nature of the task at hand and your personal preferences. Some remote workers report that intelligible chatter, such as listening to music with lyrics, can significantly reduce task performance for complex or linguistic tasks. So instrumental or ambient music might be more beneficial for tasks requiring intense focus. Other remote professionals report that background music  impair their ability to complete complex tasks, but enhances their concentration for mundane or repetitive tasks.

Complex tasks requiring high cognitive load might be better performed in silence or with simple, non-lyrical music. Repetitive or well-known tasks might benefit from more energetic or lyrical music. It might take some experimentation to find out what works best for you.

Game Music Design

Gaming music is composed to immerse the player in the game’s environment, reflecting the pacing of the game to emotionally engage the player. This can range from epic, fast-paced tunes during intense gaming moments to calming melodies during periods of respite (Collins, 2008).  Rauscher et al. (1993), suggested that listening to Mozart’s music might induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as “spatial-temporal reasoning”.

Game composers aim to create music that doesn’t distract players from tasks within the game. This often results in atmospheric, repetitive, and ambient tracks, designed not to demand the listener’s active attention, thus potentially helping people maintain focus on their work.

Flow State Inducement

The rhythmic beats and harmonious melodies of gaming music can potentially induce a ‘flow state’ where an individual experiences heightened focus and a sense of energetic immersion in their task, a phenomenon that might extend beyond gaming to improve focus during work or mundane tasks (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

The concept of “flow” — being fully immersed and feeling energized focus in what you’re doing — also applies here.  By listening to gaming music while working or performing mundane tasks, it’s possible that individuals might enter a similar flow state, thereby improving focus.

Regulation of Player’s Emotional State

The use of music on emotional states has been known for years. Thoma et al. (2013) explained that listening to self-selected or classical music, after exposure to a stressor, significantly reduces anxiety. Listening to music can instill calmness and relaxation, as indicated by reduced cortisol levels and lowered heart rate (de Witte et al., 2020). Heshmat (2020) revealed ways that music can be used to improve mood. Turchet et al. (2021) provided a literature review of over 260 publications realated to the use of music and the onset of extended realities.

Music in gaming plays a vital role in regulating a player’s emotional state, increasing tension and excitement during long battles or invoking calm during strategic gameplay. This emotional tuning can enhance motivation and clear thinking respectively (Lipscomb & Tolchinsky, 2005). For instance, during long battles, music can be used to increase tension and excitement, making the player more motivated to win. In more strategic or puzzle-based parts of a game, the music might be calming, helping the player to think more clearly. Try experimenting with different types of gaming music for various tasks when working remote and evaluate your results.

Reduction of Fatigue

In long sessions (which can be several hours for avid gamers), the right type of music can decrease the perception of effort and potentially increase endurance. This effect can make players more resistant to fatigue, encouraging prolonged play (Bishop, Karageorghis, & Loizou, 2007). During this writer’s time as an avid online gamer, it was not uncommon to spend 6-8 hours at play! Imagine the productivity if used for accomplishing tasks when working remote! Be sure to set an alarm to remind yourself to get up and stretch each hour, for your focus might be so enhanced you forget lunch.

Minimizing Distractions & Setting Boundaries

Especially in a noisy environment, listening to music with noise-canceling headphones can help block out distractions, helping you concentrate on the task at hand. A 2012 study found that moderate noise levels (70 decibels) promote abstract processing, leading to higher creativity (Mehta et al., 2012). This could mean that having music in the background may improve focus on tasks that require creative thinking.

Using music as a work cue could also help define the boundary between work time and personal time. Starting a specific playlist can signal to your brain that it’s time to work, which can help initiate focus.