How to make the perfect writing playlist
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“Sometimes writing is opening up your laptop, looking at a blank page on a final draft for about 8 hours, and then feeling sad, and then closing it.”
- Taika Waititi on The Project, June 27, 2022.
If you’re a writer, editor or anyone struggling with staying productive, you should try curating a work playlist! The right music can boost your productivity, allowing you to finish work faster and have more time for your responsibilities, errands, health, loved ones and even leisure. By curating your own playlist, you can stay motivated and write with minimal interruptions—so you can minimize the time spent staring at your word processor, and maximize the time you spend doing everything else.
1. How does music boost productivity?
There’s a lot of research left to be done on music and productivity—including on how ethnicity and personality type factor in—but there are a few studies that look promising.
In a survey on UK-based office workers, Haake (2011) suggested that listening to music at work allowed them to control sounds in their environment. Music helped them to minimize noisy interruptions, cope with workplace stress and focus on their work.
Taheri et al. (2022) discovered that background music improved students’ cognitive performance in tasks that require active working memory. Working memory holds certain information in your mind for immediate processing—such as the sentence you wrote last, or the next words you need to write on paper.
Alluri et al. (2011) found that music activated large parts of the brain, most notably those associated with creativity. Creativity is an integral part of writing, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction—because you are CREATING words on a page!
2. Instrumental music
We know that music is a great tool for working, but what kind of music should we be listening to?
Shih, Huang and Chiang (2012) found that background music with lyrics had a negative impact on the work efficiency of university students, and that instrumental music may be less likely to affect productivity.
You might feel a bit glum at the idea. Maybe the idea of instrumental music bores you, and maybe it makes you think of sad piano music, but the world of instrumental music is astronomical! There’s classical music, anime OSTs, movie soundtracks, lo-fi hiphop, instrumental K-pop and infinitely more. For something more unconventional, try genres like drone metal, bardcore or Bridgerton-inspired covers of modern hits.
Ali’s picks
3. Video game music
Video game music has also been lauded for increasing focus. It’s designed to let you platform, brawl, solve puzzles, keymash, and complete QTEs without distraction. Games and their music come in a variety of different genres too: you can pick something whimsical, calming, cinematic, chilling or thrilling.
Ali’s picks
4. Ambient music
If you don’t like music while you work, don’t default to silence! For better results, you might instead try curating some background noise:
Mehta, Zhu and Cheema (2012), in their study on undergraduate students, found that background noise can enhance creativity and increase creative output more than a quiet atmosphere. A modest amount of background noise—the volume of a city street or a busy restaurant—may be best for your workday.
If you’re able to go out to a cafe, then great! If not, or if you work from home, you can find a number of ambience playlists on YouTube. Simulate an airplane cabin, or even a trip to the bookstore.
Ali’s picks
You can also build or mix your own ambience (online and for free) at ASoftMurmur.com, Ambient-Mixer.com or myNoise.net.
5. Fantastical ambience
Why stop at a coffee shop, a crackling fire or a rainy day? If you find real life boring, there are tons of interesting and fantastical ambience playlists on YouTube. If you write fiction, you can even find an ambience that matches the world you want to create, whether it’s a zombie apocalypse or a western medieval fishing town.
Ali’s picks
6. Oddly specific playlists
Fiction writers—looking for something even weirder? Oddly specific playlists are a growing genre of music which is quickly becoming my favourite. Put yourself in the shoes of a 19th-century villain. Imagine searching for the elixir of life but inventing gunpowder instead. Picture the terror and whimsy of getting attacked by pigeons.
Ali’s picks
7. Ali's write-like-a-badass tunes
I’ve been curating playlists of my favourite writing music just for you! If you like video game fight music, thrilling cinematic music, moody music or oddly specific playlists, check out the writing resources section of my website to have a listen.
If you know of other strange and fun genres of ambience or music, tag me on Twitter @bolpenbookhelp. I love to discover new sounds, and I’d love to hear from you!
Happy writing!
