Some people like to work in silence, whereas others prefer background music. Some kinds of background music are particularly good for our work output.

Specific genres of music are shown to increase focus, improve performance, and lower anxiety. There are thousands of playlists to discover that you can listen. If you’re looking for a starter’s guide, look no further. I have you covered!

The playlists I share are sure to get you in the zone and lift you out of your workday blues.

Lofi hip hop

This is music designed to be played in the background! There are endless hours of lofi hip hop music available, and they all create a nice backdrop for getting real work done.

Playlists:

  • Programming and Coding Lofi Hip-Hop: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ck3rYLGEOELZjQnUE0srv
  • Lofi / Chill Beats: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7kLnZ4V1p0DSVhpn9BUkxI

Phonk & Wave

For many it is associated with drifting or racing, there are a lot of videos on YouTube with such a video sequence against which phonk plays in the background. It will sound strange because I don’t even have a car and I don’t know how to drive, but when I listen to these playlists at work, I imagine that I am racing and I need to drive as fast as possible, and thus the work can be done quickly enough.

Playlists:

  • Phonk Racing Club 😈 Badass Drift Music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hYwowANDNN6qiV5zAf0sV
  • Wave | Hardwave | Phonkwave: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/38afSowubzUmmwMEfAc74s

Synthwave / Retrowave

Synthwave (also called outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s.

Playlists:

  • Retrowave Synthwave: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dR9tMgRgjtEl6MYb7dr0D
  • Synthwave — Night Drive: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XPmBcso1wopStan1xEUfg

Conclusion

This is just some way to optimize your concentration and workspace and of course, people differ in their ability to tolerate music, noise, etc. Some people find they need silence early in the day and love to work to music in the later day, or vice versa, but I believe all people can benefit from experimenting with it.