Best music to listen to in the office

It seems that most analysts/interns listen to some sort of music while staring at the computer screen all day. Couldn't survive without it.

What does everyone listen to while working? What helps you keep motivated and focused? Personally, I listen to a lot of house mix/techno on Pandora but tend to switch it up with jazz/rock/rap.

best music to listen to at work

You can make grinding through Mundane tasks easier with positive and upbeat music. The trick is playing music that you are familiar with. This way you tempo and tone of the song lifts you up without distracting you with lyrics.

Language-based activity such as writing or reading is different. Avoid music with lyrics when writing, reading, or absorbing new information. Music with a slower tempo is ideal.

Key Takeaways

  • Use familiar music, downtempo music with no lyrics when doing language work. Use upbeat music when doing mundane work.

MIke Catania Chief Technology Officer at PromotionCode.org

“Familiar music, regardless of the style, directly affects the quality of tasks like these for the better.” In fact, the company saw a 24% decrease in input errors three months after adding music to the workplace, says Catania.

 

di.fm for the win.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

I've been workin this graveshift and I ain't made shit I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

2pac - All about you Twista - Hope

Anything that is upbeat and has a real beat to it.

 
Guest1655:
At my elite boutique all the analysts are forced to listen to classical music. We once had some riffraff that turned on that ungodly rap music and were promptly laid off for being ungentlemanly .

That was actually a rule at my prep school during study hall; you could only listen to classical, as studies have shown it is the only music that has a positive correlation with learning.

 
drexelalum11:
Guest1655:
At my elite boutique all the analysts are forced to listen to classical music. We once had some riffraff that turned on that ungodly rap music and were promptly laid off for being ungentlemanly .

That was actually a rule at my prep school during study hall; you could only listen to classical, as studies have shown it is the only music that has a positive correlation with learning.

Correlation does not imply causation. ......................................................................... I have a next level rolodex.
......................................................................... I have a next level rolodex.
 
pruf:
lol @ "intelligent"

I know, seems oxymoronic but there are, actually, insightful and intelligent hip hop and rap songs.

One of my favorites is

Blanket by Urban Species Feat. Imogen Heap

...very poetic and well done. Too bad this style of music is hard to come by. Oddly enough, this song is featured in Jessica Biel's new movie where she's a stripper and is played in the club while she is busting out some naked striptease action, lol. Irony?

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 
h.e.pennypacker:
Carlton Banks:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/scubastza/Blog%20Stuff/musicthat…

LOL @ Lil' Wayne. Radiohead FTW.

What's the image of (can't view images at work)? Anything with Radiohead winning is, well, a win in my book. See them live.

It shows a correlation between SAT scores and music preferences. Basically, it shows that ignorant mainstream hip hop is bad.

 

If I'm not doing something that requires a lot of thought or concentration, which to be honest anybody who has worked as an analyst knows is a very common occurrence, I actually listen to a lot of talk radio as it's quite interesting and helps you to feel like you are connecting with the outside world while stuck at your desk. Towards the end of the week I tend to also listen to a lot of livelier music and electronic music in prep for the wkend since that sort of stuff seems outta place on a monday afternoon.

 

neo tokyo - sleepyhead remix

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

MGMT v. Notorious BIG - Nasty Feel

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/cwQndY1CTHc

http://www.youtube.com/embed/DmbdtbdBqI0

http://www.youtube.com/embed/tzsd-3x9t_Q

http://www.youtube.com/embed/SPqST0S22js

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 

Groove Salad on SomaFM. I can't listen to radio stations that play any well known songs, etc because I dislike too many of them and I will focus on the lyrics instead of the work. Groove Salad keeps my mind engaged enough that it doesn't wander off while I am trying to be productive. Ambient music/beats for the win.

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 

Childish Gambino

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

Seems like a lot of people here are into insturmental, minimal lyrics when working.

What about:

Glitch Mob

Daft Punk

Cut Chemist

Blockhead

RjD2

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

Always thought this video was pretty great:

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

If you don't have this mixtape from Glitch Mob, you are seriously missing out:

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

This has also been a clutch go to when trying to study or get work done for like the past 5 years. Pretty amazing song by Aesop Rock. He made it for that nike product that hooks your shoes up to your iPod. The point of it is to lyrically capture a jog (the warm up, the middle part and the cool down).

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

The best thing to listen to when doing mindless work is porn audio. Nothing gets the blood flowing quite like that.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

Pandora, all day every day.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

Analyst got fired about a year before I got to the bank for playing poker online. No idea how he got around the blockers, but a VP walked by and told him to come to his office. 10 minutes later his stuff was off his desk.

I remember one time getting so overloaded I took more adderall than I needed to, rolled up my sleeves and had the headphones in on full blast. I could see people walking by being like wtf is he doing. Didn't care, most productive day/night of my life.

It is what it is
 

Don't use headphones. If an MD is yelling at you from the hall you want to hear him. That said, we were allowed to listen to music after 7, nobody really cared.

An MD I worked with in the summer used to listen to 50 cent on his iPad all day everyday. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen in banking, he'd randomly email me youtube links to new rap songs he'd find too.

 

For me, no music promotes brain activity like good ole techno lol. I dont know many songs by name but bpm on sirius usually does the trick.

 

Anything with lyrics only distracts me, but I've been studying at Panera lately, and they have some nice classical/orchestra type music playing in the background over the speakers. I find this to be a nice stimulation without being distracting.

 

What I chose for my last all-nighter:

The Strokes- Is This It Moby- Play Kendrick Lamar - Section 80 MF Doom- Operation Doomsday 50 cent- Get Rich or Die Tryin' Eminem- The Eminent Show J Dilla- Donuts ATCQ - Midnight Marauders

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." --Abraham Lincoln
 

Soul music, unless I'm at the office.

[quote=Matrick][in reply to Tony Snark"]Why aren't you blogging for WSO and become the date doctor for WSO? There seems to be demand. [/quote] [quote=BatMasterson][in reply to Tony Snark's dating tip] Sensible advice.[/quote]
 

This:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/u2ySKPeoh_s

and whatever song was playing in the background during the Godfather baptism scene when those revenge-killings were going on.

generally, songs about ambition, success, not giving up, and getting revenge.

 
cinnamontoastcrunch:
Epic Film Scores (Inception/Gladiator/Dark Knight Rises-based stations on Pandora)

This. Also, a lot of koto music, opera, classical, metal, electric and avant garde music. Philip glass, John Cage, Aphex twin, Mastodon, Rimski Korsakov come to mind. Also, nature sounds.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

When you got to meet that deadline, you can't go wrong with "Hard in Da Paint" by Waka Flocka Flame.

And don't you dare play the clean version...it takes away from the authenticity and beauty of this masterpiece.

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."
 
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

You just dont know good rap. Check this out.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?
 
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

 
John Daggett:
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

Seriously?

Going to California

I've never really been into punk.

 
John Daggett:
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

I didn't say they weren't good, but just noted that these are very old. Seems like a baby boomer's record set.
 
SirTradesaLot:
John Daggett:
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

I didn't say they weren't good, but just noted that these are very old. Seems like a baby boomer's record set.

You seem to be implying that people should listen to music that coincides with the time period they have lived in. I would contend that such an implication has as much legitimacy as a steamy pile of poo.

 
Going Concern:
SirTradesaLot:
John Daggett:
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

I didn't say they weren't good, but just noted that these are very old. Seems like a baby boomer's record set.

You seem to be implying that people should listen to music that coincides with the time period they have lived in. I would contend that such an implication has as much legitimacy as a steamy pile of poo.

Not saying they should, but that's what normally happens. I also do find it weird that someone couldn't name one musician they like in the past 20 years. Seems a little 'safe' to me.
 
Best Response
SirTradesaLot:
<span class=keyword_link><a href=/resources/skills/finance/going-concern>Going Concern</a></span>:
SirTradesaLot:
John Daggett:
SirTradesaLot:
StryfeDSP:
Gym: Lots of melodic death metal, heavy metal. Chillin: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, Pink Floyd just to name a couple.

I can't stand rap :|

When did you receive your first AARP card?

Except for Led Zeppelin and Beatles these seem like good bands to me. I did not know that there were other finance people who like Jimi Hendrix. ^^BTW do you like Punk?

I didn't say they weren't good, but just noted that these are very old. Seems like a baby boomer's record set.

You seem to be implying that people should listen to music that coincides with the time period they have lived in. I would contend that such an implication has as much legitimacy as a steamy pile of poo.

Not saying they should, but that's what normally happens. I also do find it weird that someone couldn't name one musician they like in the past 20 years. Seems a little 'safe' to me.

Personally I think I would barely be able to come up with enough artists from the last 20 years that I still really like to fill fingers on both hands, at least compared to what came before.

 

I think anyone who listens to 'house music' or whatever outside of being shithammered or rolling should be made to live on a desert island filled with fist pumping hairy spanish dudes for the rest of their life.

"IBIZA IBIZA WEE JUS COME HERE TO PARTYYY"

My drinkin' problem left today, she packed up all her bags and walked away.
 

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"Come at me, bro"- José de Palafox y Melci
 

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"Come at me, bro"- José de Palafox y Melci
 

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My drinkin' problem left today, she packed up all her bags and walked away.
 

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Modi dolores possimus quidem consequatur rem nam. Illum a aspernatur repellat architecto. Qui et ex dolor odio pariatur asperiores fuga explicabo.

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"Come at me, bro"- José de Palafox y Melci
 

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