Moderate noise level can get creative juices flowing, but the line is easily crossed; loud noises made it incredibly difficult to concentrate.

Bellowing basses and screeching synths will do you more harm than good when engaging in deep work.

For low-immersion or physical tasks, music with lyrics can offer huge benefits.

But trying to engage in language-related tasks( e.g. writing ) while listening to lyrics would be akin to holding a conversation while another person talks over you… while also strumming a gui...

With so much of our time being spent at work, and so much of our work being done at computers, music has become inseparable from our day-to-day tasks — a way to “optimize the boring” while looking at screens.

• Classical music: No lyrics are always a popular choice.
• Electronic music: It’s repetitive but in a good way.
• Video-game music: Game composers know the ideal music enhances the experience while not distracting the player.