Almost as good as magic

I have one hack that helps me get started and focused: music.

I was a procrastinator.

Procrastination used to control my life. I thought I was lazy. I put myself down every time I procrastinated. It was definitely not healthy for my self-confidence.

At some point, I was so sick of this cycle of negativity that I started to find motivators.

I tried:

• countdowns
• sweets
• visualizing
• motivational words
• exercising
• music

I read everything on procrastination online. I wanted to find THE magic tool to help me.

The one that helped me the most in starting to work and stopping procrastination was music. (most of the time sweets are included as well as a reward 😉

Since I can remember, music has made me happy, can change my mood, and keeps me from overthinking.

So it’s a perfect tool to get focused.

Music changes your mood

There are songs for every kind of feeling.

• If you’re happy, you listen to “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
• If you’re sad, you listen to “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift
• If you’re motivated to go out, you listen to “I’m Blue” by David Guetta
• If you’re angry, you listen to “Supermassive Black hole” by Muse

And you can do it the other way around too.

If my morning is slow and I need some motivation, I put on my own motivational playlist with empowering, positive songs. And I’m singing and enjoying the time.

Music can change your mood.

Music can make you remember past moments.

I have some songs I connect with past happy events. They will always remind me of those moments.

Music can enhance your feelings.

When you’re sad, you can listen to sad songs and you’ll get a stronger experience.

This can be good or bad. It’s good not to suppress your feelings, but it can also keep you stuck.

I don’t listen to sad songs, even though they are popular right now, because I’m currently happy with my life and I don’t want to change my mood.

Music stops you from thinking

The biggest advantage of listening to music is that it stops you from thinking. My mind likes to wander, especially when it’s quiet.

It’s good if I have my thinking time and do my journaling. But not if I need to focus on the task before me.

Putting on music without lyrics is my go-to tool to get into a flow state fast. There could be a bit of resistance in the first moment, but as soon as I start working and have my work music on I’m focused.

Flow state is the goal of productivity hacks because it lets you forget everything and you have a pure focus on the task. Time runs by fast, and you achieve much more than working semi-focused with distractions.

It’s the reason why I didn’t like studying at university. It’s nice to talk with people and enjoy company, but it’s distracting and keeping me from focusing.

If you’re an overthinker and worrier like me, music will help you quiet your mind. It doesn’t even need to be loud, just something in the background running.

I don’t know about other countries, but here in Austria, a lot of employees are listening to the radio. It keeps them focused and motivated.

For me, the radio is too distracting with all the ads and news. But I love listening to motivational music at work, because it keeps me motivated, even though I would prefer to do something else.

Find your motivational music

I love electronic, pop, and dance music. It motivates me, and I listen to it all day long at work.

And if I need to hype myself and remember my goals, I turn on my personal motivation playlist.

I have my playlists because I’m not letting the radio or Spotify tell me what I should listen to, especially with no ads.

For focused work, I need music without lyrics, so I listen to playlists like “work music” or “chillout vibes”.

Every time I’m not in the mood to do a task on my to-do list, like cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, or getting ready for work, I’ll turn on my playlist and do it.

Conclusion

It seems so simple but music is a power tool. You should use it to change your mood and get motivated and focused.

It definitely saved me from a lot of hours wasted on procrastination. It seems too good to be true.

Just try it! I tried many other tools and music helped the most.

Like everything, it takes time to get used to and establish a habit. But at some point, you’ll just put on your headphones, and your brain is ready to work.

Life is better with music.

And I’m not a procrastinator anymore because of it.

Less Stress. More Time. Less Overwhelmed!

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