With more people working from home, music has become a key part of the daily routine, helping to fill the silence between meetings, emails and deadlines.
But while many remote workers press play without much thought, experts say the type of music you listen to during the workday could have a direct impact on your productivity, focus and memory.
Studies have shown that music can influence everything from mood to concentration, activating multiple areas of the brain at once while helping to reduce stress levels. For those working from home, where distractions are often harder to control, choosing the right music can make a noticeable difference.
Crucially, tempo plays a major role. Research suggested that music at different beats per minute can support different types of tasks, from deep focus work to more creative thinking.
Music expert Sarah Gillan, from Kelvinside, explained: “You want music that reduces the cognitive load and limits distraction. It should help you focus, not give you more to think about.”
Getting into the Work from Home Rhythm
Best Beat Per Minute: 70–90 BPM
Popular songs that fit the BPM:
- “Let It Be” – The Beatles
- “No Woman, No Cry” – Bob Marley
- “Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran
- “Fix You” – Coldplay
- “Someone Like You” – Adele
- “Ocean Eyes” – Billie Eilish
- “Stay With Me” – Sam Smith
- “All of Me” – John Legend
- “Photograph” – Ed Sheeran
- “Yellow” – Coldplay
For those working from home, maintaining steady concentration is key, particularly when switching between tasks like emails, video calls and focused project work.
Slower tempo music in the 70 to 90 BPM range can help create a calm and controlled environment, making it easier to stay on track without becoming overwhelmed.
Creative work done at home can benefit from a slight increase in energy.
“If you’re writing or doing something creative, you can go for something a little more upbeat,” Sarah explained. “Something that gets your creative juices flowing.”
However, she still advised keeping things controlled. “It shouldn’t be too distracting, but it should give you that energy,” she added.
Minimalist music and instrumental jazz are strong choices for home workers looking to stay productive. Sarah pointed to composers like Einaudi and Philip Glass, noting that “piano music can be really good as it’s something quite simple and flowing rather than too full or overwhelming.”
This aligns with findings that moderate tempos can help induce a relaxed but alert “alpha state”, which supports creativity and idea generation, particularly useful when working independently at home.
How to build your perfect working-from-home playlist
Create an “auditory bubble” with headphones
Working from home often comes with its own set of distractions, from household noise to interruptions from family members or deliveries.
Headphones can help create a clear boundary between your workspace and everything else going on around you. By reducing background noise, they allow you to fully immerse yourself in your work.
Sarah described this as creating an “auditory bubble”. “It helps you feel zoned in,” she said, explaining that it can make it easier to settle into focused work.
She added that this can be especially useful in busy home environments. Whether you’re sharing space with others or dealing with outside noise, headphones can help recreate a sense of control and consistency, making it easier to concentrate for longer.
Use gaming music for focus
Gaming music is one of the most effective and overlooked tools for productivity when working from home.
“It’s written so that people can listen to it for hours,” Sarah explained. “It has to be engaging, but it can’t be distracting or annoying.”
Because of this, it naturally supports long periods of uninterrupted work, ideal for remote workers tackling deep-focus tasks without office structure.
The structure and repetition help keep your brain engaged without pulling attention away from the task itself.
Sarah said this makes it ideal for both work and study. “It’s designed for concentration,” she added, “which is exactly what you need.”
Switch to instrumental or karaoke versions
If you enjoy listening to music with lyrics while working from home but find it distracting during tasks like writing emails or reports, there is a simple solution.
“You can look for instrumental or karaoke versions of songs you already like,” Sarah said. “There are loads of them on YouTube and Spotify.”
This allows you to keep the familiarity and comfort of your favourite tracks, without competing with your brain’s language processing, something that can be particularly helpful when working independently.
“It’s a really good compromise,” she added. “You still get the music you enjoy, but without the distraction.”
