Here are four ways how:

1) VST plugin improves productivity

Virtual Studio Technology (VST Plugin) is a music software that is used to create sounds. It is also used to mix sounds during music recording. VST Plugins have been proven to make the production of music effective. These plugins run in the digital audio workstation (DAW) to offer functionality. Most of these plugins are either effects (VSTfx) or instruments (VSTi).

However, they also exist in other categories. These instruments also include simulation emulations that are known to function as samplers and synthesisers. They mimic traditional music equipment and their sonic features. This equipment helps you create music using virtual versions of equipment that would originally be difficult to obtain. This advantage makes music production a more productive exercise.

2) Makes repetitive tasks fun

Repetitive tasks are sometimes hard to avoid in the workplace. When done often, they can have a negative impact on your mental health by causing you extreme boredom. An endless repetition of any menial task can also make you unhappy and desperate to quit your job. All these negative impacts can in the long-run affect your overall productivity. Music has the potential to turn these repetitive duties into something more exciting and fun. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin who is the author of the book This Is Your Brain on Music says that when you play music you can convert repetitive duties to pleasurable tasks. He further says that your concentration is much more improved.

A research study involving surgeons found that music helped them improve their performance when conducting repetitive nonsurgical tasks in the laboratory. However, to be more focused you need to play familiar music. Numerous studies have shown the brain improves concentration and is more active when you are listening to familiar music. The reason why unfamiliar music is not favourable is that it takes a long time for the brain to familiarise with it.

3) Boosts performance between tasks

There is a correlation between improved mental performance and listening to music when working. A paper published in the journal of Psychology of Music revealed that when music was played in between tasks, it boosted student performance and made it possible for them to concentrate for an extended duration. Well, if you want to test this, you could concentrate on a task for a while then step out to listen to music then get back to work. It also depends on whether you are an introvert or an extrovert according to a study in the Applied Cognitive Psychology Journal.

This study involving ten participants each from the respective groups found that when exposed to music while working, introverts had poor performance compared to extroverts. Therefore, if you have an extrovert personality, you are likely to benefit the most when listening to music at intervals as you work.

4) Improves mood

When you are listening to music, your brain tends to release neurotransmitters such as dopamine that make you feel good about yourself that minimises stress and anxiety. A meta-analysis involving 400 studies published in the Trends in Cognitive Sciences journal studied the effect of music on the patient’s mood. Some patients were given drugs to manage stress while other music. Those who listened to music had a better mood than those who were on treatment. It is the same with work, when you listen to music, your mood will be improved significantly and you will enjoy performing the duties assigned to you.

Conclusion

At the end of it all, music does affect productivity! When you use a VST plugin to make it, you make your work easier. In the workplace, it will make repetitive tasks easier, boost performance in-between tasks, and enhance your mood as you work. Although not all music genres will be of assistance to you as you work. Therefore, you need to pick music that rhymes with the nature of your work!