15 Things to Do While Listening to Music: Make the Most of Your Time

Exploring how music transforms everyday tasks into enjoyable and productive experiences.

Listening to music is often seen as entertainment, providing a backdrop to our daily activities, from household chores to personal moments.

However, some wonder how music enhances tasks and moods and if it can help or hinder concentration.

In this article, we’ll talk about 15 activities that can be further enhanced by listening to music, while boosting our well-being and productivity. Let’s dive in!

1. Tackle a Home Improvement Project

Music can help energize you to finish home improvement projects, like that half-painted wall you’ve been putting off. Studies say the rhythmic patterns present in music can help establish a steady work pace, leading to enhanced efficiency and focus.

2. Spend Time With Your Kids

Listening to music while spending quality time with your kid elevates the bonding experience. Research shows that music activates brain regions associated with emotion and memory. So, infusing your family activities with music is a great way to build positive memories with your kids.

3. Stop and Enjoy the Scenery

Taking a break from the busy pace of life to enjoy the scenic beauty becomes an even more enjoyable experience when accompanied with soothing music. Whether sitting in a park, basking in good weather, or relaxing on the porch, adding background music to your thoughts makes the moment even better.

4. Get From Point A to Point B

During your trips, like on a busy subway or a crowded bus, music is like a friendly helper. It alleviates travel monotony and noise-induced stress and helps make time feel a little bit shorter.

5. Go for a Walk or a Run

Researchers have found out that music can help you enjoy walking by 28% as compared to doing the same activity without listening to anything.

Additionally, listening to music while walking or running helps stabilize your rhythm, speed, and stride. Dragon boating operates in a similar way by using drum beats, so why not apply the same principle to your morning runs? You can also share the pacing benefits of music with a workout partner or your dog, combining companionship with physical activity.

6. Listen Critically

If you have a pair of noise-canceling or studio headphones, try listening critically, instead of passively letting the tunes wash over you. This means hyper-focusing on all aspects of the music and discovering finer details that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Embracing this amazing experience isn’t just for music experts. It’s a great way to enrich your mind while enjoying music more.

7. Daydream

Daydreaming can elicit inspiration and new ideas. And when paired with the emotive qualities of music, it becomes a powerful tool for creativity and deep thinking, making our thoughts more vivid and immersive. It can also spark positive emotions, especially when we associate certain songs or tunes to a specific memory or idea.

8. Get Your Creativity Flowing

The exploration of creative pursuits like journaling, painting, and writing, can greatly benefit from listening to music.

For instance, a study found that while music might hinder performance on certain verbal puzzles, it could also facilitate “divergent” thinking, a core component of creativity. This type of thinking involves generating innovative ideas by making unexpected combinations or transforming information into novel forms.

9. Organize and Declutter Your Things

Sorting through your belongings becomes less of a chore when accompanied by your favorite tunes. From sorting files to tidying closets, listening to your favorite songs can boost your energy, acting as a motivator and mood enhancer. It provides a rhythm that can guide your pace and make the process feel less tedious.

10. Pamper Yourself

Music profoundly influences our emotions and well-being. Faster music makes us feel more alive, while slower music relaxes and reduces stress.

In fact, music with 60 beats per minute can induce alpha brain waves, which means we’re in a relaxed and conscious state. Not to mention that music also helps release hormones that improve your mood.

So, the next time you run a bath or get a massage, enhance your pampering experience further by listening to a self-care playlist or one of your own creation.

11. Do the Dishes or Fold Laundry

Great songs can make time pass quickly when doing mundane household chores. Whether cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, or doing laundry, listening to your favorite songs makes it more enjoyable. Surveys have also shown that playing music can even entice children or other people in the household to help you with cleaning, which you can leverage to your advantage.

12. Cook or Bake

Music can help set the mood and pace in the kitchen, whether you love (or loathe) cooking.

Moreover, music can be a great companion when you’re experimenting with new recipes or trying unfamiliar ingredients. Just like in the movie Ratatouille, it can transport you to a creative and exciting culinary world. Imagine dancing around your kitchen while you cook up a storm of flavors!

13. Read a Book

You can experience literature anew by pairing stories with music for a richer journey. The music amplifies the narrative, drawing you into its details. It’s like crafting a compelling soundtrack for your favorite book, making each page even more thrilling and immersive

14. Move Your Body

Exercising becomes more enjoyable and effective when accompanied by music. It can keep you motivated, whether you’re lifting weights, doing yoga, or just dancing freely.

The music tempo also plays a role in exercise performance. For instance, faster-paced music can boost workouts like walking or jogging, making you go farther or faster.

15. Study or Work

Science shows that background music helps your brain work better, boosting focus and making it easier to pay attention and retain information.

Non-lyrical music genres, like Lo-Fi, are most recommended for this. Studies have shown how these “low-energy” tunes can create a more focused environment conducive to studying or working.