Podcasts and productivity is a potentially controversial combination. But I thought I would mention my love of listening to podcasts and how it helps me focus on the particular job in hand. It makes me more productive and I get in the zone of what I am doing.
The right type of podcast shouldn’t distract you from your work
However it is best advised to only listen on the right type of job. Writing proposals or emails, doing ‘lip-sync’ animation or anything where you need to constantly listen to an audio track, then obviously podcasts will get in the way.
A lot of people will argue that you should not listen to anything at all whilst at work, as it will be a distraction in itself. But everyone works differently.
A scientific study found that 48% of people found other people talking to be the most distracting thing whilst they are at work. I guess, then, I’m in the other 52% because I love it. I enjoy listening to podcasts, they make me happy and we all know that a happy worker is a good worker.
“Some workers plug in their earbuds to escape an environment that’s too noisy – or too quiet – or to make a repetitive job more lively.”
Don’t just take it from me!
To back up what I’m saying a bit more, take a look at an article in The New York Times’ archives – ‘The Power of Music, Tapped in a Cubicle’. In the post, the author discusses a report which says that listening to music encourages the release of dopamine in the reward area of the brain. I think podcasts do the same thing for me!
Inspiring podcasts inspire my work
As well as giving me focus, podcasts also help me to be constantly inspired and creative.
The posts I listen to are not all animation-related, but still really help me with my creativity.
Sometimes the subject is something that I am not really into, but then I still subliminally learn something new as well.
This can be a bonus, and hey, might even give you bragging rights in the office every now and again!
