Music can improve productivity and cognitive performance while working - there's a system

Listening to music can help people manage anxiety, become motivated and stay productive, the catch is - to make the right playlist, the Guardian reports. The songs at the beginning of the playlist should match how you're feeling, and then gradually you should alter the songs to get you into a state of productivity. Then, you should go faster, to a "power song" - in one study that examined the relationship between music tempo and productivity, most test subjects performed best while listening to songs paced at around 121bpm. Lyrics are tricky - it's best to avoid too familiar songs and choose instrumental music or songs with innocuous or subtlely performed lyrics. Still, it's music so it needs to be enjoyable. Get to work!