# Productivity & Relaxation



## marie (May 20, 2008)

I feel that some music enhances my productivity while others help me relax. Do you have any specific pieces of music that you often play to help you focus on your study/work or alleviate anxiety/worry and lift you up?

To me, violinist Midori is for study/work and singer Charlotte Church is for relaxation.


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## SamGuss (Apr 14, 2008)

I find piano nocturnes very relaxing and will often put some on while I go to bed. Chopin waltzes and nocturnes performed by Rubinstein is a staple for this. I usually start it at various points so at one time or another I can truthfully say I've heard all the ones on this particular CD. (I mean this in a very good way btw!)


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

I'll try to avoid falling prey to _post hoc, ergo propter hoc_ reasoning here- but not long ago, I noticed that as I was taking in FRANZ LISZT orchestral works, I didn't set a finger wrong when adding up the long columns of numbers that I'm sometimes required to sum up as part of my work.

The LISZT effect(?)


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## marie (May 20, 2008)

SamGuss, that sounds beautiful. It makes sense that Nocturne is wonderful for the night 

I like the word, the Liszt effect, Chi_town/Philly. I'd try to listen to Liszt when I feel that I need that effect. 

That also reminds me of "Mozart effects." A lot of companies have made CDs advertising that Mozart is good for "X." It appears as if "X" could be pretty much anything. What would you think?


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

> Do you have any specific pieces of music that you often play to help you focus on your study/work or alleviate anxiety/worry and lift you up?


Music annoys me when I try to work/study because:
My work is composing.
When I'm studying (also music but...) I start listening to the music rather than studying.

There is no point in putting music on for anxiety/worry because the only reason I have that is because I have procrastinated/forgot on work/study. The only way to fix that is to actually DO the work/study.


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## confuoco (Feb 8, 2008)

marie said:


> I feel that some music enhances my productivity while others help me relax. Do you have any specific pieces of music that you often play to help you focus on your study/work or alleviate anxiety/worry and lift you up?
> 
> To me, violinist Midori is for study/work and singer Charlotte Church is for relaxation.


When I really have to study or do something important, I just can't listen to the music, because it always distrects me. I can't remember any work that help me increase my study productivity. As well I don't like music just as a backround.

For relaxation and as you wrote "alleviating anxiety" I choose rather gentle works. For example Symphony No. 6 by Beethoven, Appalachian Spring, Enigma Variations, or some piano works, as my highly beloved late piano works by Brahms (Op. 117 - 119) or Debussy's less complicated piano works as Petite Suite, Suite bergamesque, Arabesques, etc.


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## marie (May 20, 2008)

confuoco said:


> When I really have to study or do something important, I just can't listen to the music, because it always distrects me. I can't remember any work that help me increase my study productivity. As well I don't like music just as a backround.
> 
> For relaxation and as you wrote "alleviating anxiety" I choose rather gentle works. For example Symphony No. 6 by Beethoven, Appalachian Spring, Enigma Variations, or some piano works, as my highly beloved late piano works by Brahms (Op. 117 - 119) or Debussy's less complicated piano works as Petite Suite, Suite bergamesque, Arabesques, etc.


So you like deep listening? That's nice  I play classical music like 10 hours a day and I must say that it's just a background most of the times.

I love the pieces that you listed here.


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## shsherm (Jan 24, 2008)

I was in medical school in the early to mid 60s and would play a recording of Mahler 's 1st Symphony for inspiration. I seemed to learn more easily when I had this music going. Since then I often have classical music playing not only at work but also at home while I read, watch television, and foolaround with my computer.


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