In movies, plays, books, and games, various things are done to help set the scene, and get you to buy in and suspend your disbelief. Things like stunning settings, ephemeral scores and soundtracks, and elaborate costumes and props to give you clues to the stories, characters and events being related. Looking at each of these things, we can adapt some of these techniques to your everyday life, and not just make things more cinematic, but help your productivity and balance at the same time.

Today, we’ll look at music and how it can help you to set your own scene.

Match the mood

Sometimes, the music in a movie is meant to fade into the background a bit, and support the scene. Matching the music to the action reinforces your confidence in your own choices, or allows you to be more present in the moment. If you’re happy, you might want happy music, as the feedback loop maximizes your enjoyment. Other times, you might be sad, which is also fine. Finding music to suit your mood then can also be calming, and help you be more present and accepting of your emotions. Sometimes this is what you need. I know that there have been times I’ve been in bad moods, and the last thing I wanted to do was hear happy music. That disconnect only served to exacerbate my mood, making it hard to break out of.

Set the mood

Other times music is used in a more active manner, to set the mood. Much like Barry White’s association with love scenes, or the typical fight music in a role-playing game. Think of the epic scores used to let you know something big is coming (the Rocky theme comes to mind here). This is a time where you can use the music to give you a target. At work, perhaps there’s certain artists that help you focus, or music that helps get you energized for the gym. Finding the music that works for you can be a great tool in self-motivation.

Enjoyment without purpose

There are other times where music either doesn’t need a purpose, or it has a significant secondary role. Sometimes its just nice to not have silence. I find that for me silence is sometimes calming, and sometimes challenging. For those times where it’s a challenge, I don’t really care what I listen to, I just grab my iPod, hit shuffle, and let it fade into the background. At those time’s its purpose is to exist.

These are just some of the ways we can use music to help us in our every day lives. If there are other ways you use it, please share them in the comments.

Cheers,

Adam