Dial up a music playlist designed by neuroscientists and psychologists to help you stay focused

Staying focused while working from home—or anywhere, really—can be a serious challenge. When there are other people around—or even when there aren’t—putting on some headphones and cueing up the right music can help. But I always end up spending too much time managing the music coming into my headphones and that turns into its own distraction. Then I discovered Brain.fm and it’s what I’ve been looking for.

When I’m struggling to be productive, I lean on the Pomodoro Technique and work in thirty minute bursts, followed by short breaks. Because even when my to-do list is overwhelming and I can’t see how I’m going to resist napping for the next eight hours, I know I can work for thirty minutes. So I set a timer and commit to one Pomodoro. Then I do it again. And by the end of the day, I’ve blown through my to-do list or, often, written thousands of words.

But Brain.fm is better than my timer. And it’s better than managing my own music.

I just choose “Focus,” tell it how long I want to work for, and it plays music that’s scientifically optimized to help me focus. It’s the playlist I’ve been looking for and it absolutely helps me get words down and work done.

There are playlists designed to help you relax and sleep, too. I plan to try those next.

There is a free three-day trial. But click here and you’ll get a free month.