WFH songs and tips
Meet our team, find out which songs boost productivity, and get our tips for making WFH more enjoyable.
Music is a gateway to the soul, a knock to the doors of our thoughts, and a reach to the depths of our creativity.
Here at Supermaker, we are experts when it comes to working from home. Most of us have been working remotely for most of our careers joining the over 8 million Americans, or 5.2% of US workers, who have made this their way of life.
If you are new to the work from home culture, Supermaker has created a collection of articles to help make the transition a little easier during this global pandemic. With everything from tips on how to work from home without going nuts to coping with remote work loneliness, we’ve got you covered.
From freelancing as editors, writers, creatives, or starting our own businesses as solopreneurs and entrepreneurs, finding our inspiration, creativity, and productivity can sometimes come down to the most basic questions.
When it comes to music, our team couldn't be more diverse in our song choices. If this was exclusively a "Jack Phan Playlist" by yours truly, you would hear only songs from the K-pop group TWICE to uplift and bring positivity to anyone's day. After all, the fanbase known as ONCE, has affectionately anointed me their #ONCEUncle so it's only appropriate.
However, the beauty of being part of the multicultural, inclusive team at Supermaker is the wide variety of music genres that reaches us in different ways, yet connects us all together.
Meet some of the Supermaker team below and see what we are listening to while we work, as well as our own personal tips on surviving #WFH.
TLDR: Listen to the Supermaker WFH Playlist on Spotify!
I recently joined Supermaker as Entrepreneur-in-Residence. With over 23+ years of experience building successful businesses and online media companies, I'm hoping to grow Supermaker into the #1 inclusive media company for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creators, with a strong focus on people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. Let's create more SUPERMAKERS!
My WFH playlist shuffles through many TWICE songs as I've found the upbeat positive energy helps boost serotonin levels and just makes me feel happy. I make better decisions when I'm upbeat and humming to songs by TWICE. The top two songs that I've chosen are Heartshaker and Fancy.
Setup a dedicated environment. Create an atmosphere that puts you in the right mood and helps you be productive. Find pieces that inspire you, put you in a good mood, and fill you with positive energy. Whether sitting in your home office, at the dining room table or on the couch, invigorate your senses with a scent infuser, a candy dish, an inspirational quote, or a picture of your loved ones.
This is a small, start-up-like team, so we all do a lot and work closely with each other. As Supermaker's co-editorial lead (along with Ludi!), I touch most of the content we produce, manage our editorial calendar and freelance writer relationships, collaborate on crafting editorial strategy and bringing it to life, and use the birdman gif in Slack (it's only happened once but it will happen again).
I can't really listen to music while I'm working—I find it too distracting, especially while working with words. But I live for a dance break, and chose songs that both feel good and get me to shake dat ass.
Remember to be kind to yourself and those around you, and to have compassion when you mess up. 'Cause you probably will. Especially in times like these, when many of us are working from home out of necessity instead of choice.
I oversee Content Strategy and Social Media for Supermaker. This involves everything from our content approach, brand voice, social concepting, and posting across our channels. Slide into our DMs and say hello, I'm the one answering on the other end!
Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. It's a soothing song about being in your house, apartment, or living space, and is a must-listen for these times. My second song is Soulmate by Lizzo. It feels like a necessity when you are quarantining solo!
Try to get some sort of movement or workout in where you can. I recently started out with a 7-day free trial of Obé Fitness and like it so far. I don't have weights in my house, so yesterday I used my dog as a body weight for one of the exercises. Innovation at its finest!
I’m the Art Director at Supermaker, but I also get my hands dirty with some illustration and design. From patterns and editorial illustrations to custom lettering and colors, that’s me curating what you see. I hope you enjoy the experience!
Bonnie Light Horseman: Deep In Love - I advise listening to this whole album but while I was working and listening to this particular song I watched my son and pregnant wife outside, my son kept bringing me flowers and rocks and giving me hugs. This song helps me realize that life is beautiful... and scary...and unpredictable but above all absolutely worth fighting for.
Big Thief: Vegas - There's something nostalgic about this band that always transports me into a different time which can be a nice distraction these days.
Take time to break away from the computer and have a dance party with your kiddos, make art, read books, cook and enjoy the time to connect with each other.
I lead the editorial team alongside Emma, which means planning out editorial strategy, ideating different content approaches and partnerships, managing our wonderful team of freelance writers, working closely with our fabulous team across social, design, and beyond. I'm also an illustrator and have gotten to create editorial illustrations for a few of the articles I've edited, which has been a super cool experience. I've also been known to overuse the fiesta parrot emoji on Slack. We're a small but mighty team and are super nimble, so every week can look a bit different which is awesome and exciting!
These songs are giving me hope right now.
Be gentle with yourself, it can be hard to work when your life (and the world) has been turned upside down. Find little rituals that make you feel more grounded, whether that's grinding your coffee in the morning, or taking tea breaks, or taking a moment to try a new yoga or meditation video. Remember there is no perfect way to do anything, it's about doing your best and, right now, that may be a moment-to-moment thing.
I’m the co-founder alongside Chris Cantino and share in the larger strategic planning. My experience in founding and growing the Schmidt’s Naturals brand from my kitchen to acquisition was one motivation for starting Supermaker as part of my greater mission to inspire and enable others in their own entrepreneurial journeys. I’m also the author of our namesake book Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms, releasing September 8!
These songs make me feel good.
Pay attention to when and where you’re feeling most inspired. Flexibility is okay, you don’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule to be productive. And don’t underestimate the power of scent–surround yourself in candles, incense, and diffusers.
As Supermaker's co-founder (alongside Jaime!), I'm in charge of the company's daily operations. That means growing our reach, impact, and infrastructure, while expanding upon our business model. It's hard to believe, but Supermaker just turned 9 months old last week. I'm proud of how far we've come in short time, and look forward to sharing all the ambitious projects we've been working on behind the scenes.
I chose tracks from American protest musicians with lyrics that have taken on new meaning given the current state of humanity.
Start a routine to kick off and close out your workday, like going for a walk or meditating.
I’m an Editorial Assistant here at Supermaker. I get the chance to work with all of our contributors' content and keep the busy editorial calendar updated! I also write the occasional article, most likely summarizing those complicated TLDR (too long didn’t read) news topics in the Supermaker style that makes content accessible and fun! The bulk of my time is spent ensuring that articles written by our contributors are published to our website’s CMS platform in a reader-friendly format that keeps the articles’ digital aesthetic on brand.
These songs put me in an upbeat mood and get me pumped up to start the day!
Remember to add some self-care to the routine. A little time for meditation in between tasks or some yoga in the morning can change your whole life.
As Ray Charles once said, "Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond." So whether you're into pop, hip-hop, R&B, rock, K-pop, or something else, find the music that can help you respond in a positive way. Get inspired, stay positive, and be productive while you work from home.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Supermaker. Jack is an entrepreneur with multiple exits in lead gen, affiliate marketing, and online media. His passions include startups, mentorship, leadership, and living his legendary status as #ONCEUncle to the fanbase of K-pop sensation TWICE.
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