Productivity Is Hurting Your Creativity. Just Look at Taylor Swift

When Taylor Swift released her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, listeners online found not only easter eggs, but familiar tunes too.

According to internet users, the album’s namesake track, “The Life of A Showgirl” closely resembles the Jonas Brothers’ “Cool” and Jordin Spark’s “Air.”

It’s not just the one song. Users have drawn comparisons to Pixie’s “Where is my mind?” and The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” as well as music from Post Malone, The Ronettes, and Mexican singer Luis Miguel.

“She sued Olivia for less,” a user commented on a TikTok with 6 million views comparing Swift’s new tracks to older songs. The comment, which echoed several others left on the video, references Olivia Rodrigo crediting Swift on songs inspired by her—although Swift never actually sued Rodrigo.

Nothing New

Yet, the issue of music sounding the time or homogenous is not new. A report from 12 years ago by the Spanish National Research Council found that music in the last 50 year has become less diverse sounding.

These days, the music industry’s dependance on social media platforms is exacerbating the homogeneity. According to TikTok data, 84 percent of songs that entered the Billboard Global 200 last year went viral on TikTok first.

“When every viral trend depends on instant recognition, producers are more likely to rework hooks or melodies that audiences already know,” music industry director Nikki Camilleri told Inc. “Sampling itself isn’t lazy,” she clarifies, noting that “it can be deeply creative when used to reimagine, not replicate.”

But, beyond the algorithm, an issue of hyper-productivity arises, with quantity overriding quality and uniqueness.

“The challenge is that in today’s fast-turnover pop ecosystem, commercial pressure often pushes artists to lean on nostalgia rather than innovation,” Camilleri says.

Jeffrey Davis, Business Growth & Thought Leader Strategist and author of Tracking Wonder agrees, explaining that oftentimes hyper-productivity dulls and dilutes creativity.

“Our culture of productivity loves to optimize and block every hour and being very efficient and productive and getting things done. But that’s not where innovation happens,” he says. In a way, Swift’s hyper-productivity (or over production) could stunt creativity leading to more homogenous and familiar sounding music.

Shake it Off

So how does one get out of the rut?

“I work with teams in technology and I get them to take breaks from the screen, do something analog, like sketch in a notebook. Do something with their hands,” Davis says. “Some people knit just to get their brains working in a different way, and to pay attention to what’s happening on the margins of their thoughts, rather than just trying to get something done.”

Award-winning creativity strategist Natalie Nixon also believes that the best work happens when taking a step back. She recommends making space for creative strategic thinking and prioritizing rest as ways of harnessing creativity.

Other ways to spark creativity are often simple, from taking a shower, to getting a hobby, or even walking and talking. Even though it might feel counter intuitive, taking time leads to more productivity.

“A lot of innovation comes from mind wandering,” david says. “From stepping away from screens, from literally taking a wonder walk to allow those sort of insights happen.”