Within my friend groups, I’m known as the music-obsessed friend. I’m the friend that listens to music constantly and is always recommending new albums/playlists/songs/artists to other people (whether or not they want it). I’ve noticed that my mood is highly dependent on what types of music I’m listening to, which includes how it impacts my study time.
I created a study playlist for the first time in about 2014, when I was preparing for my first set of bigger exams at school. It was a playlist filled with epic soundtracks from my favorite movies, no lyrics at all. I would listen to this playlist every time I sat down to focus on my studying and quickly realized that I had essentially conditioned myself to focus when I heard the tracks on the playlist (I had basically used Pavlov’s theory on myself without realizing it).
Music can be one of the most powerful study aids, especially in this way. The absence of lyrics allowed my mind to fully immerse itself in the task at hand, without being distracted by the words of a song. Instead, the sweeping orchestral compositions and cinematic scores provided a backdrop that enhanced my concentration and productivity.
It was as if each note served as a catalyst for deep focus, seamlessly guiding me through the complexities of my study material.
Over the years, I’ve created over 10 study playlists for various different settings and types of study sessions. From instrumental jazz to ambient electronic beats, each playlist is carefully curated to match the rhythm of my mind and the demands of the task ahead. Whenever I was tackling maths problems, I would opt for minimalist electronic tracks that keep my energy levels high and my focus razor-sharp. On the other hand, when delving into literature or writing projects, I prefer softer, more melodic tunes that evoke a sense of introspection and creativity.
This post is essentially a peek into my brain and how it works (I’m giving you full permission to intrude into my thoughts and emotions), including a breakdown of each of my study/focus playlists.
epic soundtracks
This is my first and most beloved study playlist (as I mentioned above). It’s been transferred over from my old spotify accounts and built up over many years. This playlist is filled with soundtracks from some of the most incredible composers like Hans Zimmer (Interstellar), Joseph Trapanese (Shadow and Bone), Carlos Rafael Rivera (The Queen’s Gambit) and many more. The reason soundtracks work so well as music for focusing (in my opinion) is that they are essentially designed to be in the background and keep you focused/engaged on the scene in a movie. Except, in this case, the scene is you, studying/working.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: dramatic, majestic, mesmerising
calm soundtracks
After years and years of listening to my epic soundtracks playlist, I realised that is was just that: epic. And sometimes, when I’m trying to read something or focus on a difficult topic, I need to keep myself calm and concentrated, which has resulted in the birth of this playlist. It’s another playlist filled with gorgeous soundtracks, but the pace and emotions are just that little bit slower. It’s actually slowly becoming my new most-listened to playlist.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: beautiful, bold, soothing
dark academia study playlist
My obsession with dark academia grew after reading Babel and The Secret History. I even wrote a whole newsletter post all about my favourite dark academia books that inspire me to continue learning and developing myself. With this obsession, it was only a matter of time before I created a playlist for it. Filled with moody, dark, emotional songs and beautiful piano elements, this playlist is perfect for when you need to feel like a scholar working in the depths of a gorgeous library in Oxford.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: moody, cerebral, introspective
classical study music
Although all of the previous playlists are filled with ‘classical’ music, this playlist is filled with classical classical music (lol does that even make sense). This is the playlist that I listen to when I want to feel sophisticated while I’m studying. I find that I only listen to this playlist when I don’t need to be hyper-focused, purely because I find classical music so beautiful that I end up stopping my work to sit and listen to it so often.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: gorgeous, enigmatic, symphonic
not quite classical
This playlist is unashamedly inspired by Spotify’s own playlist by the same name ‘not quite classical’, but I have added to and expanded to make into another ultimate focus playlist. The songs are classical-adjacent, which makes it so fun! There’s inspiration from so many other genres and it feels like the composers are just having fun. I absolutely love listening to this playlist when I’m doing practice questions and testing myself.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: experimental, fun, passionate
lofi beats
This playlist is relatively self-explanatory. Lofi beats are almost synonymous to studying at this point. Not only are there countless (incredible) lofi beats playlists on YouTube, but it seems to have exploded in popularity recently again. It’s the playlist that I always end up going back to, with good reason!
Playlist vibes in 3 words: calming, blissful, clean
lofi jazz
My mum is the reason that I love jazz. It’s not a genre that I often listen to, but love nonetheless. And so, what better way to study-fy jazz than to combine it with lofi beats. I would actually say that I prefer this playlist to the last one, because it’s a lot more lively and keeps me happy/engaged when I’m trying to focus for long hours on end.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: peaceful, bright, lively
instrumental rock
While my mum helped me to fall in love with jazz, my dad loves rock music (which is also my favourite genre of music). As much as I love listening to my various rock playlists, I find that the lyrics can be very distracting so I decided to see if I actually enjoyed listening to rock music without lyrics (which feels a little difficult to even imagine) and turns out that it’s amazing! I often listen to this playlist when I’m a little tired and need something to really keep me sharp.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: energetic, bold, rhythmic
electronic focus beats
This playlist is similar to my rock playlist in that it has the energy to keep me more awake when my studies aren’t able to (which is most of the time). The playlist is filled with is filled with soft electronic with no lyrics to distract you that will east the late-night cram sessions.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: soft, danceable, ambient
music to write to
A playlist songs to accompany you as you write your next screenplay, novel, blog post, short story, letter, diary entry or essay. Sometimes, I find it distracting to listen to music while I’m writing since I like to focus - on those days, I like to listen to this playlist for a while before I start writing and then once I start, I either switch to another playlist or turn off all music to write better and faster.
Playlist vibes in 3 words: jazzy, uplifting, inspiring
christmas study music
I didn’t know how much I needed this playlist in my life until this past christmas when I realised that instrumental versions of my favourite festive songs must also exist. I instantly fell in love and put them all into this playlist which become my pride and joy from October until February (yes, I am one of those people that listens to Christmas music for months on end).
Playlist vibes in 3 words: magical,
what I read this week
I’m still working my way through the incredible audiobook version of ‘The Bone Season’ by Samantha Shannon and as I predicted, I love it almost as much as when I first read it almost a decade ago.
Speaking of reading, the one playlist that I’m missing in my life is one that I can read to. If anyone has any recommendations, send them my way!
articles I loved this week
I Hope You All Feel Terrible Now (on Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis)
This Extremely Rare Neurological Condition Makes Faces Appear Distorted or ‘Like a Demon’
newsletters I loved this week
On Princesses and Privacy (Dear Clementine)
Death by Situationship (Many Such Cases)
your life is not a romance novel. (prologue) (Faith’s Core)
P.S.
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xoxo,
Allie
