My Favorite Studying Playlists

Chances are that if you spot me, I have my headphones in and I'm jamming out to one of my gazillion playlists. With that, it's a given that whenever I study, I'm listening to music to stay focused.

I tend to switch between playlists depending on how productive I'm trying to be or how productive I'm feeling, if I have a busy day, etc. I thought I'd share some of my favorite playlists to study along to to help you get through that long to do list.

Chill Lofi Study Beats

This is one of the playlists I put on when I'm really trying to get through a busy day. This is mainly instrumental, but there are some songs that have lyrics or speaking during them, but nothing too distracting.

My problem with studying to music with a singer is that if I'm trying to stay very focused, I find that it diverts my attention a little too much. While this is fine when I have more time to study or don't have a gazillion things to do, I prefer to study to instrumental music when I need to stay focused for long periods of time.

In addition to helping me stay focused, this playlist also relaxes me and keeps me from feeling too stressed, which is definitely useful when I feel like the weight of my deadlines are crushing me.

Zen: Indie Folk for Focus

This playlist is a little similar to Chill Lofi Study Beats, but with a more acoustic and folksy sound, as well as less instrumental tunes. I like to listen to this playlist while studying at night because it's a bit calmer and suits the nighttime better.

Indie is one of my favorite genres of music, so I definitely clicked on this playlist quickly when I saw it under Spotify's "focus" section.

One thing I look for in music I study to is that it's easy to lose yourself in your thoughts and your work, and this playlist is perfect for that.

pumpkin spice and everything nice

Photo by Cloé fontaine on Unsplash

This is my fall playlist at the moment, and I've been loving it as a study playlist. Picture this: bright fall sunlight is streaming in through an open window on your desk, which is messy in a comfortable way. You're sipping on some coffee, a pumpkin spice candle is burning, and the music playing through your headphones perfectly encapsulates the magic of fall.

I mean, come on, that sounds like heaven to me.

I definitely feel my most productive in the morning when this playlist is blasting in my ears, although I sometimes feel the need to dance around a little.

coffeehouse

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Weirdly enough, I like to put this playlist on while studying in a coffee shop or cafe. It's filled with a lot of mellow acoustic tunes, and, similar to Zen: Indie Folk for Focus, it's easy to have it as background noise for a productive afternoon.

My favorite thing to do with this playlist is to play it at a low volume so I can hear the background conversation of the coffee shop.

so you're going to take the LSAT

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

This is the playlist I originally made when I started studying for the LSAT, and it's remained one of my favorites throughout this whole journey. It's actually one of two playlists with the same name, with this one being the studying half and the other one being a pump up playlist for the day leading up to the LSAT.

Upbeat is the best way to describe this playlist. Nothing is too distracting, but there's a good beat flowing through it.

study & chill

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

I was lucky enough to stumble across this playlist on Spotify the other week, and it's been a pretty common playlist for me to listen to lately. As per many of these playlists, it has a lot of acoustic music, but this one has more upbeat songs on it.

Peaceful Indie Ambient

I'd say that the best way to describe this playlist is as a cross between Chill Lofi Study Beats and Zen: Indie Folk for Focus. All of the music on it is easy to put on in the background so you can focus on more on your work than the music.

I'd recommend putting this playlist on, getting a cup of tea, putting your hair up in a messy bun, and kicking your to do list's butt.

What is your favorite genre of music to study to?

xoxo,

Rachel