Best playlists to help you study during finals season
It's May now, which means we're approaching deadlines and finals. It's alright, kick back and study to playlists of music you enjoy. If you're on the fence on what to listen to and need some recommendations, this is the article for you!
lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to
This is a classic, featuring lofi music accompanied by an animation of a girl in headphones studying next to her cat. The whole appeal of the lofi genre is the calm listening experience and the soothing instrumental music, which allows you to work and focus on your studies.
This is a personal preference, but I find the soundtrack of "Persona 5," a video game, pretty relaxing. It has a relative range of more upbeat, cheery songs and more sad songs. While there is a range, one thing is certain: all of them are calming and can help in your productivity.
(The only caveat with browsing soundtracks of entertainment media is that you may feel nostalgia from consuming said media and be distracted. A way to sidetrack that is to just focus on the work at hand and continue as needed.)
This comes from Thomas Frank, a YouTuber who focuses on productivity. In his words, the playlist is for "studying and creative work, featuring a wide range of genres: acoustic, post rock, trance, hip hop, chill, jazz and more." It encompasses music from video games, anime, movies and other media. While they are meant for your entertainment, they all contain moments where there is comforting music.
Mozart Classical Music for Studying, Concentration, Relaxation | Study Music | Piano Instrumental
Although I do not do this, I have many friends who listen to classical music while studying. It is rather tranquil for the most part. While this is calm and soothing, be careful when looking at related works. It is possible to stumble upon more heavy and loud works which may impede your work.
(This really depends on the work you're trying to accomplish. If it is a research paper or something that requires concentration and diligence to work through them, then something more calming would work. If you're working on something related to problem-solving, a more upbeat song could do.)
Hans Zimmer - Ultimate Soundtrack Compilation Mix
Zimmer has written scores for many big budget movies. As a result, his scores have a massive range as the movies are all marketed to different demographics. While that is the case, Zimmer's works remain a bit louder and in-your-face in terms of the production. You're still able to work under them, but I would match the task to the tempo as it may be hard to work under this if it's a research paper, for me at least.
What do you enjoy?
This really branches off the article, but what media do you enjoy? By identifying media you like, you're able to find a study playlist that suits your tastes. Frank's playlist is unique in that it caters to his tastes and his interests but was shared to include his viewer base. A typical person would do the same, and as a result, find a playlist that caters to their needs. The article looks at more soft rhythms such as the lofi and classical music, but also has heavy music with Zimmer.
If you have time to spare, I would consider making your own playlist but otherwise I'd just search key terms on YouTube and find one that best matches your needs and put the rest of the energy toward finals.
Good luck on finals!
