My Ultimate Study Playlist and How to Create Yours – Sinclair Prep Study Tips #1

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Welcome to the first instalment of Sinclair Prep Study Tips, a mini-series I’m hosting on the blog inspired by Katie Zhao’s upcoming dark academia YA novel How We Fall Apart, out August 17th! Get ready to create your ultimate study playlist or take a peek at mine…

How We Fall Apart

Related: My Most Anticipated 2021 Releases

I’m in my final year of university and have managed to get good grades since high school without too many mental breakdowns, so I’d like to think I know a thing or two about studying. So in this series, I’ll impart some of my knowledge, hoping it can help you wherever you are in your academic life!

Today’s post is about one of my favourite parts of studying: the right soundtrack! I share what’s on my personal ultimate study playlist and give you some aspects to consider when crafting your own. And don’t worry, I’ve made my playlist public so you can use it for your next study session!

My Personal Study Music Includes…

Have you ever wondered what music keeps me company as I read journal articles by mostly old white men, lose my mind over writing papers or even these blog posts? Well, I’m here to tell you! First, I have a confession to make: I very rarely use a specific study playlist! The idea to create one only came to me, when I thought about starting this series. Usually, I listen to different albums and playlists by other people, depending on the task I’m doing. You’ll see why in a minute.

Now, what kinds of music can you find on my ultimate study playlist?

movie soundtracks

I love movie soundtracks as study music. They’re atmospheric and epic and depending on the movie, make you feel like the smartest person in the room. Apart from theme songs (like the Avengers theme), most soundtracks are supposed to go mostly unnoticed, supporting the images, immersing you in the world. That makes them the perfect companion to your studies! Additionally, I find listening to a soundtrack in its original order incredibly helpful when doing focus heavy work, it’s less distracting than shuffling a playlist!

Two of my favourite soundtracks that will surprise absolutely nobody include The Social Network and The Martian. The Social Network one makes me feel like I am doing important work. Additionally, it’s my ultimate focus music because I’ve listened to it when studying since my A-levels so I’ve kind of conditioned my brain to go into focus mode whenever I hear it!

The Martian soundtrack is very atmospheric but understated, making it the perfect background music! I may not be an astronaut stranded on Mars, but I certainly feel like I’m solving problems like Mark Watney when I put it on. Top-notch “I’m solving problems because I am super smart” vibes!

lo-fi music

Lo-fi beats are my music of choice for almost any situation. Want to know a secret? They’re responsible for 90% of my blogging productivity. Lo-fi music is just so chill without being distracting and there are so many great playlists and YouTube videos to choose from.

I particularly love Mighty Vibes, the lo-fi character mixes created by Critical Role! I’m a big Critical Role fan and have been bingeing the show during the pandemic, so getting some study music inspired by my favourite characters is a dream! My personal favourite is the Caduceus mix, that music got me through writing a very hard paper about death denial last year!

ambient noise

If I just need something light in the background, I turn on some ambient noise. I’m particularly fond of thunder and train sounds! I generally switch between various YouTube videos and MyNoise (a great ambient noise website that lets you custom mix the sounds you want!)

The Three Elements of a Good Study Playlist

There obviously is no one size fits all when it comes to something as personal as music. But nevertheless, I think there are three essential elements that can help you create your own ultimate study playlist for focus and productivity. Let’s get into it!

1) your music taste/ what helps you focus

With all things related to your personal process and success, it’s important to remember that what works for me might not work for you. And your own Ultimate Study Playlist should definitely work for you! So when putting one together, take a moment to reflect on what kind of music you like listening to when studying.

Most people probably concentrate best when they’re listening to instrumental or classical music as there’s no lyrics to distract you. But maybe you don’t mind lyrics and can focus when Taylor Swift is singing in your ears!

A fun fact that totally isn’t just me peddling my lo-fi love: lo-fi might scientifically be great for concentrating! Answer In Progress recently made a video researching this phenomenon and it’s highly entertaining and educational.

2) different music for different types of studying

Different tasks require different types of focused energy. Reading a chapter of a textbook is very different from having to write and submit an essay in 3 hours. One of those needs music to kick your ass.

This is one of those things I wished I had realised sooner. By having different kinds of music or even entirely different playlists or albums at hand, I can increase my focus and productivity a lot! Our brains are incredible at creating connections. This is why your study space matters and why you can condition yourself to go into focus mode when you keep studying in the same spot!

It works exactly the same way with music. You can condition yourself to associate certain music with different types of work! I’ve found this particularly helpful because I live in a tiny student apartment and all my work and relaxation happens at my desk. Because I can’t physically separate work and downtime as much, I instead separate it via music. Depending on the task, I’ll pick a different playlist or soundtrack.

So when you’re compiling your study playlist, maybe give it different sections or create multiple playlists altogether! I promise it’ll help you when crunch time rolls around.

3) the right length

Finally, consider the length of your ultimate study playlist! Are you a “I can listen to the same song on repeat” person or do you need a lot of variety? Depending on where within that spectrum you fall, your playlist length is going to vary greatly.

Additionally, you could consider the length of your average study session and build a playlist around that! I tend to study in 25 minute Pomodoro intervals because that’s a time that works great for my brain. Fun fact: because I’ve listened to The Social Network soundtrack so much, the music tells me when the time is over, I don’t even need to look at my phone! Similarly, you might get used to a song signalling the end of your working time.

My Ultimate Study Playlist

And here it is, a version of my Ultimate Study Playlist! It’s effectively split into three parts:

1. The Social Network soundtrack in chronological order for around 25 minutes.
2. Some of The Martian soundtrack, hand picked for relatively calm focus vibes
3. A few of the songs used in the Mighty Vibes lo-fi mix

For me, this makes a lot of sense! If I need true focus, I can simply listen to the first 25 minutes of the playlist and get work done. If I want to switch it up, I turn to my favourite space soundtrack and finally, for any other kind of work I can chill out to some lo-fi tunes. Heck, if I’m feeling particularly funky, I might try shuffling this playlist (even though it’s not exactly designed for that purpose). I hope this inspires your own study playlist!

But oh, what is this? Another playlist? Yes, you’re correct. A while back I created this HOW WE FALL APART inspired playlist as part of a weekly street team task. It has all the epic dark academia, studying and betrayal vibes! Initially, it wasn’t designed to be a study playlist since most songs have lyrics, but a friend recently told me they love working to it! So for your convenience, I’ve linked it here, too.

Let’s Chat

What’s on your Ultimate Study Playlist? Are you a classical music or lo-fi kind of person?

I hope you have a lovely day,

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