Courtesy of USC News
We can all get bogged down studying for finals or writing final papers, so I wanted to share some songs that get me focused while writing or studying. Good study music is a point of strong opinions for many people, but I am always open to suggestions. Music that gets old quickly can serve as another distraction while studying or writing papers, and students know that another distraction is the last thing we need. Hopefully my playlists will get you in the zone.
The instrumental playlist below is almost hypnotic at times, which is perfect for going over your notes, reading, repeating or practicing a presentation, and memorizing facts. My selections come from a few albums of Explosions in the Sky and The Samuel Jackson Five mainly because I have associated feelings of triumph, victory, focus, perseverance, and energy with them over the years. Put this one on shuffle and repeat.
This next playlist includes music with vocals. It is great for writing papers or doing more goal-oriented studying like practicing writing for a foreign language class, and completing problem sets or other assignments with a tangible endpoint. I usually like to remain in a more calm and chill mood for this kind of work, so these songs I have chosen will not get you pumped up. Hopefully you are already starting to get into the study mood when you start listening to this playlist. The goal is to keep you in that mood and to not put you to sleep, while also making you calm enough to not stop and cry about the 4 papers you have to do in 2 days. Repeat and shuffle!