Overview

We’re going to change things up a little bit in today’s blog post because I, like you, need a break from work and learning. Just for one second. Not too long, but I need to catch my breath. So, in today’s post, we’re going to be talking about my top 5 playlists for productivity.

For me, music is my life. It’s the first thing I turn on when I hop out of bed, go into the gym, and hop on my work computer. With that being said, over the last 6 months of quarantine, I’ve learned that having a separate playlist for work and play is just as important and having separate space for home and work. By separating your music selection for work and leisure, you’re better able to see the difference in your day and focus on enjoying leisure music, like Taylor Swift solo’s you love to sing, as well as reap the benefit of long term concentration through playlists focused on helping you reach a flow state.

Without further adieu, let’s get into my top 5 playlists for productivity and work!

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#5 Deep House Weekly

Coming in at number 5 we have DeepHouse Weekly!

Deep House Weekly is for the people that want a little more bass and little to no vocals. Deep House tends to set a bassline and pattern with more deep sounds and keeps from being distracted due to the lack of vocals in most songs. Although having no vocals could be a negative for you, it’s worth giving a listen if you’ve never experienced a deep house playlist.

Deep House Weekly also brings two factors (not two-factor auth) that helped push it into the top 5. This specific DeepHouse playlist is updated every week with new music. As a result, you don’t have to worry about hearing the same song over and over again. Having fresh music is perfect for getting you out of a rut which I know so many of us are during this WFG time and we simply need something new to spice up our day.

Another bonus is that this playlist is streamed on Youtube, so if you aren’t a Spotify user then you can still listen to the playlist.

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#4 Coding Music

By looking at the title you can probably tell that I’m already biased towards it. Add the word “Coding” anywhere within a sentence and you have my attention like a golden retriever looking at a squirrel. With that being said, this playlist definitely lives up to the high standards that it sets by having the word Coding in it.

Coding Music brings on a different productivity format than I’ve seen before. Their logic is that if you listen to music that is in a sequential order that the artist intended it to be, then you will reach a flow state faster than a playlist that might jump around from various artists and styles. I can’t confirm if it’s just a placebo effect, but I kind of believe them. I’ve been listening to this playlist for the past week and I absolutely love it for my morning productivity sessions.

The one downside that put this at #4 instead of #2 or #3 is that the playlist isn’t updated. Instead, the owner of the playlist has “Coding Playlist XXXX” to create versions of the playlist. This could be seen as a positive or a negative, but for me, it’s more of a negative because I have to manage all of the playlists and they’re never really “fresh”.

Another potential downside is that there isn’t a Youtube link, so you’re out of luck if you aren’t a Spotify user!

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#3 Chill House/ Lounge

Coming in at #3 we have another house music productivity rendition called Chill House. Chill House is exactly what you would expect with zero compromises on the execution.

Chill House is different from Deep-House in that it focuses a little more on melodies and vocals and less on the deep noises and bass-lines that you would expect from a Deep House track. In my opinion, it’s a mix of Martin Garrix, Chainsmokers, and Kygo in their mellow state.

Chill House is really just vibed music with a more relaxed vocal overtop of it. Something you can tap your feet along to but not get too sucked into it and forget what you’re doing or the code you’re writing. For me, that last bullet is really important because vocal-driven music can throw me a curveball and really mess up my productivity if I’m not careful about it. So far, I’ve had no problems with this playlist and have nothing but great things to say about it.

Along with the Deep House Weekly, Chill House also updates their playlist weekly so you always have fresh hits and they have a stream on youtube so you’re in luck if you don’t use Spotify.

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#2 Audible Adderall

At #2 we have some 💊 for your productivity! Just like the title says, this playlist is Adderall for your ears. I’m talking non-stop work for 5+ hours. The three times I played this playlist, I was so locked in I finished my work for the sprint days before it ended. As a result, I was able to focus on building up other skills during this extra time which increased my daily productivity even more.

Unlike the previous playlists, this one is more of a rollercoaster. You aren’t really stuck in a single BPM range or a single genre of music. Instead, Audible Adderall takes you on a sine-wave of up and down intensities to keep your heart and mind guessing. Having variable intensities worked great for me and my pomodoro sessions because it follows a period of work followed by a period of rest. I’m not sure if I was just getting lucky, but this playlist always seemed to know when I was working vs. “resting” which was amazing for my productivity.

It’s also important to note that Audible Adderall has a mix of vocal and non-vocal songs. This variability adds to your workflow and lets you hone in when you need to and kick back and listen to some awesome melodies when you can take a breather.

The major downside to note which stripped it of the #1 slot is that I’m not sure if they update the playlist. I guess this is something that we’ll just have to see with time. To combat this, if you find that you’re getting too comfortable with music selection, plug-in one of the other playlists on this list and then come back to it.

Overall, it’s a huge 👍🏽 from me.

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#1 Progressive House Weekly

🎂 Taking the cake at #1 is Progressive House weekly! 🎂

Progressive House Weekly is everything that I love about Deep House Weekly and Chill House Weekly combined. It adds elements of bass and deeper noises while bringing in great melodies that keep you going and happy during your workday. Progressive House always tends to do the trick for me due to it’s higher BPM ranges which keep me alert and focused mixed with vocals that soothe the mind.

If I’m listening to Progressive House Weekly I’m 9 times out of 10 going to be the happiest person in my meetings as well as extremely productive during the day. This works two-fold because it helps me bring energy to zoom meetings that can be hard to find after long periods of WFH as well as the enthusiasm to crush any obstacle that stands in my way.

Just like the other two “weekly” playlists, Progressive House Weekly gets updated with new tracks every week and it also has a Youtube stream link.

Overall, Progressive House Weekly is the perfect combination of intensity and melody that keeps me going like an energizer bunny. I find that I even drink less coffee during the day, which my doctor tells me is a good thing. But I’m a coder, sooo….🤷‍♂️

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Runner Up(s)

Alright, let’s face it. Only selecting 5 playlists would be a disservice to the community. Although these are the main playlists that I use to boost my productivity, there are two more that I pull out in case I need a switch-up in my day to day routine.

The runner-up playlists are on opposite sides of the spectrum. One of them is to get me hyped if I really need some energy, and the other is to calm me down and settle me in my workflow. Think of them as yin and yang. You need both to find your flow in what you’re doing, it’s just about dialing in which side you need more of at the given time of the day.

You can check out both of these playlists down below ⬇️

Locked In (Energy)

Lo-fi Beats (Mello)

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Wrap Up

I hope you enjoyed today’s post on my top playlists for productivity. Being able to experiment with various aspects of your work environment is important for dialing in a routine that will allow you to be invigorated and productive on a day to day basis. If you take one thing from this article, I want you to remember that the type of music you listen to and how often you listen to it is just as important as any other part of your work environment. Find 4-5 playlists that you can play in rotation during your work week so you can have fresh and productive work sessions everyday!

On another pertinent note, just like anything you supplement in your life, you can build a tolerance towards it, so make sure you keep things fresh and try out various playlists on Spotify and Youtube. Who knows, your favorite playlist might not even be on the list above!

Make sure to let me know what your favorite productivity playlist is in the comments at the bottom of this post ⬇️

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