The Best Spotify Playlists for Work Productivity

A good pair of headphones and some jams can go a long way when you’re trying to work through notes before the big exam or get your report in on time. Finding the right playlist for your work takes a couple of factors into account — the field or subject you’re working in, the time you have available and, of course, your musical tastes. Here are the 10 best Spotify playlists that will help you ace your next test and keep you productive at work.

Jam Bands / Lockn Festivals

The best thing about Grateful Dead songs is their length. If you are interested in settling down and studying for a few hours, the best Spotify playlists for you will lull into the background, helping the time ease past without making you constantly aware of how long you’ve been sitting. Long, mellow jams are perfect for this.

Disney Classics

Disney knows how to make soundtracks. Reliving your favorite scenes from The Lion King or Mulan keeps you from going crazy during long work sessions. These classic tunes make the best Spotify playlist for taking a break or finishing out the day on a strong note. Belting along to your favorite Disney tunes offers a sure sense of accomplishment.

Your Favorite Coffeehouse

Coffeehouse acoustic, like jam band music, provides an excellent foundation for long projects and work sessions. Let it fade into the background as you give your attention entirely to the work at hand.

Dark Was the Night

A compilation of covers and original content by some of the best indie artists of the early and mid-2000s, this is a beautiful playlist and an excellent catalyst for creative concentration. For those trying to tap into their creative genius or escape from a dull workplace, these songs can cut through the block like nothing else.

Classical Music for Metalheads

This playlist covers some of the more energetic and exciting selections of classical music, and its lack of vocals allows listeners an unbroken field of concentration, but the same sort of creative unlocking of the past playlist.

Video Games — Orchestra, OST

Like the Disney classics, video games hold a ton of emotional and creative power. Settling down to study with some of your favorite songs from games gets you geared into the right headspace for workplace or classroom productivity. Again, the orchestral adaptations can fade into the background and leave the bulk of your attention for the work.

White Noise

Filling the air with white noise can be great for studying or working, as it drowns out all other distracting sounds. Further, steady, regular noises are very calming and will keep your mind at ease and focused throughout the stresses of studying.

Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Beats

With the most chill instrumental beats on Spotify, this playlist will keep you in the zone and relaxed through repetitive — yet continually adapting — hip-hop beats. Very similar to coffeeshop music in ambient quality, these beats put you in the perfect mood for long-term, casual work.

Metal Essentials

Need to get something done ASAP? Love it or hate it, metal has all other genres beat when it comes to frantic, energy-pumped songs. Putting on some classic metal with the volume turned up gets your heart racing and lends a sense of urgency to whatever you’re doing. It can also be calming, research suggests.

Nature Sounds

There’s nothing more centering than getting out in the woods for a couple of hours. Unlocking these feelings with a soundtrack can be exactly what the doctor ordered for a productive session at work. It isn’t quite the same as white noise — the sounds are background, but they are not necessarily repetitive.

There you have it. These 10 best Spotify playlists will help break through the walls keeping you from productivity, and will also introduce you to some new favorite music along the way.