As an employed student-athlete, it is important that I am able to stay on task, which resultsing in what many would consider to be a borderline obsession with routine. Recently, I have found that listening to music has helped me tremendously in maintaining focus. When I am doing online school work, I make sure to put on blue light glasses and play a lo-fi playlist catered to the exact homework or study activity I am doing. By doing this continually I am able to stay on task. When I study without my glasses or lo-fi music, I tend to feel off kilter and face more distractions. Spotify has an abundance of lo-fi playlists catered to studying, reading, writing and more. 

I also listen to music to encourage myself to cook by putting on a playlist I made specifically for cooking. Music makes mundane chores — like doing dishes, wiping down counters or laundry — go by much faster.

Specificity is key. I work as a delivery driver and am able to stay concentrated by listening to a very specific artist for the duration of my shift. When I listen to a wide variety of artists and genres while delivering, I tend to get side tracked and forget the addresses and items.

The newest music involvement I have implemented into my routine has impacted my overall mood every day. Every morning when I make coffee, I put on a mellow worship playlist and do simple yoga stretches. This puts me in a positive and relaxed mood. Starting the day off with a routine that allows me to worship and gets my blood flowing has made a huge positive difference in my day-to-day life. 

Finding a good playlist for working out can be tricky. Most people want something that keeps them going while doing various exercises, but I tend to stick with the Spotify featured playlists in the workout genre. When I go on runs, my guilty pleasure is to listen to a 2000’s workout playlist. The nostalgia takes me back to elementary school P.E. classes — except now I am faster and actually have a boyfriend to sing about. 

Figuring out one’s music preferences can be a step in the right direction when it comes to creating a consistent daily routine and is incredibly mentally stimulating.