Blog – The Perfect Study Playlist

Silence has never been my friend. Some people thrive in it, but I don’t. When a room goes quiet I’ll catch myself listening to the faint hum of the fridge. Soon enough, that sound becomes the only thing I can hear and the work slips away.

In fact… right now I am in a battle of wills with a big tech company who deny that my printer (the third one they have sent me) is making a high pitched and constant beeping sound (imagine a barely audible heart rate monitor).

Background TV and music sounds help (although it doesn’t hide the printer noise). Not every kind, but the right kind. Some tracks, or shows with complex plots push me off course. Others hold me steady. I went looking at the research, behind music and concentration then tested it for myself. What I ended up with is a playlist that feels reliable. Not perfect, but close.

The science offers a few useful rules. Lyrics are distracting. Even when you think you’re not listening, part of your brain insists on following the words. Tempo also shapes how well you focus. If the pace races ahead, your concentration scatters. If it drags, your energy drops. Research suggests somewhere between 60 and 90 beats per minute keeps you moving without pulling you off balance. The I learned about something called the ‘Yerkes–Dodson law’, which shows that performance peaks when you’re alert but not overstimulated. Music, chosen with care, can push you toward that middle ground.

Now I know some people swear by pink or white noise. I find it useful only on certain days, and even then, only at a low volume. Binaural beats are another option. I’ve tried them. Pleasant enough, but nothing transformative. Still, they’re worth exploring if you’re curious.

What I settled on was structure. My playlist runs at around two hours. It begins with slow, ambient piano that helps me settle. From there, it shifts into steady piano and strings, music that keeps attention without demanding too much. I break after that section. Just five minutes. A rain track plays while I refresh my coffee. The second block uses lo-fi instrumentals and simple electronic pieces with a little more rhythm. At the end, I switch to something calm and expansive, music that eases me out rather than winds me up.

The exact tracks matter less than the order. Playing them in sequence turns the playlist into a ritual. The first notes of Ólafur Arnalds now act as a cue. I put my phone down and begin. Over time, that trigger has become stronger than the caffeine in my mug.

This isn’t a universal recipe. If you prefer lyrics, you might save them for lighter jobs like answering email. If noise steadies you, keep it soft enough to fade into the background. If binaural beats interest you, try them at the start and see what happens.

The point is not to find perfection. The point is to create a pattern that signals to your brain that it’s time to work.

I don’t think my playlist or the noise does my work for me, but as someone who works from home with just the doggo for company, it does replace silence with something steady.

I put my playlist into the Dementia Researcher account, have a listen…

Adam Smith

Author

Adam Smith was born in the north, a long time ago. He wanted to write books, but ended up working in the NHS, and at the Department of Health.  He is now Programme Director at University College London (which probably sounds more important than it is – his words). He has led a number of initiatives to improve dementia research (including this website, Join Dementia Research & ENRICH), as well as pursuing his own research interests. In his spare time, he grows vegetables, builds Lego, likes rockets & spends most of his time drinking too much coffee and squeezing technology into his house.

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