Okay, well maybe this isn’t a definitive guide because music, like design, is super subjective. Instead I bring you one humble designer’s life-saving playlist recommendations. (Note: This is not a Spotify-sponsored post or ad—I really just love the app!)
Relaxing Early Mornings
If you’re like me, then you like peaceful, quiet mornings. Because I commute via public transportation, I don’t always get my morning wish, but I can set myself up for calm and relaxation once I reach the office. My go-to early morning playlist is Your Favorite Coffeehouse. It truly is the perfect mix of smooth and acoustic--plus, it allows me to imagine I’m working out of a cafe rather than my cubicle, which is always a win in my book. The Relax & Unwind playlist also makes a few morning rotations if you like variety.
Feeling Focused
I normally bookend my days with small projects at the start and near the finish. I devote the middle of my days to larger or new projects that usually require more focus. For these situations, I turn on Deep Focus. It’s entirely instrumental so I can’t get distracted by catchy lyrics. I know a lot of designers and developers who also prefer EDM playlists for that reason. When I’m in the mood for EDM, I switch to the Running Workout Goals playlist
Mid-Afternoon Slump
When I feel that 2:00-3:00 pm slump coming on, I like to switch to something that’ll keep my heart-rate up (or inspire me to sing along). This means EDM or rap. I mentioned the running playlist, but for a more pure EDM experience, there’s always EDM Room. However, I’ve yet to find a rap playlist I actually enjoy (open to recommendations!) so I usually throw on a little Kendrick Lamar and let Spotify’s automatic shuffle take over.
Long Low-Effort Projects
I used to work in an Agile environment. When scoring projects, our project manager explained that a “1” was a low-effort project, regardless of how time-consuming. He used the example of entering a value into an Excel spreadsheet a thousand times; not something you’d necessarily need to think critically about, but a project you’d need to budget time for.
While I no longer practice Agile, I still mentally score my projects when I’m getting organized for the day. I find that time-consuming 1s are the perfect opportunities to catch up on podcasts as they typically don’t engage the right side of my brain. My go-to podcasts are Harmontown and Brain Candy. Both have a comedic tone: Harmontown documents the ramblings of comedian and showrunner Dan Harmon (creator of Community and Rick & Morty), while Brain Candy is more of an ongoing conversation between two best friends and former reality-TV stars, Susie Meister and Sarah Rice. Brain Candy tackles politics, humanitarian stories, psychology, must-read books, and more. I love the variety in topics and the guests occasionally brought on for interviews.
Free-Play Fridays
I find Fridays are the perfect time to explore Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists (despite the fact that Spotify updates the lists every Monday). According to Spotify, this playlist is your weekly mixtape of fresh music. Spotify curates the list specifically for you based on your listening habits and they always include new artists.
Fridays are also a great opportunity for throwbacks. After all, time does actually seem to fly when you’re having fun, and what’s more fun than singing along to some of your long-forgotten favorites? For a good catch-all playlist, try Throwback Jams. Or, like I’ve done, make your own! (Also a good way to spend a slow workday.)
