When working or studying, I prefer tuning into music and sounds to help block out the external noise and fully concentrate on the task. As such, background music plays a crucial role in my daily life. Being a Spotify user, these are my go-to playlists for background music.
My first favorite is Spotify’s Piano in the Background playlist. This playlist includes hours of calm piano music, perfect for days when I feel like working with piano music in the background. All the songs in the playlist are purely piano sounds with no lyrics, which helps me get into the zone while working.
The playlist is packed full of different nature sounds, including the cheerful chirping of birds, the soft rustles of a forest, the gentle patter of rainfall, the gentle burble of a flowing river, the soothing crash of ocean waves, and sometimes a different combination of these sounds. The playlist is incredibly calming and perfect when I’m not in the mood for instrumentals.
This playlist is meant for meditation and includes a combination of different sounds, mainly binaural beats, that promote calm and relaxation. While I don’t meditate these days, this playlist is a perfect companion for maximum concentration. Here’s how to use binaural beats for better concentration.
Lo-Fi Beats is a playlist of lo-fi music that includes over 24 hours of lo-fi music as of this writing. The playlist packs exclusively lo-fi music that feels relaxing and makes it easier to concentrate because of the consistent tempo and rhythm, smooth and repetitive nature, and minimalist production.
This is one of my favorite playlists when I need to listen to popular music. Since pop music can be distracting, I tune into this playlist, which is perfect for concentration because all the songs included don’t have lyrics.
It includes covers of my favorite pop songs, such as Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, Bryan Adams’s I Do It For You, Drake’s God’s Plan, and Adele’s Easy on Me. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Ambient music is perfect for background music. When I only need exclusive ambient sounds, Ambient Relaxation is my go-to playlist. It includes a collection of chill ambient music that helps me focus while working from home.
Jazz music is also perfect for listening in the background. The playlist has a rich list of soft instrumental jazz, ideal for concentration, whether working or studying. Like most of the playlists on this list, Focus Jazz is made by Spotify and includes over 100 songs.
Nature sounds are perfect for background music as they foster concentration. This playlist includes exclusive ocean wave sounds you can tune into for hours while getting some work done.
Classical Essentials is another favorite background music playlist with instrumentals. It includes a collection of classical music from the past and recent times. I tune into this playlist when I need smooth melodies with structured form and orchestral richness, the key features that make classical music stand out.
Most of my favorite playlists for focus and background music include instrumental music. But I resort to house music whenever I need some lyrical music that isn’t distracting. Unlike other music genres with lyrics, I find house music less distracting, and Deep House Relax is my go-to playlist for that.
There are many Spotify playlists for concentration and background music. My list of favorites packs a wide range of sounds, with nature sounds and instrumentals being the prominent options.
While I enjoy the dynamic nature of these playlists, as they are constantly updated, you don’t need to use them as-is. You can create your Spotify playlist and manually add songs you like from the playlists.