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A Guide To Creating The Perfect Motivational Playlist For Finals

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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.

When it comes to making playlists, trust me when I say I make new ones all of the time. I currently have about 23 playlists, which you might not think is a lot, but it consists of over 150 hours of music. That is almost an entire week worth of songs. Even some of my best playlists I am constantly editing because after a while I will grow tired of a song, and that is perfectly okay. There are so many options out there, you are sure to find songs you like! I am someone who is constantly listening to music, and I would be playing music 24/7 if I could; it might just be my favorite thing in the world. 

I decided to help you craft your perfect motivational playlist to get you pumped up for finals, so here is an easy step-by-step guide. 

Step 1:

Make sure to give your playlist a fun name that will make you want to listen to it when you are in a good mood, or want to put yourself in a good and pumped up mood! I like to give my playlists simple titles like “good mood songs/good vibes” or “songs that send me into orbit” if I am going for something funny.  Sometimes if I can’t think of a title I just name it “:))” so that I know to listen to it when I am in a good mood! Another thing I like to do is adding a cute picture to my playlist. I will either find a cute picture of a sunrise/sunset, maybe one of me and my friends, or my go-to which is finding cute and positive quotes on Pinterest.

Step 2:

Something I like to do to kickstart my new playlists, is to go through my already made playlists, or even my liked songs, to pick out some of my favorites. Now I am someone who will listen to sad songs, or songs with sad lyrics but catchy beats, so I try to make sure the ones I am adding are happy and completely upbeat so that they won’t bring my mood down. 

If you want to try and find new songs, both Apple Music and Spotifiy have pre-made playlists that you can browse through to find songs you want to add to your playlist. I try to search up keywords like “good vibes” “good mood” or maybe even “positive/happy” to find the pre-made playlists with the same vibe I am going for. I then go through the songs and listen to them for a bit to figure out if it is a song I like, or one that could definitely grow on me, and then add it to my playlist!

Step 3:

As you are making your motivational playlist, make sure to remember that you want to be able to put yourself in a good mood to gain motivation! Finals are a stressful time for everyone, but we need to try and make the best of it. Make sure to give yourself and your brain a break when you are constantly doing work and studying. The songs you want to listen to should give you life, get you out of a slump, and get you wanting to be more productive! 

When you are listening to the same songs constantly, you may grow tired of them, and that is okay. There are so many artists and genres out there to find your next go-to song! As I browse the pre-made playlists created by Apple Music I dive into some genres I didn’t realize I liked, and I find some artists I haven’t really listened to before. Being open and accepting of all genres of music is a really great way to step outside of your comfort zone and find some awesome music! 

If you are struggling to get started with your playlist, here are some of my go-to songs that I love within my good mood playlist: 

  • America’s Sweetheart – Elle King 
  • IT GIRL – Aliyah’s Interlude 
  • Burnin’ Up (feat. 2 Chainz) – Jessie J 
  • Down Bad – Taylor Swift 
  • You’re So Vain – Carly Simon 
  • Cleopatra – The Lumineers 
  • Exes – Tate McRae
  • Greedy – Tate McRae 
  • False Confidence – Noah Kahan 
  • Not My Fault – Renee Rapp & Megan Thee Stallion 
  • Dance The Night – Dua Lipa 
  • Lovin On Me – Jack Harlow 
  • Kiwi – Harry Styles 
  • Now That We Don’t Talk – Taylor Swift 
  • Paint The Town Red – Doja Cat
  • Pretty Girls – Renee Rapp 
  • Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield 
  • Supercut – Lorde
  • Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) – Will.I.Am, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway 
  • Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter 
  • Belong Together – Mark Ambor 
  • Imgonnagetyouback – Taylor Swift 
Mikenna McFadden is a member of the HerCampus IUP chapter, and her writing varies across the entertainment aspect of news. Mikenna is also apart of the social media team, where she posts relatable content on the club's TikTok account and is the Social Media Video Content Manager! At IUP, Mikenna is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2027. In Mikenna's free time she enjoy reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. Some of her favorite singers include Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Renee Rapp, Olivia Rodrigo, and Noah Kahan! Mikenna is a huge fan of all of these things, and they spark a lot of her inspiration for her articles!