What Playlists Should I Have

One press names five playlists worth making, each with the rule that decides what goes in.

A new town listSongs you first heard after you moved, so the place gets a sound of its own.
A bike ride listSongs with a steady push, for a ride with few stops.
A one-instrument listSongs where one instrument leads: all piano, all drums or all strings.
A golden hour listWarm, slow songs for the last light of the day.
An around the world listOne song from each continent.

Next step Name the playlist Draw a genre to fill it with

How it works

A music library with no playlists is a pile. Press the button for five playlists worth having, from a wake-up list to one song for every year of your life, each with a rule that says what goes in.

Read the full guide

Start with the three you will play every week

Make one for a time of day, one for a mood and one for a job you do often, such as cooking or studying. Those get played most, so they are the ones worth keeping tidy.

Let the rule do the choosing

A playlist is easier to finish when a rule decides what belongs: every title holds a color, one song for each year you have been alive, only songs you have never skipped. The rule also tells you when the list is done.

Name a playlist after its rule, so you remember later why each song is on it.

Questions and answers

What types of playlists should I make?

Sort them by when you listen, not by genre: a time of day, a mood, a task, a place or a trip, a season, and one or two built on a rule. One of each type covers most days.

What type of playlist should I make first?

The one for the thing you do most often with music on. If that is the trip to school or work, start with a commute list.

How many songs should a playlist have?

As many as its job needs. A shower list is three songs, a commute list lasts as long as the trip, and a road trip list can run for hours. Stop when the rule is used up.

How do I come up with playlist ideas?

Write down each time you put music on this week. Every moment on the note is a playlist: rain on the window, a Sunday breakfast, the walk home.

All 118 playlists

For a time of day 12

A commute list As long as the trip, door to door. End on the song you want stuck in your head all day.
A dinner list Music people can talk over. Nothing that makes the table stop and listen.
A falling asleep list Each song slower than the one before, and nothing with a sudden loud part.
A Friday evening list The songs that tell you the week is over.
A getting ready list Songs to brush your teeth and get dressed to. When the last one ends, you are out the door.
A golden hour list Warm, slow songs for the last light of the day.
A late night list Quiet songs for when everyone else is asleep.
A lunch break list A handful of songs that sound nothing like work or school.
A Sunday morning list Unhurried songs for a slow breakfast.
A wake-up list Starts quiet and gets louder. The first song is one you can stand before breakfast.
A walk home list Songs that match your walking pace, to end the day on.
An afternoon slump list Fast songs only. If your foot does not tap, the song is out.

For a mood 14

A brave list Songs for the hour before something scary: a test, a talk, a first day.
A calm-down list Slow songs with no surprises, for when your head is busy.
A can't-sit-still list Songs for when you have too much energy and nowhere to put it.
A cheer-up list Songs that have lifted your mood before. The test: you smile before the first chorus.
A daydream list Songs that make you stare out of a window.
A fresh start list Songs about beginning again, for a new term, a new job or a new town.
A good cry list Songs that let you be sad on purpose. Keep it short, so it has an end.
A homesick list Songs that sound like the place you come from.
A missing someone list Songs that remind you of one person, for when they are far away.
A nothing-to-do list Songs for a slow, empty afternoon with no plans at all.
A proud list Add one song each time something goes right. Play it after the next win.
A shout-along list Loud songs to yell with when you are angry, so the feeling has somewhere to go.
A silly list Songs that are a bit ridiculous and that you love anyway.
A walk-taller list Songs that make you feel sure of yourself by the second verse.

For something you are doing 21

A baking list Sweet, bouncy songs for while the oven is on.
A bike ride list Songs with a steady push, for a ride with few stops.
A cleaning list Fast songs you know by heart. One song for each job.
A cooking list Songs to stir to. Make it about as long as your usual recipe takes.
A dance break list Three songs you cannot sit still to, for the middle of a long day.
A deep work list One steady tempo all the way through. Long tracks and few changes.
A dog walk list As long as your usual loop around the block.
A drawing list Songs that keep your hand moving across the page.
A gaming list Songs for the long quiet stretches of a game.
A gardening list Unhurried songs for an afternoon outside with your hands in the soil.
A homework sprint list Five songs. Work until the last one ends, then take a break.
A laundry list Songs with a steady beat to fold clothes to.
A packing list Songs for filling a suitcase the night before a trip.
A reading list Background music that never makes you look up from the book.
A running list Songs whose beat matches your steps.
A shower list Three songs you sing loudly. When the third one ends, get out.
A stretching list Slow songs, each long enough to hold a stretch through.
A study list No words, or words in a language you do not speak, so nothing pulls your eyes off the page.
A tidy-your-room list Ten songs. The room is done before the last one, or you start the list again.
A workout list Warm-up songs first, the fastest in the middle, slow ones to cool down.
A writing list Music that fits the story you are writing, one song for each scene.

For a place or a trip 14

A back seat list Songs for looking out of the car window after dark.
A beach list Sunny songs that sound right with sand and waves.
A big view list Big, wide songs for a mountain top or a long shoreline.
A bus ride list Short songs for a short ride.
A campfire list Songs to sing around a fire. Only ones most people know the words to.
A city walk list Songs that make an ordinary street feel like a scene in a film.
A dream destination list Music from a country you want to visit one day.
A hometown list Songs you heard everywhere in the town where you grew up.
A long flight list Calm songs to doze through, and one loud one saved for the landing.
A new town list Songs you first heard after you moved, so the place gets a sound of its own.
A road trip list Songs everyone in the car can sing. Each passenger adds five.
A train window list Songs that suit watching fields and towns slide by.
A trip memory list One song for each place you stopped on a trip, in the order you stopped.
A waiting room list Calm songs for when all you can do is sit and wait.

For a season or a day 15

A birthday list The songs you want at your own party, most wanted first.
A first day of school list Songs to walk in to.
A heat wave list Slow, cool songs for a day too hot to move.
A holiday list The songs your family plays every year on one holiday.
A last day of school list Songs that sound like summer starting.
A rainy day list Soft songs that sound right with rain on the glass.
A snow day list Songs for a day when everything is cancelled.
A spooky season list Eerie-sounding songs, none too scary for the youngest listener.
A spring list Light songs for the first warm day of the year.
A stormy night list Songs that sound good with thunder behind them.
A summer list The songs you want playing with every window open.
A this-school-year list Songs that will always sound like this school year. Close the list in June.
A winter list Songs for cold mornings and warm rooms.
A year-in-review list The songs you played most this year, gathered in December to look back on.
An autumn list Songs for sweaters, fallen leaves and early dark.

Built on a rule 28

A chain list Each title starts with the last word of the title before it.
A color list Every title has a color in it.
A counting list Every title has a number in it, and the numbers go up.
A decade ladder One song from each decade, oldest first.
A firsts list The first song you remember, the first you chose yourself, the first you knew every word of.
A forgotten favorites list Songs you loved years ago and have not played since.
A languages list One song in each language you can find.
A long songs list Only songs over six minutes.
A loud and quiet list Take turns: one loud song, then one quiet song, all the way down.
A map list Every title names a town, a country, a road or a river.
A names list Every title has a person’s first name in it.
A no-skip list Only songs you have never once skipped. One skip and the song comes off.
A one-instrument list Songs where one instrument leads: all piano, all drums or all strings.
A one-new-song-a-week list Each week, add one song you had never heard before. A year gives you 52.
A one-word titles list Only songs whose title is a single word.
A questions list Every title is a question.
A same first letter list Every title starts with the first letter of your name.
A short songs list Only songs under two minutes.
A slow build list Each song a little faster than the one before.
A songs from films list Songs you first heard while watching a film.
A story list Put the songs in an order that tells a story from first track to last.
A weather list Every title has rain, sun, wind or snow in it.
A week list One song for each day, Monday to Sunday.
An alphabet list One song title for each letter, A to Z.
An animal list Every title has an animal in it.
An around the world list One song from each continent.
One song from every year of your life Start at the year you were born and add one song from each year up to now.
One song, many versions One song you love, played by as many different performers as you can find.

For the people around you 14

A best friend list Songs that are inside jokes between the two of you.
A classroom list Calm music without words for a class at work.
A family car list Each person in the family adds three songs, and nobody may veto.
A gift list Songs picked for one person and given as a present.
A grandparents list Ask a grandparent for the songs of their youth and add every one.
A long-distance friend list A shared list with a friend far away. Take turns adding one song a week.
A lullaby list Gentle songs to rock a baby to sleep with.
A party list Songs most guests know, with the slow ones kept for the end.
A pet list Songs your dog or cat seems to like. Watch the ears.
A sing-along list Songs a whole room can sing from start to finish without the words in front of them.
A sleepover list Every guest adds two songs.
A songs my parents played list Songs you knew the words to before you knew who sang them.
A team warm-up list Songs the whole team agreed on, for the minutes before a game.
An our songs list Songs tied to moments two of you shared, in the order they happened.