Music is the ultimate motivator. A perfectly crafted playlist forces me to get my ass to the gym, if running a couple miles means listening to it. And once there, the up-tempo of a Robyn track pushes me through my last lap. Music’s motivational properties aren’t only applicable to exercise, though. A lot of people favor quiet when studying – hence the no chatting rules in the library and the existence of silent study lounges. However, a blissful crowd of us think better to a beat. I’ve got loads of playlists dedicated to those afternoons when Mugar calls. Studies have shown (supposedly) that classical music stimulates the brain or helps you focus. If you’re like me, you’re more Bayside than Bach, or more Mac Miller than Mozart. There’s about a bajillion ways to find new music these days. Thinking outside the box (Pandora, that is), here’s some new sites to jumpstart your to-do tunes:

• Stereomood.com
• 8tracks.com (There’s lots of specially crafted study playlists on here for people of all tastes. Highly recommend.) • Goodmusicallday.com (For the frat music fan in all of us)
• Musicovery.com
• Deezer.com

In the mean time, here’s what’s getting me in the zone for my anthropology final:
1) Possibility, Lykke Lii
2) Got This Money (acoustic), Childish Gambino
3) L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N, Noah and the Whale
4) You and Me, Parachute
5) Hesitate, Steve Moakler
6) Butterflies, Shwayze and Cisco Adler
7) Hang with Me, Robyn
8) Plea, Say Anything feat. Hayley Williams
9) Earthquake, Little Boots
10) Santa Monica Dream, Angus and Julia Stone
11) Someone Like You (Messed remix), Adele
12) Love You ‘Til the End, the Pogues

Finals, Gym, Ingrid, Motivation, Mugar, Music, Studying Making the Grade, Staying Centered