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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Waterloo chapter.

We all love music. It’s gotten us through the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. Making playlists is a great way to suit your various moods and activities. Not to mention, it’s a great way to organize your music collection (#theperfectpartyplaylist). There’s a song for everything, and it’ll make you feel like you’re living in a movie!!

To make your perfect playlist, follow these steps:

1. Identify a purpose

Mood: How are you feeling today? Making a playlist to suit your mood can help make you feel better, emphasize an already great mood, or help you identify with your emotions. Possible feelings include; happiness, anger, excitment, heartbreak, fierceness, or boredom.

Genre: If you love a specific genre, or a bunch of different genres, it is helpful to make a playlist that contains music from a single one. This is handy so you can listen to whatever genre you’re craving with the click of a button. Alternatively, you could make a playlist devoted to a certain artist as well. This is a good way to keep your music organized.

Activity: Any activity is enhanced by music, and it’s always good to have the perfect playlist handy. Some recommended activities to spark your imagination are: working out, driving/transportation, studying, relaxation, and partying…roadtrip anyone?!

Throwback: This is a random suggestion, but it’s always good to have playlist full of old favourites for whenever you’re feeling nostalgic.

2. Choose a fun name

Using generic names such as ‘workout playlist’ or ‘folk music’ is boring and not as creative as using something a little more tantalizing. For example, instead of the previous two, name them ‘Time to Sweat’ or ‘Some Folks Playing Folk’.

3. Add your songs

You can do this in any fashion you choose. You may not care and add them randomly so you can shuffle them later or you could put them in a specific order, ie. moving from ‘sad’ songs to happier songs.    

4. Start off with a good hook

Choose a song that is catchy and dynamic. Much like an opening sentence to an essay or book, choosing a good first song is essential to keep people interested in your playlist.

5. Include some variety within your playlist

Although playlists are normally centred around a specific mood or theme, having very similar-sounding songs all throughout can make them boring to listen to. Including songs that have different sounds, speeds, and lyrical messages will keep your playlist interesting throughout.

7. Test it out

Now that your playlist is finished, it’s time to test it out. If it suits your purposes, that’s great! If not, you can always go back and change it. Today’s various softwares make it easy to go back and add/delete songs.

8. Have fun!

Making a playlist is often just as enjoyable as listening to the end product. Whether your playlist is for your ear’s only, or for other’s to enjoy, you should still have a great time making it. Enjoy, and express yourself.

Some fun recommendations: Uptown Funk, Necessary Evil, Budapest, Flawless, One Love, Floats My Boat, Ayo, Body Language

Emily has been known to spend way too much time in coffee shops and to have a quote for anything. She is currently in her second year in the Arts and Business program at the University of Waterloo, and is majoring in English Rhetoric and Professional Writing. She is a lover of writing, sharks, A Game of Thrones, video games, crossfit, folk music, and the Oxford comma.
I'm a fourth year student at the University of Waterloo currently enrolled in the Global Business & Digital Arts program. I have a passion for UX, social media, writing, marketing and networking!