Vault Recommends: Workday Listens

Welcome back to another round of Vault Recommends! In this series, the team members here at Vault send you their best recs for all things work related. Today’s topic is workday listens—the playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks that we tune into to get through a long day at the (home) office. Whether it’s by jamming out to Taylor Swift, staying up-to-date on the never-slowing news cycle, or escaping Earth entirely in favor of some other, coronavirus-free reality, we’ve got suggestions on how to fill the silence (or block out the noise) when working from home. So grab your headphones, or turn up your speakers, and take a listen!

From Chris Aswad, Account Executive:

Mood Booster playlist on Spotify: It's all just happy, feel-good music, and psychology shows that the music you listen to influences your mood and mental state. So who couldn't use some straight-up happy vibes right now?!

The Wheel of Time series: It's a 14 book fantasy series...it literally is never-ending...sort of like this quarantine.  So I know that I'll pretty much always have this to listen to when I want to escape to a different world.

What A Day podcast: THEY ARE JUST TOO FUNNY. It's a quick recap of the news from the prior day, and they have this cute "temperature check" each episode that's just a break from the news to see what people have been up to or are feeling. And you can repurpose that idea for your friends and family, too (which I 100% have been doing).

From Shelley Awe, Manager of Law School Engagement:

Silence: I know, boring, but I usually need to be distraction-free to write coherent sentences. (So if you’re the same way, know that you’re not alone.) However, when I’m working on something more straightforward, or doing a first draft…

All eras of Taylor Swift: Pandemic or not, more days than not I listen to a Taylor Swift album at some point. Lately, I’ve been on a 1989 kick, but all of her albums get airtime.

The Moth podcast: I’ve been hooked on The Moth ever since attending a live show. I love that you never know what to expect from each storyteller, but you’re guaranteed a set of unique, thought-provoking stories—and right now, a sense of human connection.

From Derek Loosvelt, Senior Finance Editor:

The Brian Lehrer Show: As the Times recently noted, Lehrer has the rare ability to help his listeners, including this one, stay (relatively) calm and relaxed in these crazy, scary, not-normal times.

Marketplace: Somehow, host Kai Ryssdal makes listening to the terrible economic news of the day enjoyable.

"Crucify Your Mind": Just before quarantine, I finally saw the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man about Detroit musician Rodriguez; off and on, ever since, I've been listening to this song of his, which miraculously, immediately, lightens my mood on every listen.

From Kaitlin McManus, Associate Law Editor:

Pop-Punk Powerhouses playlist on Spotify: The coronavirus pandemic has got me feeling nostalgic, and this playlist featuring Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, and other angsty groups from the aughts is feeding that mood.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams: I don't think anyone can blame me for craving escapism, and the audiobooks for this sci-fi comedy classic completely transport me while I'm doing more mundane tasks.

The Protomen discography: This is my favorite band, who wrote a rock opera based on a dystopian version of the world of the Mega Man video games—I find they make a particularly nice complement to lockdown-mode in NYC.

From Claudia Grillo, Managing Director of Recruitment Marketing:

So when I am working, I like to listen to one song on repeat all day. I find listening to one song isn’t as distracting, and I sing along less (though I do bop my shoulders and head still). It all depends on my mood and what I need to get done that day. These are some of my go-tos.

Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s”: When I need to crack down and power through contract drafting, this is my pump-up song. The lyrics and the beat just make me feel confident that I’m going to close a sale, and it helps me put positive energy into my preparation.

Sara Barielles, “She Used to be Mine”: This song calms me down and helps me focus on tasks like reviewing survey data and research. Usually I am high energy, so I need a song to pull me down to focus on data-driven projects. This song is a perfect combo of mellow with a slow build to make sure I’m awake!

Taylor Swift, “The Man”: #girlpower. This song motivates me. It’s a reminder that gender bias still exists, but the uplifting beat is also a reminder to not let that stop you from reaching your goals. So it pushes me to keep working hard, especially at the end of a long day.