Store-bought is fine. As October winds down and the end of 2021 looms on the horizon, many a to-do list is filling out. There’s the end of year holiday bonanza, with the spiders and skeletons barely packed away before Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year takes its spot. Then there’s year-end work rushes, shopping, vacation plans to make, and the dishes still need doing and the bathroom needs cleaning and so on and so forth.

Point is, the end of the year seems to pile an endless amount of things on your plate. And unlike holidays meals, you can’t save it for later. But the more there is to do, the more the body wants to just not. Not do anything but watch Netflix and eat the leftover Halloween candy you totally bought for trick-or-treaters and not you. But things still need doing, and a quality soundtrack eases the burden. A good motivation song should have a bit of tempo but still be soothing, something that can slide in and out of your mental focus as needed.

Here’s a sample of songs that help me get going when personal satisfaction ain’t cutting it. Any motivational songs you love? Leave them in the comments!