Do you ever struggle with procrastination? Have loads of homework to do in one night? Can’t stay focused or motivated while powering through a study session? Listening to Mario Kart music while doing homework is a recent solution to these roadblocks students face. Video game music is designed to keep you absorbed and focused on the game, and so it’s perfectly suited to keep you engaged with your schoolwork. And what better soundtrack than Mario Kart—the wild, high-speed racing game that gained popularity in the 90s and is still beloved to this day.

A recent trend, started on TikTok, highly recommends listening to Mario Kart music while doing homework. Some claim that they were able to crank out five-page essays in one sitting and finally overcome their plaguing procrastination. This, of course, captured my attention and I had to see for myself. Calculus homework became a breeze and writing for the newspaper began to come easy to me (for instance, this article… wow, meta.) 

I was captivated but wanted to go further than just trying it out for myself, so I put together an experiment within Boulder High. I sent out a survey to some fellow seniors asking them to listen to Mario Kart music while working on school and then describe their experience, and whether they worked better or worse compared to normal or if nothing changed. The responses speak for themselves: Mario Kart elevated the trial of homework to the next level.

Cole Drozdek stated that listening to Mario Kart music while doing schoolwork is “100% better, it’s an absolute BLAST.” After giving Mario Kart music a whirl, Preston Daley said, “It was insane, I genuinely did my homework faster; it was like audible Adderall!” Keeton Hanzlik-Green described the music as “very fast-paced and attention-getting. It became the soundtrack to my homework… it changed it into something fun which was an unexpected effect.” He added, “I also listened to Mario kart music while driving and didn’t crash the whole time!” Luke Kreidl rated his Mario Kart homework endeavor as “10/10, I had an out-of-body experience… DK Summit is truly unmatched as a map and a song.”

The responses keep going with Joshua Kamphuis writing, in high regard, “The music of Mario Kart is not the focus, so everyone knows it’s there but doesn’t pay too much attention to it. That attribute is what makes it good to listen to while studying—your focus is as much on the work as usual.” Sara Reardon expressed, “I worked faster for sure. There was a sense that I was being chased which was thrilling (and motivating)… It also got more challenging to read since my heart rate increased by about 50 beats per minute.” Finally, Ella Webber recounted that “I did my homework so fast you could barely even see me.”

Moreover, I asked these homework racers what other unique tips help them with homework. These included doing your homework right after school to stay motivated, chewing gum, drinking water and putting actual clothes on. Kreidl’s strategy is “trying to do homework for an hour and then falling asleep and doing it later.” Reardon said, “I like to wait until the last minute to do homework. It gives me a competitive edge. I find it a fun challenge to push the limits of my productivity.” Webber controversially stated, “Don’t actually do it; just look up everything on #slader.”

Dodge that blue shell of procrastination and give listening to Mario Kart music a try, and have it take you to the finish line!

SPOTIFY: MARIO KART SONGS https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Imf8Js69c1wSHDj837XDa

APPLE MUSIC: Super Mario Kart Album

https://music.apple.com/us/album/super-mario-kart-album/370185501

YOUTUBE: Mario Kart 8 [FULL SOUNDTRACK] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjnOMrnMQtU