Whatever plays in your earbuds at 11 p.m. is writing tomorrow’s mood. Pick the author on purpose.

Music does not just accompany a mood, it argues for one, and late at night the argument goes mostly unopposed. Whatever you are listening to as you fall asleep tends to still be running when you wake, in the tone of your first thoughts rather than the words. None of this means avoiding sad songs, which have their own use.

Notice what you tend to reach for at night and whether it leaves you steadier or heavier. Keep both kinds available, and pick on purpose rather than letting the last song choose for you.