Life is just one playlist away from being perfectly soundtracked.

For example, I want to go running, but of course I need the right music to propel me from start to finish. I’m planning a road trip, but the music needs to sound adventurous to hype me up. I’m under a deadline and need something to block out the world so I can focus.

There are thousands of premade playlists that can fill those needs, but often they just aren’t personal enough. Even the playlists being automatically created for us each week by our music services sometimes aren’t quite right.

So how do you nail the perfect mix of songs every time? How do you make a playlist that hits just right for that special occasion? We talked to four music lovers inside and outside the music industry, some of whom work at Spotify and Pandora, and here are their tips.

Find a starting point

“For me, it’s less about the linear steps and more, what’s the creative spark for the playlist, because there’s always one,” said Meg Tarquinio, head of curation strategy for Spotify. “I think the best playlists start from an eccentric and eclectic idea and go from there.”