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8/17/2011

How to make time to practice

It can be hard to find time to practice, which is why this article listed 33 ways to make more time for music-making.

Here are some excerpts:
  • "Disconnect. Power down your computer–or if you absolutely need the thing for some reason related to your practice and studies, sever it from the internet. Switch off your router. Close all unnecessary windows."

  • "Banish Television. On your deathbed, will you regret not seeing this particular episode of “Generic Man and his Comical Family”? Alright then."

  • "Timer. Every day, set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Within that time, work on a particularly mundane task related to your instrument or music theory."

  • "Shut off your cell phone. You don’t need the added distraction of incoming texts from National Geographic’s Twitter account. Unless you’re writing about giraffes or the indigenous peoples of New Guinea."

  • "Purpose. Before you pick up your instrument, take a moment to decide what you’ll be practicing. Fix it clearly and firmly in your mind. Then get to it! Stick to your plan and don’t allow yourself to wander."

  • "Set a timer for 15, 30, 60, or 90 minutes… however much you can stand. During that time, chip away at the tiny corners of a big, intimidating project."


Photo from http://letstalkindia.wordpress.com/page/2/

    2 comments:

    1. I've discovered that having voice mail works much better for me than an answering machine. I can turn off the phone, people leave messages, I don't hear a click so am not distracted.

      It's so much easier to turn up the volume on a machine "just to see who it is." And there goes your practice time! ("I'll just say 'hi.'")

      ReplyDelete
    2. Thanks so much for the link, Geraldine! :)

      ReplyDelete