I work best with a routine. Lately, I realized I had four distinct areas to work on in my musical journey: guitar playing, vocal training, songwriting and recording, and preparing for gigs. On top of that, there’s marketing.
I was trying to do a little bit of everything every day. The result? I started feeling overwhelmed. There was always more to do, and some days it felt like I was making very little progress.
So I took the problem to my guitar instructor. His advice was simple: stop trying to do everything every day. Instead, focus on one or two areas at a time.
Think about weightlifting. You don't work every muscle group hard every day. You alternate your workouts, giving each area focused attention while the others recover.
The same principle applies here.
I used this approach when I ran my law firm: focus on a few important things, do them well, and then move on.
So I've created a daily schedule for my musical work. Today, Monday, it's guitar drills and vocal scales.
We'll see how it goes. But at least I know what I'm supposed to be working on each day. That alone takes away some of the overwhelm.
Sometimes progress isn't about doing more. It's about having a plan and focusing on what's in front of you.
Now, let's see if I can stick to it! 🎸