This is a guest post written by David Andrew Wiebe
If you’re having trouble prioritizing music in your life, you’re certainly not alone…
Most of us artists are well-intentioned, looking for opportunities in the margins of life to create masterpieces we can share with the world.
But for some reason, it doesn’t always work out that way, does it?
Well, there is a way to ensure you prioritize music in your weekly schedule, no matter how busy you think you might be.
The question is…
Are you willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen?
If you want to find out whether you’re going to make the cut, read on…
Book a Weekly Band Rehearsal Session
Now, before you say to yourself “I’m a solo artist” or “I’m a producer, and I don’t have a band” hear me out…
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a solo operation or not – you can book a weekly rehearsal, practice, or beat-making session for yourself, and you should!
If you can get others involved, that is best, because then you will have built-in accountability to show up. Even if you must use Zoom, it’s better than not having any support.
Either way, make it your priority TODAY to set up your “rehearsal,” e.g., from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on Thursday night. Put it in your calendar and be 100% responsible for the session regardless of whether anyone shows up.
Treat it as a life and death matter, not as a casual weekly occurrence. I can assure you music entrepreneurs treat their businesses as a life-or-death matter. Learn from their example.
Building consistency in your schedule will see you finish many things. Being casual about your music categorically won’t.
Create a Deadline for Your Next Release
Let’s not cut ourselves any slack and focus on “short-term” goals. We all know that we don’t reach our goals most of the time, and we don’t get to blame anyone else for our failures. Adults don’t make excuses for their failings.
Let’s create deadlines instead.
As I’ve demonstrated before, deadlines are effective regardless of whether you consider them “positive” or “negative” motivation.
And it doesn’t matter if your deadlines are enforced by you or someone else. Either way, they WORK!
My life revolves around deadlines. If I did not have them, I would not be the producer that I am. I would not be anywhere near as accomplished as I am without them.
Set an aggressive deadline for your next release (single, EP, or album) and work daily towards its achievement. That ought to help you prioritize your music.
Be Unreasonable in Demanding More Time for Your Creativity
Let’s forget being “realistic” or “reasonable” or “level-headed” or anything of the sort. My experience is thinking this way doesn’t get anything done…
You’ve only got so much time to make your mark on the world, and if you don’t 1) master prioritization and 2) master the act of completing projects, you WILL die with your music still in you.
20 now? 30 is coming sooner than you think. 30 now? You’ll be 40 in the blink of an eye.
Now, your age should hold NO power over you whatsoever. Your age and aging are two ENTIRELY different things…
But I haven’t met anyone on their deathbed who said, “I really wish I spent more time browsing my Facebook feed.”
DEMAND time for your music. Ask your boss to let you go home an hour early. Ask for an extension on your paper. Ask your roommates to clean up on your behalf (or ask them to wait until the weekend). Get in the habit of asking for the unreasonable!
If you take drastic measures in prioritizing your music, guess what? You’ll naturally prioritize it more because you’ll FEEL the consequences of not using the time you freed up wisely.
Move with Urgency in Everything
Everyone CAN move with urgency. It’s just that most DON’T.
Most of us tend to think there will always be more time, and we’ll be able to find some time “later” to achieve our goals.
And the brutal truth is, if we don’t make time for what matters now, it’s not going to happen. As CD Baby founder Derek Sivers says, goals shape the present, and if they don’t, they’re bad goals!
Let’s be realistic. You have a job, a significant other, maybe some kids, a pet, or a combination thereof.
Everyone uses the same excuse, that when they get home from work, they’re too tired to do anything, so they put the boob tube on and procure a glass of wine, which only makes them feel worse about themselves and their lives.
If you want to ensure that your precious creative time is protected, you’ve got to move with urgency in everything.
Time is democratic. We’ve all got the same 24 hours in a day!
As a byproduct of moving with urgency, your performance at your job will improve, your boss will promote you, and your significant other will be so happy the relationship is finally going somewhere (because there’s urgency behind it).
Most importantly, you’ll make strides in your music career too.
Create Your Performance Schedule
Last but certainly not least, creating a performance schedule will see you prioritizing your music as never before.
Again, it doesn’t matter whether it’s “positive” or “negative” motivation – we need something to light a fire under our butts, and trust me, booking out your gigging schedule will.
If you’re new or just getting started, make it your goal to perform at least once per week.
But if you’ve been at this for a while, and you’re serious about your music, you should be making it your goal to get out there three to five times per week.
And the question I always get is:
“How, David? HOW?!”
Here’s how:
- Make a comprehensive list of venues (and potential venues) in your locality.
- Find all the open mics, open stages, and jams, in your city.
- Identify places to perform in a 100-mile radius (especially if you live in a small town).
- Volunteer to play at soup kitchens, churches, charitable events, and the like.
- Jam at the park, at a friend’s backyard party, by a campfire… seriously, make something up if you need to! It’ll be worth it, I promise.
If you’re out there three to five times per week, you WILL memorize your songs and lyrics. Your performance WILL improve. And if you keep at it, you’ll be playing like a PRO in a couple of years.
The time to get going is NOW.
It’s Time to Prioritize Your Music…
Look, if you take all the above and action it in your life, I have NO doubt you will see results.
The only problem is we’re human. You’re human. I’m human. Right?
And because we’re human, when we learn something and don’t take notes, we kill momentum. When we don’t apply what we learn right away, we kill momentum. When we don’t stay consistent in our actions, we kill momentum.
We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to keeping the ball rolling… see what I mean?
Even worse, what we don’t buy, we don’t value. The above could be million-dollar advice (honestly, it is) and because you didn’t pay for it, you’re far less likely to do anything with it.
It’s not your fault, and you’re not alone… They don’t teach this stuff in school. Mostly, they just teach you how to be a Jeopardy! contestant, and most people don’t even get that far, do they?
What I’m saying is that we all need support in reaching our goals. We need empowering resources to hold us accountable for taking the actions we need to take to get to where we want to go.
If you’ve ever missed a goal – and I would guess that you’ve already missed more than one – then you know this to be true…
So, the time to try something different is now.
If you’re ready:
Get your FREE copy of the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook NOW.
