Finding Time
soldier4242
Posts: 1,368 Member
How do you all go about finding time to practice your skills. I have been finding time to juggle because my daughter finds it fun but how do I go about maintaining that and still getting some time to play the keyboard? I don't want to sacrifices exercise. I would really like it if I didn't have to sacrifice sleep. Which ball has to drop?
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I don't want to sacrifices exercise. I would really like it if I didn't have to sacrifice sleep. Which ball has to drop?
LOL!!! Dude, if you find the answer to this question, please do share. ;-) That's like the age old dilemma..especially when you have kids. Great that you can include your daughter in your juggling practice, but I'd guess you're going to need alone time to focus on a new skill like keyboard.
For me, the very first thing to eliminate is TV time...whether it's network, streaming, DVDs, whatever. If finding time for something new is that important to me, I gotta lose the idiot box. When I'm sitting in front of the thing more than an hour a day, that's too much!0 -
I guess it all just boils down to making good use of the time that we do have.0
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For me, the very first thing to eliminate is TV time...whether it's network, streaming, DVDs, whatever. If finding time for something new is that important to me, I gotta lose the idiot box. When I'm sitting in front of the thing more than an hour a day, that's too much!I don't want to sacrifices exercise. I would really like it if I didn't have to sacrifice sleep. Which ball has to drop?
I agree completely -- I was working all day every day until 9pm or so, then watching TV for 2 or 3 hours and going to bed. I've been trying to get up earlier (not a ton, I'm basically a vampire and being in a band doesn't help with the "early rising" thing) and get my exercise out of the way in the morning. Then, if I work later than 9, the TV time is the only thing that suffers. As for keyboard, try to think of it in little slivers of time...if you have 15 minutes free, learn one scale or chord or the names of the notes. You don't have to dedicate hours at a time, especially when you're trying to get the basics in your head first. I think you'll be surprised how much it sticks when you focus on just one element for a short period of time. Lemme know!0 -
The television definitely went for me. I make my band members catch me up on television shows and pop culture references in the car ride to the gig.
I'm a musician so I have to do a lot of listening and I have a playlist cued up on my ipod and in the car, while cooking dinner, and doing boring household chores, I listen to my recordings. I also mentally "see" my fingers playing these parts when I can't have my instrument in my hands.
For technique practice, I heard about a technique called "round robins" which allows you to cram in a bunch of technique practice in a short amount of time. Divide all pieces into small segments, mix them up into an arbitrary sequence, set the clock and spend a small amount of time, a few minutes, on each segment before switching to the next. You can leave out segments once they are secure and include copies of the ones that turn out to be hard, so they get more time in total, or subdivide those even further. Re-mix occasionally. It's really amazing how practicing something with 100% focus for two minutes yields the same results as practicing it for 20 minutes at 80% focus. Studies show that your focus drops of considerably after doings something for more that about two minutes.
Also, someone mentioned using small segments of time. I have several things that I can accomplish in little snippets. I keep my instrument handy and will copy music and I cut out tricky passages and tape them all on a separate page. Every time I pass by my instrument, I'll spend a couple of minutes running through the tricky stuff. If there is a passage of really tricky rhythm, I might stick that on the refrigerator to practice clapping the rhythm while waiting for food to cook.0 -
I will try using the short bursts of time method and see where that gets me. It has to be better than doing nothing. I don't have cable but I do watch stuff on netflix. I won't flinch on Doctor Who but I tend to watch that one series at at time.0
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Yep, this is a dilemma. I do a bunch of non-music freelance work to make ends meet and it's very hard to make myself put time aside to write and develop that side of my career. I've been doing a little better at it recently, trying to plan my time better, etc.
I feel like taking control of eating/exercise has given me a bit more confidence again. If I can apply that same discipline to my time management and finances then I might finally pass for a convincing grown-up.0 -
Between my daughter, my girlfriend, my dog and friends, I hardly have enough time to do anything. I agree, the TV should be a treat, and not a staple... What I've started doing (and Lord knows that it's frigg'n tough) is incorporating my circle into my life more. When my girlfriend comes over, we can go for a walk with my daughter and dog. When I want to play music, I write with the both of them, asking for their input. It's thinking outside of the box, and getting out of your comfort level. A lesson hard learned...0
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Having almost no discipline when it comes to regular practice, the only thing that works for me is the fear of humiliation as a performance commitment gets closer. If I want to practice more, I should say yes to more performing. BTW I'm a base player in an oldies rock 'n roll band.0
