Yesterday, I wrote that how often you practice is more important than how long you practice. Building a routine of consistent practice, regardless of how long you spend on it will improve your playing much faster than occasional marathon sessions. Today I want to qualify that slightly, and urge you to commit to practice six days a week. Six. Not seven. Let me tell you why.
Here’s the thing about schedules. Sometimes they break. Something unexpected will come up, and you won’t be able to practice that day. You had the time set aside, you were prepared, and then you had to work late, or the kids had an unexpected school obligation. Someone in your family got sick and you had to go to the doctor. Life intrudes. This happens to all of us. It will happen to you.
How you decide to respond to a missed practice session will make or break your habit. When we fail to meet a goal, due to circumstances outside of our control, it becomes psychologically easier to miss that goal again. If you commit to seven days a week you are setting yourself to fail. And once you’ve missed a day, is it really such a big deal if you skip another? And another? Soon the whole program has fallen by the wayside, and your commitment to improving on your instrument is just another abandoned resolution.
By committing to six days instead of seven, you are recognizing that the unexpected will happen, and when it does, it won’t ruin your commitment, it will have the opposite effect. “Ok, guess that was my day off, now I really have to commit to playing every other day this week.”
And if you make it six days in a row without a crisis, reward yourself. Take Saturday or Sunday off. Sleep in. Eat a long breakfast. Take a bath. Do something fun with the family. No matter how fun playing an instrument is (and it should be fun, otherwise why are you doing it), it will still sometimes feel like work. There will be days when you just don’t want to play. Trust me, no matter how much you love your instrument, if you play six days a week taking one off will feel like a reward, and rewards can be a great source of motivation. Use this to your advantage.
Commit to six days a week. You can do it. And you’ll be amazed with the results.
Happy music making!