HOW TO USE YOUR TIME TO CREATE MUSIC

The whole world is being hit by waves upon waves of content about making music and being productive during the pandemic. But let me share with you a little secret, be it before, during, or even after the pandemic, the only key to greater productivity as an artist (or even any other profession) is to develop a good habit. So the question isn’t about how to find the time, rather it is about how to use your time. 

THE RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK

First things first, you want the worm? Then be the early bird and wake up early. Wake up at least 30 min earlier and use this time to write lyrics or compose a simple piece of music. These 30 min can be a warm-up for the rest of the day. It will leave you thinking about your work all day long. And if you are looking for more than just 30 min, then determine how you spend your time and figure out which time can be properly allocated for a better and more productive task.

You can also work on reclaiming your lost time! Like hanging out virtually with creative friends rather than noodling around, setting a timer for your breaks, taking your music to lunch, dinner, or a cup of coffee, etc. 

THE SHUTDOWN

One can simply not stay away from social media and television. But try to seize the opportunity, whenever you have some free time and invest it in writing, recording, or learning a new instrument rather than scrolling through the phone or jumping from one show to another. Some easy ways to do this are perhaps by putting your phone on an Aeroplane Mode or downloading an app to block your incoming notifications, phone surfing, and limiting your usage.

SETTING YOUR GOALS

Set yourself some clear and achievable weekly goals, without them you will just allow your mind to wander. For example, at the beginning of each week, note down what you are going to do, for how long, and what you want to achieve out of it. And then, make sure you follow through and track your progress along.

THE SETUP

Try making your music books, notebooks, instruments, recordings, and CDs focal in your room. Keeping them somewhere easier to access than the tempting distractions can push you to easily grab and use them.

Those are extremely simple and mere things one can do to use his/her time in a better way. But do keep one more thing in mind, you don’t have to push yourself and rush during the process, rather take your time in writing good lyrics, composing good music, and learning new musical phrases cleanly and in tempo. After all, good things do take time, or else it wouldn’t have taken around two years for Beethoven to compose the Symphony No. 9.