You can do it all.
Repeat.
You can do it all. What you can’t do, however, is do everything at once or create a day that’s longer than 24 hours.
The two most important aspects of time management are acceptance and choice. When you think of time in terms of acceptance and choice, you are never “wrong”, “bad” or “lazy”, you have simply made certain decisions. However, when you think in terms of discipline and willpower, your inner critic can really get to you. We already have low self-esteem as artists; let’s not add to the problem!!
An example of this from my own life is that I choose to live alone rather than with a roommate; that means I also choose a higher rent and the need to generate enough income to cover that rent. When hidden thoughts of resentment or self-pity come to mind, I need to remember the choice I made, and I need to accept that this is the way things are for now.
Here are some tips for using choice and acceptance to manage your time.
Decide what you want to have time for. What keeps getting pushed into the background or rushed? How will you spend your time once you’ve fulfilled your songwriting dreams and become the artist you’re meant to be? Feed this vision until it is clear in your mind. It is essential to know what you are working towards. Remember, you won’t always be that busy unless you decide to be.
Choose not to be so busy: For a week, track your time using a time log. You can make one yourself; simply record (on paper or on the computer) your day in fifteen minute intervals and then record what you do in each of those blocks of time. Completing a time log will illuminate how much time you are spending on different things. Look carefully at the choices you are making. What do you most want to do with the time you have available?
Accept your day job for what it is: a source of financial support you need to eat and live, and write songs! Practice being grateful for the job you have, rather than resentful of the time it takes away from your time writing songs. For example, what recording equipment, CDs, manuscript paper, software programs, or musical instruments have you bought with the money you earned from this job? In addition, the job gives you life experiences and, most likely, many opportunities to interact with other people. Your passion is communicating with people through your music. How can you take some of that passion and apply it to your daily interactions? What kinds of stories do your co-workers have to tell? What ideas spark you that you can use in your writing?
Find a “day job” that is meaningful and takes you in the direction of your dreams. Do you need some ideas? Try meditating to access inner wisdom and spiritual guidance. If writing songs is your main passion, what is your second passion? What ELSE gets your juices flowing? There is no need to be in a job that doesn’t make you feel alive, to support what does. Some artists I know get a lot of satisfaction out of teaching children or adults about their craft. Others take jobs that involve public speaking, to gain more experience and confidence speaking in groups. Some take jobs at music stores, where they can have plenty of time to learn about the newest gear, meet lots of fellow artists, and get a discount, for starters!
Schedule time with yourself to write songs, collaborate, and rehearse. Keep these dates with yourself and with others as sacred appointments!
Be good to your body and don’t sacrifice sleep for productivity (if you keep doing that, you won’t be in good shape to produce anything!).
There are only a couple of things that we really NEED to do every day. Everything else is a choice.
This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (November 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com.
(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.