I Don’t Have Any Time!
Whether you are a student, a professional, or a hobbyist, there never seems to be enough time to practice as much as one would like. As a result, I am always sharing ideas for how to maximize one’s time. What it really comes down to is planning ahead and answering these two questions:
1. What is your schedule for this week?
2. What do you want to accomplish in your practice this week?
No two days or weeks ever seem to be exactly the same, so it’s important to look ahead and see what the week has in store. Once you know what your schedule is for every day, you will know what time is actually available for practicing. If you have a super busy Monday, you might want to wake up a little earlier to get a session in before your day starts. It might also be that you only have a 20-minute window in between two things on a particular day. By planning ahead, you know in advance that you need to make the most of this window for practicing, because it might be the only time you get that day. Without this advance planning and awareness, one might easily waste those 20 minutes on Facebook or Instagram and end up deeply regretting it later. Short windows of time like this are perfect for working on one thing one your to do list. Maybe it’s a technique like double tonguing, or maybe it’s a particularly difficult phrase in a solo or etude. Either way, if you have a goal for what you want to accomplish, then any amount of time can be effective practice time.
A great way to put practice planning into effect is to have a practice journal, or notebook. The notebook is the place where you write your assignments from your teacher (and any pearls they give you in a lesson!), the repertoire you are working on in ensembles and any other longer-term projects you have. The notebook is also the place where you write critiques when you listen to recordings of yourself, and where you can make a specific practice plan for each session. Starting from the plan for your weeks, you can divide the work between each day, and then into each session. By looking at the whole week at once, you make sure that nothing gets overlooked.
What are your practice time struggles?
