My practicing routine

Aug 4

What's a practice routine?

My practice routine is an outline. It shows the broad subjects I want to cover and the blocks of time I assign to them. This is the routine for June and July 2021 (I update it every two months or so):

Mechanics (40 minutes) These days, I'm focusing on using a pick.
- Break (5 minutes) Stretch and get away from music.
Repertoire (40 minutes) Practice songs I've written.
- Break (5 minutes) Stretch and get away from music.
Project (40 minutes) Either preparing for a performance, or studying new songs.

The structure has been consistent for most of 2021. Three 40-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks turns out to be a good way for me to do two hours of practicing. And 40 minutes is a good amount of time per subject for me. I can usually get deep enough into it without wearing it out. More subjects would mean more, shorter blocks and less time per subject.

I can't really add more practicing time, for three reasons:

There isn't room in my day for more;
I usually can't concentrate on practicing for more than two hours; and
my back, shoulders, and hands often get tired after that long, even with breaks.

If I'm playing or rehearsing later in the day I'll shorten the blocks or leave one out. This conserves energy, alertness and physical strength.

My routine shows what I'm going to practice but not how I'm going to practice it. The 'how' changes from day to day. That keeps things interesting and allows for learning and growth. But there are comfort-zone gutters on either side of this approach:

Having too much consistency - doing the same thing over and over and never stretching or changing.
Having too little consistency - doing whatever comes to mind every day without any connection to the previous day's practicing.

Ideally I'm always working on the same improvements but varying my approach each day.