My Routine

Practicing requires commitment and consistency. My practicing routine is my commitment and consistency made real, every day. Every idea, dream, goal, plan and wish I have about playing music becomes real through my practicing routine.

This is my routine.

• I practice for two hours a day, starting right after breakfast.

• I plan to practice every day. There are days when I can't. (These are rare.) There are days when I can't get two full hours in. (These are also rare.)

• I have a desk set aside for practicing. I use it whenever I practice at home, which is most days.

• I use a notebook every day.

• I have a plan for each practice session, which is consistent, but not identical, from day to day. At the moment, it looks like this:

  • Section 1. Mechanics – 40 minutes. These days, this is mostly about using a pick.

  • Stretch and stop thinking about practicing for 5 minutes.

  • Section 2. Repertoire – 40 minutes. Usually my own songs.

  • Stretch and stop thinking about practicing for 5 minutes.

  • Section 3. Project – 40 minutes. My current musical project independent of my own songs.

  • Stretch.

    I revise the plan every two months or so.