#042: Use Your Practice Time Wisely - Even If You Can Never Stick To a Plan

Sometimes planning is counterproductive. 

I know this sounds strange coming from me because I am a huge advocate of having a plan and working the plan when it comes to your practice. That’s truly the secret of being able to play the music you want and creating harp happiness over the long haul.  There’s power in a well-conceived and consistently executed plan, particularly when it comes to your practice.

But planning doesn’t come naturally for everyone. The good news is that it isn’t the only path to progress. 

In my house, my husband is the true planner. For example, while I was working on this podcast, he was browsing the web, planning out activities to schedule for a trip we have coming up. I like to do my research on these things too, but he likes to have everything planned out day by day as soon as possible. I prefer to get where we’re going and get the feel of the place before I make my decisions. I want to get my bearings, to sort of smell the air. Every place has its distinct energy and atmosphere and I want to know what that’s like before I commit myself to an itinerary. My favorite moments on a trip are the serendipitous ones, like the places you find by accident or the locals you meet in a sidewalk cafe or pub. Fortunately, my husband loves those moments too and we manage to make our vacations a blend of things we plan and things we stumble on.

Of course you don’t want to stumble through your harp practice, and neither do I. But our practice time should be productive and creative, about making progress and making music.

If you’re the kind of person who resists planning their practice, or who thinks they should but can’t seem to stick to a plan, then this podcast will give you the permission you’ve needed to go with a practice style that feels more intuitive and natural for you. Or if you just need a change in your practice routine or something to get you through a low-energy day you’re going to love this one too. Or if you find yourself up against the clock - you have a busy day and not enough time to do the kind of practice you’d like  - I have some shortcut practice strategies that will keep your momentum going and put those nasty guilt twinges where they belong - in the trash!

This one is for all you free spirits, creative types, busy people or for any of us with a touch of spring fever. It’s time for a change of pace. 

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Check, Check! What's Your Level? Webinar
• How to Feed (or Find) Your Free Spirit – and Still Get Practice Done blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]