Musings

Ah the eternal trial of time management!

 

I always find my day works better by putting planning at the end of the day, and regular, daily tasks at the beginning of the day.

 

Planning works best with knowledge of the problems, but little need to stay at my computer, or even in my house.

 

Regular tasks that need to be done, by doing them first you don’t get into the position where they don’t happen because you got sucked in. You don’t have them hanging over the task you are working on, distracting you with “hey, you need to do this!”. Best just clear your feet and do them first. That gets them done and you will still get to the fun stuff.

 

Tools, automation, AI, can all help… but only if you actually use them. Tasks, tools, gear you don’t use are just clutter, distractions.

On 8/2/2021 at 9:59 PM, john said:

Tools, automation, AI, can all help… but only if you actually use them. Tasks, tools, gear you don’t use are just clutter, distractions.

 

Absolutely John, you're right about that. With my OCD & being a productivity nut, I think I've had my fair over-indulgence in these distractions you speak of. It just makes it easier to have a note pad & a pen and that's what I've been restricting myself to, at least when I'm brainstorming or planning something. Definitely helps. (Plus I use bullet journaling method to better organise my notes). Reliability in the "methods" you're using to give you results is key. 

 

 

On 9/24/2021 at 7:01 AM, VoiceEx said:

Why? because by giving myself a daily "window" of opportunity, for the soul purpose of improving my craft, I am keeping myself inside a routine that keeps me sharp and focused. That way when i`m starting to work on a actual project, I am already prepared with ideas, and I can get right into it. And music is just one of the things that I am into. I use the same method for all my other creative endeavours.

 

That helps indeed! The Tiny Tunes thing was exactly an attempt in allowing my muse to stay engaged on a daily basis that can seamlessly accommodate itself within my daily practice routine. It's insane yet unsurprising how spontaneity & creativity requires a nuanced sense of discipline & willingness too. Reminds me of the stuff written all across one of my favourite books ever - Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson".

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Mahesh said:

 

Absolutely John, you're right about that. With my OCD & being a productivity nut, I think I've had my fair over-indulgence in these distractions you speak of. It just makes it easier to have a note pad & a pen and that's what I've been restricting myself to, at least when I'm brainstorming or planning something. Definitely helps. (Plus I use bullet journaling method to better organise my notes). Reliability in the "methods" you're using to give you results is key. 

 

 

 

That helps indeed! The Tiny Tunes thing was exactly an attempt in allowing my muse to stay engaged on a daily basis that can seamlessly accommodate itself within my daily practice routine. It's insane yet unsurprising how spontaneity & creativity requires a nuanced sense of discipline & willingness too. Reminds me of the stuff written all across one of my favourite books ever - Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson".

 

 

 

 

post-it notes and a whiteboard are awesome planning tools. Combining them is great for task scheduling.

19 hours ago, VoiceEx said:

 

Actually if your into that sorta thing, allow me to share with you one of the more unorthodox training exercises I use. This is a method whose soul purpose is to force a person out of their creative comfort zone. It is a method I incorporated into music production, which has originates in theater and method acting. A form of structural improvisation, of sorts. It relies on the idea of always accepting the information (as a hindrance), and learning how to adapt accordingly. Here`s how this goes:

 

Once a month, I take a song of mine, any song, and re-make it into a different genre. For example, i`ll take a Neo-Classical action sequence, and turn it into a Russian ballad. I`ll take a medieval liturgical piece, and turn it into a jazz song. What`s the catch? there are three major limitations. One - your song has to be culturally appropriate, and you must include instruments and conceptual themes which correspond with the era, genre, and culture which you have picked. Two - you only have 30 minutes per day to work on it. Three - you only have a month to complete the song.

 

I know it seems strange, and it is easier said than done. But it gets easier with practice, and it works wonders!

 

 

Oh my, that sounds like an absolutely useful practice! As daunting as it sounds, what a beautiful way to study various genres, cultural interpretations of sound & production techniques. Definitely gonna try this @VoiceEx! Thank you for the suggestion!

 

Since it is only for my ears, I'd surely be able to sustain my curiosity & motivation in this pursuit!  😆