How do we stay motivated? We all know it, we start the school year with a high level of motivation to get things accomplished but then gradually as the daily grind begins again, our motivation begins to wear thin…
With Covid-19 causing havoc in our schools and normality far from returning, the start of this school year has been particularly challenging. Flute players and singers especially have been hit hard, having been told we still cannot have face to face lessons! We will return to some kind of normal soon I hope but just how can we stay motivated now that we are approaching the end of September?
Here are my 5 handy tips for staying motivated!
Keep Organised
make yourself a practice schedule and be specific about what you would like to achieve at the end of the week. Heck, even by the end of the practice session! The more structure we give ourselves the more likely we are to stick to our plans. Grab that favourite note book of yours and plan your week ahead, it will be so worth it! Don’t be scared to get specific!
Schedule in the time
Give yourself a regular time where you will pick up your instrument. Having this regular time each day will make it so much easier to fit in as you are expecting it. Even if you don’t feel like it at the time, you will be so glad you did! Remember motivation has to be practiced so by doing this you will see great improvements!
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself
practice sessions don’t need to be hours long! Even just 10 minutes a day will see you make great improvements. I often find students end up not practicing as they feel they don’t have time for the long practice session and then will end up avoiding it all together! Remember, a little bit of practice is better than none! Pick up that instrument and play!
Hold yourself accountable
Having a way to hold yourself accountable is so important. This could be in the form of a practice partner, joining a Facebook group such as etude of the week or by taking part in a challenge! I recently took part in the #100daysofpractice challenge! (You can read my experiences of this challenge here). I highly recommend it if you feel you are in a bit of a funk, I really found that by posting every day I had to keep myself accountable. At the same time as I was doing the practice challenge there were also many other instrumentalists on instagram doing it and it was wonderful to keep each other motivated! If posting on social media is a little too much for you, then find yourself a practice partner. This can simply be a fellow musician friend! Keep in touch and motivate each other to keep striving forward! Or join one of the many incredible closed groups on Facebook, such as etude of the week or orchestral excerpt of the week! These groups are full of friendly fellow musicians who give wonderful feedback and support and it is a wonderful way to meet other people!
Reward yourself
Always reward yourself for completing what you set out to do! Even if that is to give yourself 5 minutes to put your feet up, watch your favourite program or simply have a cup of coffee! Whatever it is, it is important to reward yourself. My go to is definitely having a large oat milk latte and hanging out with my twins!
Motivation isn’t something we naturally have. It is a muscle we have to work and we have to make sure we are constantly aware of it. Stay hydrated, make sure you get enough sleep and be aware of how your motivations ebs and flows throughout the weeks. How do you stay motivated? Let me know in the comments!
Jade x
