Photo courtesy of Simon J. Campbell
February 7, 2011 – As you may have noticed, my posting hasn’t been as regular as usual. In fact, I haven’t even had a chance to check out the changes that were completed last week on the collaboration project!
There are some pretty big changes happening in my life right now, and some of it is music related. Even though I’m easing back into a music schedule, it’s hard to find time to actually write. Finding an appropriate time to work on writing has always been a problem for me. How do you find time to write music? Do you schedule regular Saturday afternoons? Do you work on it evenings after your day job? In between baby feedings?
I find myself in a very similar situation. Helping clients create but creating very little of my own music.
With 3 kids I find it hard to block out the big chunks of time. The kids need me and I want to be with them. Plus sometimes I need those big chunks away from music all together.
When it comes to writing for me right now it’s about taking the little times. When I have a spare 15 minutes not using it to surf the web or generally wasting it. It’s not a long time but those little times add up. Plus doing a bunch of short times I always find that I’m fresh. Not replaying the same thing over and over for an hour.
Then when I have something I want to record or share with others I work on blocking out those bigger times.
@Charlie McEvoy: I wish I was as disciplined with those 15 minutes of spare time
HAHA. Careful using the words “as disciplined”. I said it was about using the time. Didn’t say I was great at it. Just trying.
I have found it very useful when I’ve made it work.
Thanks for the photo credit!
Hi Sean,
This article couldn’t have come at a better time.
After 20 months of unemployment, I am returning to the corporate world tomorrow.
If I have learned nothing else during my unemployment, it is the value of structure. When I was employed I complained that there was not enough time in the day and if I had just one month, or even one week, I could really make things happen!
During my unemployment I became more educated, however, I did not get much further with my music and other passions as I could have.
I blame this on having “too much” time, and winding up involved in more than I could handle. I became “time-lazy” for a lack of better words, and did not structure my days accordingly.
Looking back on my previous employment, I actually got more done due to structure as I knew that I had only a certain amount of free time.
When your time is limited you tend to make the free time – quality time, and get more accomplished.
Thanks for the space . . .
Peace,
Bryan
@Simon: Thanks for making the photo cc-licensed!
@Bryan Zimmerman: I’m totally with you on the structured time thing. When I had all the time in the world to work on music, I didn’t and now that I don’t have the time, I really want to. Actually right now I’m doing the live sound mixing for a small musical so it’s actually getting me back into scheduled music time.