The holidays provide a lot of free time.
And maybe you’re wondering what things to do over break that will move your music career forward.
So I’m going to share 11 ways to stay productive during the holidays.
Do only one thing today
The best piece of advice I can give to part-time musicians is to do one thing a day.
Not two. Not four. Just one.
If you do more than one thing for your music career today, then great.
But because you don’t have much time to grow your career, one task today will do.
And this is even more true over the holidays. Even if you get time off work, you still may have holiday plans.
Whatever the case, it’s all about making little movements over time.
This helps you consistently move forward and not burn out.
Use a to-do list
My music career pretty much runs on my to-do list.
It’s an organized way to get crap done.
It’s a list of all the productive things to do during the holidays that will help your music.
In fact, you can get the special to-do list I use called the Get-My-Crap-Together Cheat Sheet. It’s free.
Try it out. I swear by it.
Grab these FREE to-do lists
Schedule music time
The holidays are usually schedule-free (depending on your family and friends).
So it’s even more important to keep a schedule for your music during these times.
If you can schedule even just 1 hour a day to do music, you’ll end up being super productive over the holidays this year.
Work with your chronotype
A chronotype refers to your circadian rhythms and how they flow. And your circadian rhythms tell your body and brain to go to sleep or wake up.
And there are different chronotypes. You might be in the 5 a.m. Club or you might be a nigh owl.
This idea can be super helpful for those of us who make music early in the morning or late at night (i.e. part-time musicians).
The point is to know when you work best.
And your chronotype can help you figure that out.
You can learn your chronotype by taking this questionnaire.
Enforce Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law is when work expands to fit the time you have.
So let’s say you have four hours worth of work but you have eight hours to do it. You’ll instinctively spread that work across thouse eight hours.
Even though you could’ve gotten it done in four hours.
Apply this to your music. Don’t give yourself all the time in the world and you’ll be more focused and decisive.
Set a timer. Schedule a timeframe in which to do music.
You’ll be more productive that way.
Keep your routine
Usually, all routine goes in the garbage during the holidays, right along with your turkey bones and Aunt Catherine’s gross casserole.
But try your best to keep some sort of routine surrounding your music.
If you normally do music in the evenings, try to stick to that. Or come up with a new routine just for your holiday break.
Routines keep you focused on your priorities. They hold you accountable.
Say no
Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, said it best.
“If you’re not saying ‘HELL YEAH!’ about something, say ‘no’…When you say no to most things, you leave room in your life to really throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say ‘HELL YEAH!’”
Avoid email (but don’t ignore it)
Doing email can feel productive. And yes, you have to do email.
But email can also take way more time than it needs to (see: Parkinsons’ Law above).
So, to be more productive during the holidays, avoid email as much as possible (without totally ignoring it).
Making music is more important than email. Every time.
Take a break
The point of a holiday is to relax. And if you’re stretching yourself too thin because of music, take a break.
So it’s okay to step away from your instrument or computer. Take a breath.
You need to recharge so you can come back and make the best music possible.
Stay active
One thing you can do to take a break is go for a walk.
In my opinion, this is the best kind of weather for walks. The chilliness combined with exercise wakes you up.
Even just a lap around the block can do wonders.
Create a game plan
This is the most important tips on this list.
In order to stay productive during the holidays or any time, you need a plan.
After I made a game plan for my music career…
- I started getting added to the rosters of sync licensing companies
- I started making a consistent supplemental income
- It kept me encouraged and focused
I know having a game plan works because I’ve experienced it first-hand.
And that’s why I share the central part of my plan for free: the One-Thing-A-Day worksheet.
It has helped me find my big picture, set clear goals, and know what I can do today to move forward.
How can I be productive during the holidays? you ask. Make a plan, baby.
Make a clear plan forward
Get the FREE One-Thing-A-Day worksheet