Feeling unmotivated? Here's some quick ways to boost that motivation
May 21, 2024
Eleanor
We all know the feeling of feeling stuck in our practicing. It can feel so draining! Like, where is the motivation!? Look no further. Today we are diving into five quick ways to boost your motivation and get back on track in your practice!
We all know the feeling of feeling stuck in our practicing. It can feel so draining! Like, where is the motivation!? Look no further. Today we are diving into five quick ways to boost your motivation and get back on track in your practice!
It is four o'clock in the evening and you have not practiced yet. You stare at the clock and feel a wash of guilt run over you how in the world could you let this happen? But you have absolutely no desire to practice, or maybe you feel stress about practice. So the time slides on and later and later into the evening, you still haven't touched your instrument. Sound familiar, or maybe even a little familiar. Maybe not four o'clock, but another time. Well, you are not alone and you're in the right place, my friend, because we're gonna dive in to actual steps to beat the drag of struggling with motivation and actually practice, but also be excited about practicing.
Speaker 1:
Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast. I'm your host, eleanor, and after countless practice sessions, a ton of broken reeds and seven different music school acceptances in three different countries, I have learned a thing or two about savoring your practicing, becoming your best practice companion and actively working towards your musical goals, and I want to share this with you because I want you to become your best musical self. Are you with me on this? Let's get started. Hey there and welcome. Today we're going to be diving into the idea of motivation and how you can get it back.
Speaker 1:
The first thing that is really important to think about is to analyze why you might not be motivated. And in order to do that, let's think about what do you feel when thinking about practicing. Because if you are procrastinating your practice or if you are not motivated with your practice, then usually that's because there's a feeling around that practice that you don't like to feel, whether it's stress or worry or discomfort. Remember, procrastination is not laziness, it is the avoidance of a feeling that a task creates. So what is that feeling for you, right? Is it discomfort, is it worry, is it stress? What are these feelings? Knowing why you feel this way can be so helpful as well.
Speaker 1:
So, once you have this feeling, think about why do I feel this way? Right, you know when, like, a kid comes up to you and they ask a question and you answer it, and then they go why and you answer that, and then they go why and you answer that, and they're like why? And all of a sudden it's so annoying. You're just like, just, you know, take my answer for what it is Like. There's no more why s?
Speaker 1:
Well, this, even though it is extremely annoying, coming from a small child, it can actually be really helpful for you to ask yourself why, for instance, I don't want to practice. Why Because I feel stressed when I practice, why Because I'm struggling with the pieces, why Because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah because I'm struggling with the pieces, why Because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And that can really help to get to the root of it. And once you know, kind of, why you don't feel motivated to practice, it can even help to just name it, be like I don't want, I don't feel motivated to practice because I'm nervous because of this audition, and because you say that out loud, that even on its own can really help to minimize the stress. Because you just named it, you're just like, yep, that's that's what you are, that's what you are, um, and that can be really helpful.
Speaker 1:
So once you have kind of figured that out and understood why you don't want to practice, let's dive into some quick ways for you to get back into practicing. The first thing is the 10-minute trick. You might have already heard this because I know I'm not the first to talk about it, but it is so helpful. Say to yourself that you're going to practice for 10 minutes. 10 minutes, just you know, for like for me, I just pick up my elbow and be like, okay, 10 minutes, I'm going to work on this for 10 minutes and once 10 minutes is up, if I want to, I can stop, but more often than not, when 10 minutes is up, I'm in it. I'm like you know, going for it, and I'm like, actually, you know what we could do 10 minutes more, or maybe 20 minutes more, or maybe we could just keep practicing. Because once I actually get practicing, you know when I'm feeling not motivated. Once I actually get practicing, I start to be like okay, you know what this is, this is good, this is good, we started and we can keep going right.
Speaker 1:
The second thing is analyzing your practice schedule. Maybe something in your schedule is making you feel overwhelmed. Is it too much to accomplish in one day? Are you overpressuring yourself? Making realistic expectations of yourself can really help with that motivation. If you're feeling stuck in a rut and you don't feel motivated to practice, then making a huge plan with all of the different things can really make it feel overwhelmed and all of a sudden, you actually don't want to practice even more.
Speaker 1:
We actually dive more into this in episode 23. It is called Human First, musician Second how to set boundaries and take care of your mental health as a musician. In this episode, we dive right into listening to your body and creating a plan so that you have enough time to rest and so that you are excited and rejuvenated once you get back into the practice room. So if that's something that sounds like you know it could be helpful, make sure you go check that out. It is in the show notes. Now, analyzing that practice schedule is so, so, so helpful. So just think about it. You know, with the 10 minutes, is this too much? Am I doing too much? Can I start with a little bit and then ease into more, right? So just think about that. That is a good thing to keep in mind.
Speaker 1:
The next thing is make a list of your goals, big or small, and put them in a spot where you can see them, because daily reminders for when it gets hard can be so helpful. You know, in my room I have so many different sticky notes with different goals, with different things I'm focusing on, with different inspirational things as well, and that is for when I'm having a bad day or a bad practice session. I just look at the wall and it helps me feel better. So make a list of your goals, big or small, and put them where you can see them. So every morning when you wake up you're reminded of why you want to do this. And that can really be helpful for this excitement, because once you realize about the stress, worry and discomfort that you might be feeling, and then you put goals and you're really excited about it, that can be a huge game changer.
Speaker 1:
And the last thing and I think this is probably one of the most important things is to get inspired by other people. I cannot tell you how many times I just feel so rejuvenated and so excited to practice when I have just been inspired by someone else. I mean, every time I go to orchestra rehearsal I get inspired by someone else. Right, it is so, so good to see other musicians to you know, be inspired by them. Now you might be saying, eleanor, how do I do that? Maybe you'd have orchestra rehearsal, but maybe it's not the moment. Or maybe you're just not sure how you can get inspired by other people. And to that I say I got your back, my friends, because the Spring Roundup has just been launched and it is full of musical motivation for you. If you don't know what the spring roundup is. It is full of inspirational things from people on Instagram that I've discovered and found inspirational to things that make my practice session just a little better. And all of this stuff I can't wait to share it with you because I just you know it's so exciting and it's so good, full of motivation. Even like putting this roundup together, I was like you know what I want to go practice, like, I just feel so extremely motivated at the, you know, right now. So if that sounds like something that you need because, let's be honest, we all need a little bit of motivation and inspiration Check out the show notes, because the spring roundup is waiting for you.
Speaker 1:
Let's do a bit of a recap. The first thing is analyze why you might not be motivated. Remember to keep asking why. You know I'm not motivated. Why? Because I'm stressed, why Because of this, why, and the more you ask why about things, the more you can really get to the root of why you don't feel motivated to practice, and that can really really help with just seeing the reason right, and that can that can be a complete game changer once you just have. Analyze the reason. The next thing is the 10 minute trick. Say to yourself that you're just going to practice for 10 minutes and once you actually get in the practice room with your instrument practicing for 10 minutes, by the time 10 minutes is up, more often than not you might be like actually you know what I can practice for longer.
Speaker 1:
The next thing is analyzing your practice schedule, because sometimes your schedule makes you feel overwhelmed. So adding in some time for you or maybe adjusting it so that it's a little more manageable can be so helpful. And don't forget to check out episode 23, human First, musician Second, how to Set Boundaries and Take Care of your Mental Health as a Musician, because we dive right into all of that stuff in that episode. It is in the show notes. The next thing is to make a list of your goals, big or small, and put them where you can see them so that you can be reminded of why you're practicing, and that can be really helpful for motivation.
Speaker 1:
And the last thing is getting inspired by people other people, other musicians and that is all in the Spring Roundup, full of motivation and inspiration, just for you. So make sure to go check that out in the show notes. All right, that's about it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. As always, all the things to do with this episode will be in the show notes from the blog post that goes to this episode, as well as episode 23 and the spring roundup. Make sure to go check that out because, let's be honest, there's some pretty good stuff in those show notes. If you want to support, if you want to show your love and support for the Confident Musicianing Podcast, make sure you give it a follow and I will see you in the next episode. Bye-bye.