2nd cup of coffee

In order for musicians to achieve their creative goals, they have to learn to be good managers of their time and energy. Professional athletes have a whole team of experts helping them to do their best: coaches, trainers, physical therapists, sprot masseurs, sport psychologists, dieticians, etc. Their time is als planned for them: when they have training, what they do during the training, and for how long, and how intensely. Musicians have to learn to perform all these supportive functions for themselves. They need to learn to manage themselves and their own creative processes. Habits of working can be useful, but sometimes we get stuck in our usual way of trying to do things. We put things off, try too hard, rush about. You can read more about this in the page called Organising your Talent.

2nd cup of coffee
In order to start managing oneself, it helps to set apart a specific time each day to sit for a few minutes and plan what you want to do and how. Take ten-twenty minutes at some time during the day to sit down and have a “second cup of coffee” meeting with yourself. This is a chance to look at your work a second time, and bring wisdom to your actions. It seems difficult at first, but it will make your work more effective. It takes time to learn to take time daily!

Defining tasks:
In this moment, you define what it is you want to do, what is your goal, and what the tasks are that you will do to achieve it.
A goal is a wish for something you want to achieve.
To make a clear plan of action, however, a wish or longing is not enough. You need to define what you are going to do and how. First, define the tasks:

A task is an action that can be carried out in a given amount of time with success.

Read that sentence again. Action – Time – Success

In order to work restfully and with success, all you need to do it to begin to identify what the simple tasks are in your greater plan. In other words, slice your work in to shorter events that can be completed easily in a given time. Your success is then that you have done them! No chance of failure. What a relief!

Start by making a list of what you want to do, then see if you can cook it down to single simple tasks.

You can also try one of these other techniques:

Want to/Need to
Take two pieces of paper and write on one “What I need to do today” and on the other one “What I want to do today.”

To get it all off your mind, write down all the things you think you NEED to do today. Then sit quietly for a minute and think about what you might really WANT to do today. What is important to you?
Now go back to the “NEED to” file. Go through the list and split the items into tasks. See next one:
Some tips:
Perhaps you will notice when you do this that the NEED to activities can often be bunched together in categories like: “small administrative tasks or communications,” or “concentrated work time needed.” Some things that seemed difficult or time consuming may not seem so difficult now. You can bunch simple short things together as an “office hour.” This can free up time for what you want to do.
Now go back to your “WANT to” list. When are you going to start these activities? Are they things that will need your attention over time? Can you put them in your agenda as a real “event” each day? It is good to put the things that you need energy for, or that are important to you, in a time of day that you have the most energy and time! You can treat your personal work time just like an appointment with a teacher or a class; your time alone is just as important if not more!

Coloring your tasks
“A task is something you can do in a given time with success.”
Cut your work in to tasks that can be completed with success
Then for each task write:
1. How long you think it will take.
2. How much energy you need to spend on it? Color each task from RED (a lot of energy) through the rainbow colors to BLUE (rest). You can make your own decisions of what all the colors mean to you.

Then think about:
Which same-colored items can be bunched together and done in one go?
Which tasks you can put off to another day and when?
Which ones can you do today and when?
Which part of the list of what you WANT to do can you do today? How?

Alphabet Soup!
Generally when we think of what we need to do, the natural first reaction of our brains and bodies is to use a lot of effort to do it. Not everything needs a lot of tension to be completed, or even a lot of concentration. Sometimes by over-concentrating or over-tensing we just get in the way of what we want to do. It can help to give a task a rating, or letter, to indicate its difficulty.
A = important, and takes a lot of energy and concentration (playing through a hard piece)
B = an activity that can help an A activity but take a bit less energy. (like practicing a certain section calmly)
C = side activity to A or B that can deepen your understanding of what is needed to achieve what you want. (think of our practice tactics online here, or listening to music, or studying the score)
D = administrative thinking, organising, and also making sure you have time and energy for A, B,C (you are your own secretary, manager, coach)
E = actions that set you up to be in a good state for work. (housekeeping, sports, hygiene, sleep
F = Energy giving free time activities (friends, fun, time alone to hang out, nature, family…)