Motivation In Lockdown: What are you doing to stay motivated?
Motivation In Lockdown
What are you doing to stay motivated?
At first we might have thought being at home a lot and so close to your instrument is totally going to equate into loads more practise time… right? But in reality we find that between online school assignments, or conference calls and emails; the couch and video games or a mini Netflix binge just seems a lot more enticing…
Here are some of my top choices to try stay motivated to make some noise!
Create a schedule for having a jam…
At the top of every hour set 5 minutes aside to get some of the pent up energy out. Not necessarily working on anything specific, or anything at all… Just jam! Aside from getting a few minutes behind your instrument in, it will make you feel better! Music raises the serotonin levels in our bodies which make us happier, and being physical releases endorphins which has the same effect - this is a particularly large benefit of playing the drums!
Choose the right things to practise…
When you do sit down to practise with a purpose and not solely a “let loose” jam, what are you practising?
It’s important to be careful with our choices to make sure we’re not pushing too far beyond our capabilities. If you’re struggling to gauge where the bar currently is, and where it needs to be raised to, maybe consider getting a few lessons. Your teacher will be able to guide you along your progression ensuring you make the right steps forward in level of difficulty.
Know when to MOVE on!
It’s so easy to get trapped in that “broken record player” cycle where we go in circles focusing way too much time and energy on a bar or section we’re struggling with! Skip it! You can always come back later.
You might even find the break from that difficult part is exactly what you needed to come back and nail it! Often we just overthink things.
Think outside the box to get inspired!
Choosing a song you like = audio stimulus… what about some visual stimuli?
Watch videos of musicians playing solos, doing covers, and also live concerts to get you pumped up to play around yourself. YouTube alone has an enormous library of videos for a huge variety of instruments.
Set up goals!
Setting goals can be a great motivator, so long as the goal in mind is reasonable; similar to choosing the correct pieces to practise.
Having lessons (online or in person) help make the goals easier to establish. For example, having this weeks materials learned and ready to demonstrate to the tutor for next week are fantastic milestones to reach. Especially because you know the reward is moving on to the next stage or level and improving your abilities further.
Make sure your instrument is ready to rock…
If you need to set up every time to just have a quick session, this will start leading to playing your instrument feeling more like a chore. It’s not always feasible to leave the gear ready to play for sure, but where and when you can, try leave it in a “ready to rock” position!