Ideas to Help Inspire Guitar Practice
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle
Here is a summary of Justin Colletti’s Building the Practice Habit
which has some great ideas to help inspire guitar practice.
- Make a commitment in writing of what your goal is during guitar practice.
- Studies have shown that by writing down your goals and plans, you will have a greater chance of following through on them.
- Be realistic about guitar practice.
- By putting an unsustainable routine together, practice becomes a punishment rather than something to look forward to. Mr. Colletti uses a perfect analogy of how workout facilities in January are full of new people trying to get into shape, but after a few weeks, people give it up. This is usually due to taking on too much in the beginning.
- Make a list of things that might stop you from practicing the guitar.
- What things will prevent you from sticking to a routine? Does checking email or Facebook prior to starting your practice prevent you from following through? Try to reschedule those events to a time where they will not interrupt your practice schedule. By limiting certain triggers, more focus can be placed on the practicing itself.
- Treat Yourself.
- One way to break a bad habit is to keep the reward but use it as a motivator for practicing. One example may be to have a cup of coffee while practicing instead of reading a newspaper or watching a video.
- Social Accountability.
- Studies have shown that by committing publicly what you plan to do can be a huge motivator. This can increase follow-through dramatically, even more than writing down a goal. You may want to let your friends on Facebook know that you have picked up the guitar and are learning how to play.
- Keep track of your success.
- Watching your progress and keeping track of your success in a journal or Excel can really reinforce your commitment.
If you would like to try a guitar lessons, please contact me.
