Music Education

Just 5 Minutes

Anyone can do anything for 5 minutes. Right?

Sometimes when we are busy as adults and we look at something like practicing music, writing songs or doing little bits of other creative projects we think “I don’t have time.” Even though we would likely spend no longer than 30-90 minutes on any one given artistic discipline, this “I don’t have time” thing can be a huge barrier for a lot of people to even start getting into a more regular routine of music making.

I’d like to offer, it’s not the time that we fear. Rather, it is what is occurring during that time we are afraid we aren’t going to have the energy for in combination with all of our other life commitments and scheduled events for the week. We remember how hard “it” was a previous time. We remember that we didn’t complete anything or “get anything done.” We remember how we felt, inadequate. We failed somehow in our own minds. And next time, “we should do this properly, a big time block. Next Saturday, I will block the whole day to practice and I will really improve and show the whole world how great I am!”

In most cases, mentally blocking a whole day or evening isn’t going to be necessary or even work for an adult to get into the habit of practicing more. It’s too much and an overcorrection. In a way, it reinforces a problem that’s already a barrier in the mind: that this is a big deal, when it’s not. We’re just sitting down to do some music after all (this should actually be fun?) When we do an over mental preparation in this way, our minds leaps to how hard this will be and thinks about all the things we can now not do during that time that we may want, or even need to do.
It’s no wonder that people cancel on themselves. It all becomes too much. Too much thinking. Too much planning. Too many expectations. Shut down.

Try thinking about this as being less: Just 5 minutes.

This week, instead of saying “I am going to practice for an hour on Thursday,” try saying, “I am going to sit down for 5 minutes and work on my music today.” Leave a half an hour’s space if you are able to in case you get inspired and want to keep going (or if you don’t have it, doesn’t matter). If you reach the end of the 5 minutes successfully, you reached your goal. If you want to go make dinner now, go make dinner freely. If you feel like you want to go a little longer, go a little longer. Try to do the same thing 4 times this week. One of the days you try this, you will more than likely want to stay longer. Allow it. And the days you don’t want to. Allow it. See where this idea might take you.

Most importantly, see how this approach doesn’t feel like it is taking away from how you want to spend your days, evenings, and weekends. It doesn’t take away from your commitments to other people, your personal workouts or from making healthy meals that may also be scheduled in and around the same times. Give it a lesser commitment time, but make sure it gets done. See how it might grow in time.

Most importantly, see how this approach doesn’t feel like it is taking away from how you want to spend your days, evenings, and weekends. It doesn’t take away from your commitments to other people, your personal workouts or from making healthy meals that may also be scheduled in and around the same times. Give it a lesser commitment time, but make sure it gets done. See how it might grow in time.

“I am going to sit down for 5 minutes.”

Try it a few times this week. Tell me what you think. Did it work for you?