Sometimes, most of the time, there are too few hours in the day. If you're a musician, then you know those hours are even less. Even if we work in arts administration, that doesn't mean we're not playing or teaching. And playing and teaching requires practicing and extra time-- and we're not all prodigies.
If we have this much on our plate then how do we take care of it all? I realize that I'm blogging to share my experiences with Opera Roanoke. I still am, but post is about the ability to have time for those experiences. Time Management and organization... We're either great at it. Fail at it. Or, in my case, we make some system up that no one else understands. Today I'll talk about how I personally time manage and organize.
Here's a list of things I'm doing currently. Interning, teaching, practicing, writing, and packing (which entails getting anything and everything tied up before moving). How do I do all that? I'm not really sure, but here's my best shot at explaining it.
Unlike most, my time management techniques fluctuate and change often. I'll go through a phase where I write EVERYTHING down. And then a phase where I write down only the things I know I will forget. However, I always make lists, but not everyday. When I feel like I need to put everything into perspective, or I simply have too much to do, I make a list. I may not finish everything on the list in a perfect timely manner, but at least I know what needs to get done, and it does. I think this has something to do with not have a fluid productive mood, instead I have major outbursts of productivity.
Planners. I love planners. But oddly enough, in the summer I don't keep one. I have a notebook, sticky notes, and a phone. Any date or occasion I need to get ready for or remember goes down in one of these places. That or my noggin. Now during school, I keep a planner strictly for an outline of assignments, important dates, and practice time. I couldn't live without it. I also record notes for practicing if I have a lot of literature.
As far as managing my day goes, I write down or either set up a visual in my head of when and what will happen in my day. Right now my schedule has become routine, so I know when I have time to do things. I can get emails, or extra work done in the mornings. Sometimes I'll get up early to practice so that I don't have such a load when I get home (this isn't happen as much right now, it's so hard to get up so early every morning!). In the evening I give myself an hour to eat and relax. I then know, by keeping a list, what I need to do as a percussionist--what to practice and what to listen to. Since I've been teaching Governor's School at Radford, I add a little time to plan out what I'm going to do with my students if need be.
I will have to say that I've spread myself very thin this summer. Sometimes, I have to say "well you're not going to get to practice today" or, I'm working on a project or actually practicing and I'm thinking "you're not doing this productively at all." We have to accept that we're human, and also that we have to sleep sometime. I have a bad habit of letting myself think that I'm slacking if I can't get everything done and done perfectly at that.
Basically I'm a really scattered person, who is organized (mostly)... This my readers is an oxymoron. My ways do not make sense to all, but make sense to me. And this is all that matters. It's whatever gets you through the day. So find you're thing, dig it, and stick with it.
Until next time,
-Matt
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