The pressure to constantly produce content and perform can lead to burnout and mental health issues. Time management strategies and prioritization techniques are critical tools to succeed as an indie music artist without compromising your mental and physical health. Let’s face it, you love making music, or videos, or writing, or whatever creative pursuit you find yourself in the midst of. Or maybe it’s that you used to love it. And somewhere between deciding to pursue your passion and actually pursuing your passion, you have gotten stuck in this place between bills still needing to be paid and wanting to keep creating what you love.
There is this constant pressure, yes to pay the bills, but just in general to keep creating, performing, promoting yourself, and more. And you know that if you don’t do it, no one else is going to do it for you. There isn’t the benefit of having a support system that comes from being signed to a major label or hiring a PR team. It’s just you and maybe a friend or significant other. That can feel very lonely.
In addition, wearing the many hats you wear means long hours with little down time. That can hurt your overall mental wellbeing, not to mention personal relationships. And if you do decide to take a break, your fans (if you are fortunate to have some) are sending you DMs that are well meaning, but turning up the pressure to keep making more songs, videos, podcasts, etc. You’ve thought about giving up, but to do what? Instead, you should consider a few tweaks to your routine and your thought process.
Priorities
There are really two types of priorities to consider. First are the things that must get done today. For example, a doctor’s appointment. It’s scheduled. It’s important for your health. It’s non-negotiable. Eating regularly, getting good sleep. If you have a job that pays the bills, that, too, is a priority. Put these on your calendar in red so you know that they are not to be messed with.
The other type of priorities relate to your long-term goals. Maybe someday you want to be a successful singer-songwriter who can hire a team and/or go on writer’s retreats to exotic locales. Not only do you want to write that song that hits number one, but you want that to be your only job. Identify what that long term goal is for you. Then identify the things you do or need to do to ensure that you are working toward that goal. Set that aside. It will relate to your time management strategies.
Boundaries
Do you set boundaries for yourself? Are you able to say No to others in a kind, respectful way? Or do you feel like you always need to say Yes, to the point of burning yourself out? Way back in 1748, Benjamin Franklin said, “Time is money.” So, think about each 24-hour period as 24 dollars. Every time you say yes to someone, you are spending that much of your $24. Sometimes it’s worth it, while other times it’s not an effective way to budget your time. Carefully consider each Yes you give, while treating the No’s the same way you would decide not to buy something… “I just can’t afford that right now.”
Schedule breaks
Whether you keep a daily schedule or just keep track of appointments on a calendar, it’s important to give yourself brain and body breaks. Schedule the walk, the workout, the time at the gym. While you wouldn’t color code it in red, as a non-negotiable, you should consider it, let’s say ‘orange,’ as in, let’s really try to stick with doing this. Physical activity is important for brain health.
Feel like you don’t have time? Multi-task. Use a voice recorder to speak ideas into your phone as you walk or cycle. Brain breaks can take as little as five minutes of mindfulness exercises, ten-minutes of meditation, using YouTube, Headspace, or the Calm app, or fifteen minutes on the daily wordle or sudoku games. Both physical and mental exercises will help to reduce stress and therefore stress-related illnesses.
Time Management
In addition to breaks, boundaries, and priorities, basic time management dictates that you try to schedule your more important tasks. Red tasks and priorities come first. Then fill in the next level tasks, including the things that will help you to achieve those long-term goals. Almost every day should include tasks that you can identify as part of the bigger picture. Posting on social media, making the lyric video, going into a writing session, etc.
But here is the trick. Those tasks that relate to your priorities often overlap with the things you like to do or want to do or must do. As you look at your daily schedule, or to-do list, put a star next to anything that you can identify as part of that bigger picture. It will make the most mundane task seem much more purposeful.
And it’s a good idea to work toward reducing distractions by silencing any notifications for 25 to 30-minute increments. Trust me, the world will not end if your phone is on Silent and you miss a message, only to get back to it in a half hour. But to put your mind at ease, set a timer to stay focused on a task and keep working on that thing. Then give yourself a five- or ten-minute break and get back to the task. This intentional focus is a terrific way to get something done that might otherwise eat up days of unfocused time.
Which one(s) will you try first?
In conclusion, trying to implement all of these changes, from prioritizing, setting boundaries, scheduling mental and physical breaks, and, time management techniques, can seem overwhelming in and of itself. Try just one new thing to start. Give it a few weeks. If it helps, keep it. Then try a second new thing. You don’t have to do it all, but one or two things could make a significant difference in your focus, your achievement, and your motivation to better your mental and physical wellbeing, as well as your career.
Wendy Wheeler provides educational and productivity coaching and creative problem solving while helping clients focus on the skills necessary to achieve their goals and become the best version of themselves. Contact her at Wendy@TheWorldisYourClassroom.net