Songwriting and Time Management

Time management skills are important no matter what you are trying to accomplish. It would be nice if I had some. They're especially important if you're trying to make something a career when you still have to work a regular job. When so much of your time is taken up by a full time job, you need to manage the time you do have wisely. That means that your off days are not off days. Those days you are not at your job are days for you to be working towards something that's more important to you.

In a previous post I mentioned the importance of having your planner (notebook/schedule/whatever you use) full of activities that will in some way move you forward or at least keep you facing in the right direction and focused on your goals. Don't view your free time as free time. If you want it to become your job then treat it like it is your job. If you act like it's just a hobby that you're only involved in when you "feel like it" then it will most likely always remain a hobby.

Let's say you have a day off and you would normally work an eight hour shift at your job. What are you gonna do to work on what you really want your job to be for eight hours? That's what time management is all about-taking the time that's available to you and using it to be productive.

For me, it's not so simple as setting aside eight hours to work on something. I find it more helpful to assign activities to each hour. For example, I might spend two hours just going over the lyrics that I have, adding to them, and editting them. Another two hours can be dedicated to reading and educating myself on songwriting techniques and music in general. That leaves me with four more hours to dedicate to doing other research, looking online for opportunities, bands, and writers to connect with, taking part in writing exercises, and taking a look at what other songwriters have done to become successful.

It may seem like overkill to assign an activity to each hour and for you it may be. I find that when I don't break it down like that it's more difficult for me to stay focused and accomplish as much as I can with the time that I have.

No matter how you plan your time, the bottom line is that you need to make sure you use the time you have wisely. If you want something to become more than just a hobby then treat it that way.

~Eliza

What's in Your Planner?

So do you really want to move forward and start pursuing your dreams? If you do it's not just about what's in your heart or your songbooks. It's also about what's in your planner?

If you really want to turn something into a career, taht means you've got to work harder than you are now and that most of your current free time is now work time. And all of that means that your planner should be full of activities that are going to help you move forward.

On days that you are working at your job, your list of career related activities will be short. For example, let's say your schedule for the day allows you three hours for you to do what you want with. Devote an hour to revisions. Devote another hour searching online for opportunities to perform or network. Devote another hour to practicing what you've got. Even if you don't have the whole day, use the time that is yours wisely. Make the most of it.

On days that you have to yourself you can obviously accomplish much more. Don't just list activities that you want to do. Create an hour by hour to do list and stick to it. Life can get in the way and vague lists will get you nowhere, but if you schedule your time throughout the day to be used for certain things it will be easier for you to accomplish those things within your time frame.

Get out your planner or whatever you like to use and take a look at it. If it's not as full as it should be, fill it.

~Eliza

Bits and Pieces

Occasionally I will be working on a song and all of the lyrics will come to me at once. This has only happened a couple of times, with songs such as "Angelface" and "Damage". Most songs will come to me in bits and pieces.

It will often be one single moment that I write about, as opposed to an event in my life. And because it is only one moment I will only be able to write a few lines. Since so little happened in that moment I find it difficult to complete those songs and build an entire song based upon those few seconds or minutes, yet for some reason those few lines tend to be the most provoking and meaningful lines in my songbooks. It may be because those single moments can still be the most memorable. For example, I have written two songs about an illness I struggled with in high school, but I have written dozens of lyrics that are still incomplete that were inspired by a sentence or two someone said to me.

These songs that come to me in bits and pieces are very frustrating. I want to finish a song, but if I force it I am unhappy with the outcome. That's why I've learned to write down every lyric. When it comes to me I'll grab whatever's nearby, which can happen 0-20 times a day, and save it to look over later. (They usually tend to come to me when I'm busy with something else.) When I have time I'll read it a few times and if I think it has some potential I will then write it in my songbook.

It can be an irritating process, but it's better to save those lyrics that have potential and take a lot of time revising and completing them than missing out on those opportunities. Just because a project can take a long amount of time doesn't mean it's not worth it.

~Eliza