how to practice when you’re tired

i used to have a teacher tell me, “you can sleep when you’re dead.”

she famously practiced for ungodly amounts of time, and encourages her students to do the same. how can you argue? she practiced that way and become a world-renowned musician, and she’s one of my musical heroes.

well… is that a healthy way to live? is that really how to become a professional musician?

think about it: obviously the less you sleep, the harder it is to think clearly and practice effectively. 

but if you’re constantly finding excuses not to practice, then over time you’ll be surpassed by other musicians who are more dedicated.

i spent many, many days of my audition preparation practicing until late at night, until midnight or later.

and if you want to compete in this olympic level sport of professional orchestra auditions, you can’t just think about the simple decision of whether or not to practice. you need to find a way to be maximally productive all the time. here’s an equation that can help you understand productivity:

TIME × PRODUCTIVITY = OUTPUT

the goal isn’t to practice the most, it’s to raise your productive output.

if you increase your TIME SPENT PRACTICING, and if you can find a way to USE THAT TIME MORE PRODUCTIVELY, then you can MAXIMIZE YOUR PRODUCTIVE OUTPUT.

this video is about how to practice when you’re tired.

i’ll walk you through a few tips that will help you achieve these goals:

goal #1: find ways of tricking yourself into practicing for longer periods of time, and

goal #2: find strategies to increase your productivity while in the practice room.

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want to be maximally productive
even when your exhausted?

check out my checklist with tips and tricks.

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