How to improve your work ethic to achieve your ambitions

In the music industry, it can be pretty difficult to get things done. With a long schedule of items to accomplish, productivity & a strong work ethic can often be extremely hard to obtain. In contrast, some people are able to work extremely efficiently so that they’re able to become a step closer to their dreams pretty quickly. In this article, we’re going to discuss how to improve your work ethic so that you can achieve your ambitions.

Firstly, persistence is extremely important when trying to establish a strong work ethic. If you are constantly burning out, or unable to focus on a particular activity, there’s a strong probability that you lack persistence. Similar to athletics, you should constantly be building endurance so that you’re able to “grind” efficiently. Essentially, you should be slowly training your brain so that you can work harder for a long period of time. As well as persistence, it’s also worth noting that rest plays an extremely important part in developing a strong work ethic. Instead of working a solid 18 hour day, try breaking it up into smaller periods (such as 3 6-hour shifts of producing music) so that the intense periods of work become a lot more manageable.

To improve your mental stamina, measuring yourself is absolutely essential. If you are unaware of how long you are able to work effectively, there’s a strong chance that you’ll simply burn out and become demotivated. In contrast, doing an occasional “burnout day” can be beneficial for your overall health. If you’re able to work a little more intensely with every work session, it’ll improve your general persistence over a period of time.

Also, try and aim for 10-20% more than what you believe you are capable of. For example, if you’re doing a 5-hour production session, consider working for 5.5 hours so that you’re able to mentally push yourself to overcome any obstacles of not being achieve anything. Plus, it forces you to be a lot more productive.

As well as persistence, focus is a really powerful tool when trying to be productive in the music industry. eg. A tour bus going 50mph for 60 minutes will go a lot further than a bus going 10mph for 4 hours. If you’re able to focus all your energy into those work periods, it will allow you to be a lot more productive within your music activities.

Of course, it may be difficult to initially implement those ideas. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of ways in which you can improve your overall ability to focus on your tasks:

• Time yourself. By giving a limited amount of time to complete a task, it will force you to be a lot more productive & efficient during those hours. For example, you could say to yourself that you’d like to complete the drop of a new song within a 6-hour timeframe. If you have limited time to produce it, you’ll be less likely to focus on unnecessary distractions.
• Understand that it can take a while to build focus. If you’re unable to concentrate, give yourself time to adjust (often 20-30 mins). Many producers find themselves unable to focus, and instantly give up because they’ll do it again another day. Even if you’re unfocused, keep working hard in the hope that your focus builds.
• Get rid of distractions. With a cell phone nearby, or social media open in a new tab, it can be extremely easy to procrastinate. Try & remove as many distractions as possible in order to be as productive as possible. Whether it’s a conversation on Facebook or Instagram, a YouTube video, or something else, distractions are detrimental to success.
• Accomplish it as soon as possible. As previously mentioned, timing yourself can be a great way to be productive. Get yourself mentally trained so that you prioritize work in order to enjoy relaxation later in the day. A good strategy is to do the longest tasks in the morning so that you can get them out of the way in order to enjoy the afternoon.

Finally, a common problem faced by the music industry is perfectionism. Whether it’s wanting your new song to be perfect, or ensuring that a track receives a lot of exposure, it’s critical to understand that there are ways to control yourself. For example, you could set two deadlines: One for completing a task, and another for making it absolutely perfect. In the context of music production, you could aim to create a song, and then mix & master at a later date (instead of doing it during the same day).

Work ethic is a common problem faced by the music industry. It’s often the reason why many artists fail to accomplish their dreams, or why artist managers & label executives are unable to fulfill their duties. However, by taking note of these tips, the road to success will become a lot easier due to a strong work ethic. Good luck!