Songwriters, Let’s Get Organized!
It’s far too easy to end up with an acoustic guitar laying on the bed, sheets of paper thrown all over the room as if they were giant confetti, and a work area that doesn’t look like…..well-a work area!
If you’re serious about learning songwriting or actually writing your next hit song you have to take organization seriously in order to inspire a healthy songwriting environment. Studies have shown people experience better moods, less stress, and better work production when they work in a clutter-free environment.
A recent study also revealed people wasted approximately 1 1/2 hours a day at the workplace while looking for items misplaced or because they were distracted. How does that apply to songwriting? That’s easy.
For starters, let’s say you’re learning songwriting basics and techniques in your bedroom by studying a book such as The Craft Of Lyric Songwriting and you’re taking notes. If your room is messy, chances are one of the loose leaf papers containing important notes will fall somewhere unexpected, in a corner mess pile without your knowledge. Picture yourself coming back the next day only to search frantically for those wonderful notes, or worse yet, the magical lyrics and chord progressions you wrote down but can’t remember!
The ten minutes you’ve tirelessly spent looking for your notes could’ve easily been invested in learning or actual songwriting.
Whether you’re single, married, or live with a roommate, it’s difficult to channel total concentration on any task when you know your house or apartment is filthy. Personally, I do much work (including writing this blog) on a laptop but I do have a work/mini-song production area in my bedroom at home, and it’s a constant struggle to keep my little workplace area spotless all the time.
Why not give the clean workplace a try?
If you want to, here’s a simple way to get the job done over the next few days. First and foremost, start cleaning each room or area of your house or apartment, one at a time for about ten to fifteen minutes a day until you’re satisfied:
1. On day one, clean and vacuum the living room. Put back misplaced objects and get rid of unwanted ones. Remember, NO CLUTTER!
2. On day two, clean your kitchen! This is where you eat your brain food for songwriting ideas, so get this one done and out of the way.
3. On day three, clean the bathroom so it’s presentable and comfortable to use. What does this have to do with songwriting? Stick with me.
4. On day four, clean all other bathrooms if there are any more.
5. On day five, clean your workspace, be it in an individual room/area or your bedroom, and remove all clutter. Place all relevant songwriting books in a specific area so you can easily find and reference them without having to ask your German Shepherd if he ate the book or not!
6. Repeat the process.
Initial cleaning times may vary, but if you’re like me, you have to keep working at maintaining a clean house, so here’s a great housewife tip from a big burly man like me:
Spend no more than 10 minutes a day on each area before you sit down to concentrate on songwriting. You’ll have a healthier atmosphere to work in, you’ll have your body and mind warmed up and alert, and you’ll be more productive (any experienced songwriter will tell you this is so true) because you won’t be worried ever again about having to abandon your songwriting in order to throw all the dirty clothes as well as that broken miniature replica of the Empire State Building in a closet before your friends knock on the door!
Oh, by the way, this works for webmasters and bloggers too!
