Making Excuses Instead of Making Time to Practice

Making excuses = Easy!
Making time to practice = Hard?

Making excuses for not practicing. 

Most guitar teachers have heard them all. We were out of town, I had to study, I had tests all week, I had a hockey, soccer, basketball or baseball game. While we don't expect you to give up these activities, it is amazing how there's always time to do these instead of practicing. Try to think back upon what you did all day, then tell me honestly that there was absolutely no wasted time and that getting the guitar out was not possible. There are more and more time wasters now than ever. Sending texts, video games, cell phones, ipods and countless other forms of entertainment are available to distract you and make you feel like you have no time.

Making time to practice.

Impossible thought it seems, almost everyone can find time to spend practicing their chosen instrument. Like everything else, it's easy to let it slide, and the more you let it do that, the easier it becomes to not practice. Miss a couple days in a row and pretty soon the excuses and perceptions will make it seem like you really don't have the time. Setting priorities, having a relaxing, quiet space to practice and not watching the clock are all viable solutions. Like in all worthwhile endeavors, even a little practice each day is better than none at all.

Developing your passion.

It's funny, but there always seems to be time to do the things we really love and enjoy. Explore the versatility of the guitar. Listen to as many different kinds of music as you can and be open minded. I'll mention a type of music and without hesitation a student will tell me how much they dislike that style. A lot of times it's because they're not familiar enough with it, or, they just didn't give it a chance. Open your mind and your ears and you may be surprised at how moving a particular song, artist or genre of music can be. When you hear something you like, explore it further. There are so many ways to play guitar it's almost guaranteed that something will move you and make you want to learn more.