Lesson 2: Urgent = REAL

What seems more achievable?

“You must complete a quality album in 3 months.”

“I’m challenging you to do 50 sessions in the next 25 days.”

The second is a target you can focus on because:

1. It is quantifiable

The first goal is challenging to control because it’s dependent on a “quality” variable.

What you believe is good changes from moment to moment.

So, creating a goal dependent on quality is like trying to kick a ball into a net with constantly shifting goalposts.

Instead, ask yourself this:

“To make 10 quality tracks, how many sessions am I likely to need?”

Then, create a goal to complete that many sessions in the time you’re giving yourself.

This means you’re focused on a measurable goal that is likely to produce the quality you want anyway!

2. It is more “urgent therefore real”

A goal in 3 months is easy to put off til tomorrow.

But a short-term goal in a few weeks is more urgent; it feels more REAL.

This is crucial when you have to keep your music “front and centre” in your daily life.

After all, your daily life is filled with “real and urgent” commitments which knock you off your music.

So, chunking your project into short-term targets is essential.

3. It’s framed as a challenge (or GAME)

I don’t know about you but can’t resist a challenge. I love playing games with myself and others.

(My current 1000 Songs in 1000 Days challenge is another example.)

So, instead of going into my creative process with a serious “furrowed brow”, I choose to give myself a series of measurable challenges with deadlines:

In month 1 "Generation": make as many track ideas as possible
In month 2, "Execution": choose the best songs and make 1st Drafts of them
In month 3, "Presentation": prepare them for Release with production, polish, mixing etc.

You're shooting for a specific, measurable goal every step of the way.
To reach each month's goal, you're completing a fun challenge.

This approach keeps up the fun and excitement.
Particularly during the inevitable ups and downs of the creative process.

Because the way to win is to play against yourself.

Onwards & upwards,

Mike

“How to win:
Compare yourself to you yesterday.”

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P.S. This is lesson 2 of a mini-course called:

Album Alchemy:

How to finish more quality music in 3 months than you usually do in 1 year. Here's all the lessons:

Lesson 1...
Lesson 2...
Lesson 3...‍
Lesson 4...‍
Lesson 5...