Time Thieves

Time isn't an ally for most of us. Often another year has passed, we haven't done much, musically, and this comes crushing home usually around tax time in April. Here are a ways you can work more useful time into your schedule, so you have more to state next year on your Form C.

DOES THIS ACTIVITY HELP MY MUSIC?

This should be a question you ask about EVERYTHING you do EVERY day. Work that supports your musical endeavors is just fine, and is something you should do if your songwriting has yet to provide a livable income. TV watching is NOT something a musician should be doing, and neither is spending a lot of time gabbing about something on the Internet, unless it is something you write songs about. Try strumming your guitar, or writing a new lyric, doing housework, or spending quality family time, so that those precious moments aren't cutting into your music later on. I've seen many bands fail because members would rather watch a cartoon than practice, and got angry at bandmates who refused to accommodate their addiction. Bad habits like substances, fast food or shopping could also cut into writing or practice time, and make it hard to keep a roof over your head or your instruments out of hock. If there is something you can give up, do-it is simply a matter of deciding which you love more.

HOW CAN I SQUEEZE IN SOME MORE MUSIC?

Besides listening to the radio or one of your own songs while you work or play, or exercising to help your playing, here are a few other ideas. Your filing system at home should be dedicated at least partly to your music. Make sure you have files clearly labeled for things like blank PA and SR forms, the site clearly bookmarked on your computer so you can print more out when needed, and your returned forms where you can find them. Make sure you have all your old tax information clearly filed by year in case of an audit-few things will eat more of your time if you need to go looking for things in piles of junk. For that matter, spending five minutes every day taking one page at a time out of a junk box and filing it in a reasonable manner will clean up that mess and steal back a lot of time for practice, as well as probably clear out a lot of clutter in your home. The same goes with just picking up your clothes and putting them in an old box if you don't have a hamper, and sorting them as wash, mend or giveaway. Don't waste a lot of time on any of this, but just 5 minutes a day on each room in your home most people find is all they need to keep things livable, and give them plenty of time for things they would rather do. In fact, doing a little everyday of things like taxes, working on a Christmas present to save money, or putting your change in a piggy bank can all do a lot in the long run to save you money and time that you can use for music later.

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