Self-motivation techniques

Motivation usually originates within ourselves. But not always good words help, sometimes it needs harder bandages. Or practical techniques to convince the inner bastard.

Acting instead of reacting

As mentioned a few pages earlier, every now and then one tends to blame external circumstances for the current situation. In professional life, this can be colleagues or superiors, in „music life“the record companies and supposed fans, because they criticize the sound or do not accept it as desired. Or family, friends and other obligations, because they demand a lot of time that could otherwise go into music. Or lack of finances, because the studio still lacks hardware or software. In short: The reasons can be manifold, but the causes are usually not because as soon as we blame external circumstances, we are dependent on them and give up our own power and responsibility. The consequences are frustration and stagnation. So it is time to work actively with the available time and resources. And should you ask yourself „for whom?“: For yourself! It is proven that active „tacklers“are much happier and even live healthier.

So there is nothing to lose, only to gain.

The placebo effect

You have probably heard of various tests in which patients with headaches were given different tablets: Some real, others only sugar-based placebos. Both showed subsequent relief of the pain. Why? And what does this have to do with music? Quite simply: body and mind adjust to future situations. If you subconsciously believe in a change - in this case healing of the headache - the body reacts, releases corresponding substances and reserves the necessary power. You can adapt this principle when you are struggling with a task in the studio. So instead of thinking about the actual work, think about the finished, bombastic result.

Training is the be-all and end-all

As the saying goes: „Getting to the top is easy. Staying there is the great art”. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but it hits the nail on the head, because the most important thing for success of any kind is permanent training. In terms of music, this means that you don‘t have to create a hit every day. It is much more important to stay tuned and “in shape”. So don‘t always set your goals for the day at the top, because you‘ll probably end up with frustration. If you don‘t get a hit today, keep practicing standards, building beats, finding new ideas, or going through your sounds.

Setbacks with defeat

Whether motivated or not, there are phases in which nothing wants to succeed. Even if you try hard every day and burn and fight for your music, shipwrecks happen every now and then. In such times you can be frustrated and that is also legitimate. But don‘t be tempted to question everything. Instead, reflect on what you‘ve learned over the last few weeks and months, despite the current failure. You‘ll see that you‘ve done your best and that you‘ve grown personally as a result. And perhaps what you have learned will open other doors? In any case, the following applies: After falling down, get up again, straighten your crown and move on.

The self-confidence account

In the first part on self-motivation we talked about milestones. Setting small goals per day will most likely result in you achieving them. This in turn will make you feel satisfied and increase your confidence in your own abilities. As a result, you will increase your self-confidence and move on to the following tasks strengthened. So avoid making promises to yourself that you know you can‘t keep, and prefer to take small steps that can be successfully mastered.

Turn problems into opportunities

The mix doesn‘t pump in the club and the new track doesn‘t go down well with any label. The first and natural reaction should be disappointment, because who is happy about such feedback. But the next action you can choose freely: Either you are frustrated, annoyed, discard the track and then probably get even more annoyed. Or you see the supposed failure as a chance to make it even better. In the case of the mix example mentioned above, the problem is likely to have technical causes that can be solved with A/B comparisons with other tracks, for example. In the label example, on the other hand, maybe you didn‘t research long enough to find a really suitable label? Question yourself, analyze the reasons why things don‘t work out the way you want them to and see the solutions as an opportunity for your personal development.

Making everyday things new

From time to time, there are things that become repetitive and a routine. Above we talked about the training of these activities. Certainly, these can become boring the X-th time and the desire for it goes down. Then approach the task differently! For example, if you are looking for a sound, don‘t go through the well-known presets, but use a completely different synthesizer. Or if you‘re arranging a song, don‘t start at the beginning as usual, but with the break. Take extra time for the intro and put more effort into the subtleties than usual. The breath of fresh air will come on its own and suddenly even the mundane will be more fun.

Prioritize and focus

There are things that need to get done and others that can get done. If your head is spinning and you don‘t know where to start with all the work, create a to do list and sort the tasks by urgency. Keep in mind: The important things are not automatically the urgent ones. You should also distinguish between what is important to you personally and what is important for the music. Sometimes you would personally like to tackle a task that is not critical in terms of time, although another should actually still be completed today. If time allows, do a few of the smaller tasks first so you can check them off. This makes the list shorter and provides motivation.

Get out of the comfort zone

Have you ever felt like you‘re not getting anywhere? Everything is going well, but the next step is just not in sight. One reason could be your personal comfort zone. Everybody sets up such a zone, where he feels comfortable and safe, where he can give up responsibility and where he doesn‘t have to reach any goals. This is also legitimate and allowed. But those who no longer dare to leave this zone shut themselves off from any progress. So try new things every now and then. Approach new tracks differently and/or measure yourself against the greatest in your genre. Even better: Produce a track outside your genre. Or take a groovebox to a DJ gig and get even more out of your set. You‘ll not only be proud of yourself, but you‘ll also take your actual music a step further with the new impressions and techniques you‘ve gained.

Motivation through commitmet

Don‘t just keep your big and small plans to yourself, share them with people close to you. Because as soon as you have informed a close friend about it, you make a commitment with yourself that you absolutely want to keep.

Looking into the future

One of the standard questions when talking to management is: „Where do you see yourself in X years in our company“. Have you ever thought about where you want to be with your music in five years, or what you would like to achieve? Or what you‘ve always wanted to try? Take a few minutes and formulate your wishes and ideas. This should quickly make it clear where you need to start in order to achieve these goals.