I still remember the early days after I decided to play the piano. I was full of enthusiasm and couldn’t wait for the next day to play again. Unfortunately, this desire to learn and practice isn’t always as strong as when you first start out. Not only does it progressively get harder to improve your skills with the instrument, but we also all live very busy lives which can make it harder to find the appropriate time to practice. There are many more things that can dampen your motivation to practice.
Today, I would like to share with you some tips that helped me to regain the motivation when I was struggling.
Practice shorter but more frequently
When it comes to practice time, we sometimes think that longer is better but this isn’t always correct. When I first started I had set days on which I would schedule my practice time. The problem with these commitments is that we tend to be overly optimistic when we make them. It’s easy to say I will practice 2 hours on Saturday but when you are actually trying to sit down you may struggle to find the motivation to practice for this long.
A better approach, in my opinion, is to commit more frequently but for shorter periods. For example, I have this morning routine where, every day, I would practice for 30 minutes before I start working at 9. That way, I practice about 5 days a week and anything more than that, say on the weekends, is a bonus. Even just committing to 15 minutes a day will gain great results and you will shortly notice that 15 minutes extend to 20, etc.
Think about how much time you can commit every day and try to make it a habit to sit down and practice, like brushing your teeth.
Find artists that inspire you
Another great way to boost your motivation is to listen to artists that inspire you, artists that you look up to. Sometimes, when I had a few days away from the piano I would listen to some of my favourite artists and would immediately feel the desire to play.
Depending on the type of music that you enjoy, you will find a lot of great music online, e.g. YouTube and Spotify. Some artists that I enjoy are The Piano Guys and Moisés Nieto.
It’s okay to have a day off
It’s tempting to think that when you don’t practice for a day or two that you are missing out or you are not progressing as well as you could. I would argue that it’s better to have a day off instead of trying to force yourself to practice. At the end of the day, you want to enjoy it, not feel pressured to practice. Even athletes take days off to recover from strenuous exercise.
Taking a day off can sometimes give you back some of the motivation to play as you start to miss your beloved instrument.
Adjust your environment
Another important aspect that can have an effect on your motivation is the environment you are practising in. Are you practising in the basement without any natural light? Is your piano or keyboard not easily accessible? etc.
There should be as few obstacles as possible to practice. Every extra hoop you have to jump through in order to sit down and practice is another thing that can stop you from doing so.