3 Questions I Ask When I Start Frittering (at the Harp and Everywhere Else)

It's an ugly word, procrastination.

To be fair, I work very hard at trying to keep myself on track with everything I need to do, but I find myself losing focus and frittering away my time more often than I'd like. (I just love the word "frittering," don't you?)

Lately, I've had to come to terms with why I procrastinate, and I came up with three questions to ask myself when I start frittering instead of doing what I should. Notice, these are questions, not criticisms. The least helpful self-talk when you feel unmotivated is self-blame.

Three questions to ask when you start frittering

1. Do I need to plan a specific time to get this thing done? The "I'll get around to it" method never works for me. A dedicated chunk of time that is written in my calendar is much more likely to allow me to do the task.

2. Do I know how to do this, or at least how to get started? Not knowing what to do or where to start is a guarantee that I will procrastinate. Having a plan, even just mapping out the first two or three bite-sized steps, lets me get the ball rolling.

3. What am I really afraid of? Sometimes there is a hidden fear holding me back. Am I worried that I will fail, that someone will judge me, that I won't be able to do it? Mostly, fears like that are false. They are just the Resistance showing up to prevent you from following your path. For me, this is the question that always gets me moving. If there is a result I fear, facing it is halfway to defeating it. And most of the time, there really isn't anything to be afraid of at all.

Bringing it to the harp

These same questions can help you get past procrastination in your harp playing:

• Are you not doing the practice you want because you can never find the time? Block it off in your calendar.
• Are you stumped when you sit down at the harp because you don't know what to do? Ask your teacher to help you make a daily practice plan.
• Are you worried that someone will hear you practice and judge it? Trust me. They're not paying that much attention.

Are you a "practice procrastinator"?

Yes, it's a thing. You are a practice procrastinator if you can answer "yes" to either of these questions:

1. Do you have so much music to learn that you don't know where to start? You need a plan and a focus.
2. Do you not have a reason to practice, or anything you really feel like playing? You need some motivation.

Practice procrastination is likely to show up when we don't have a clear focus, which is the difficulty in both of these scenarios. When we have too much to do, it seems almost impossible to do enough meaningful practice on all of it. When we have too little to do, there's not enough to keep us motivated.

I've written about both sides of this topic, so here are a few posts you might find helpful:

• Too much to do? My Practicing Harp Happiness podcast episode #183, How to Focus on Doing Less to Get More Done, will show you how to make smart choices.
• Need some motivation? Read Do You Need a Reason to Practice? 3 Ways to Find One.
• And one more you might enjoy, even if you're not a practice procrastinator: 10 Ways to Cut Your Practice Time in Half.

Sometimes all you need to get back on track, and stay on track, is a harp buddy. Find yours in our My Harp Mastery member community. I need a harp buddy!