Watch Video for deeper learning on effective practice

When I was a young girl, I studied piano professionally. My teachers really enforced practice and for good reason. They understood that simply turning up to class wasn’t enough. We needed to practice playing the same lines and scales over and over again in our own time in order to master the music. But also to understand it.

Due to practicing persistently (sometimes very mundane lines), I was able to construct my own musical pieces and play via memory – very detailed, voluminous songs. To this day, it amazes me. Over the eight years of studying piano, I was able to achieve 100% in theoretical exams and 90%+ in practical examinations. While those grades were outstanding and showed the efforts of practice, it was the ability to create an entire musical piece on the spot that fascinates me.

My teachers were onto something. They knew that practice is not about being perfect or just having bragging rights about your grades. They understood that practice leads to further creativity, passion and opportunity.

We often place emphasis on hours worked, as though that’s an indication of success, productivity and effectiveness. While mastering something does take time, and most likely a lot of it, it doesn’t give us a true indication of value and productivity. Some days, I would spend three to five hours on a single line preparing for examinations and performances. But I couldn’t show up to an exam and say “I did five hours on that day – does that count?”. The quality of the work and our focus is what we need to examine, as that makes all the difference in what we produce and how we feel.

When I look back at my younger self playing the piano, and willing to go through frustration and grit to perform with excellence – I admire her. She didn’t have a phone beeping and she didn’t have emails to check. All she had in those moments was her piano and a resilient attitude to master those lines.

What am I getting at?

How often do we feel so busy but not quite fulfilled? We run around like headless chooks ticking off boxes and yet, we think, what did I actually achieve?

Let’s reflect. 

Were we truly engaged with our work? Did we learn something new even if it was tedious and uncomfortable? Or did we give up too quickly? Did we prevail through a task without picking up our phones? Scrolling through social media? Or clicking through multiple tabs on our screens? Were we focused single handly on a task or were we multitasking? Or did we – gulp – just – show up?

When I try to juggle multiple things at once or pick up my phone in the middle of a task, I notice my energy levels diminish. I also experience frustration, lack of patience and boredom. It generally results in this feeling of lack and time wasted.

On the contrary, when I focus intently on a task without distractions and I push through those temptations to do something else, I generally get into a state of flow. I move past the stage of forcing myself into a task and begin to synchronise with it. I start to feel calm, intuitive and energized. Afterward, I experience feelings of accomplishment, joy and motivation. And sometimes, I simply feel – content. This goes for any task in my life.

My challenge over the last few years has been pulling back the veil on distractions. I’m exposing areas of my life that are hindering my work and engagement. Interestingly, they look harmless. Why? Because so many of us are engaging in these distractive (and destructive) methods. It almost becomes the norm.

If we don’t stop and reflect on what areas may be preventing us from fully engaging in our work – we may miss the extraordinary. We may forfeit our ability to discover new ideas, solutions and strength. We may also find our mental wellbeing and happiness are tampered with.

There may be a song in you that yearns to come out – give it the space, time and focus to come to fruition. More importantly, emphasize the value of practice over “busyness”. What if going deeper leads to fulfillment in ways you never knew possible?

If you have any questions or areas you would like to discuss further pop them in the comments section below and I will respond.