time management/band management

[rorykins]

hey justin.
first, i just wanna say thanks for your quality, informative info. lots of us here are trying to make heads or tales in this industry, and your playing, suggestions and attitude help us all out!

Ok, so...I've been a "working musician" for about 6 years now. Recently, things have picked up, I've been playing with a lot of different people, a band that does gigs every second week or so, I started a teaching school, and have recently joined a working blues band to help pay bills and get gigs.
On top of all this, I've started to get calls to back up touring musicians that come through town. I've been learning like 30-40 songs a month, for these gigs and performances. I'm enjoying it, but getting worried I will burn out.

any suggestions to keep it all running smoothly? musician time management ideas? how do the pros do it?

Thank you, in advance

[jmjbassplayer]

You are a busy person indeed!

And this is a very very good issue to bring up in a thread, thank you for doing so.

Time management is interesting. I don't utterly excel at it, but I'm PRETTY good. Some things I do:

- I keep a lot of to-do lists.

- No caffeine, very minimal sugar and alcohol. Strongly avoid hard liquor, beer is kind of a drag on you, and some occasional red wine is your best bet if you like to drink at all. That's about all I do these days. Your adrenal glands are your best friend or worst enemy. Keep them healthy by avoiding those things. Sorry, but I've certainly learned. All three of those categories of things age you prematurely too, red wine being an exception, I'd say. Also: just try to eat healthier. Avoid carbs! Eat raw nuts for quick protein. Raw juicing is very helpful as well.

- Walking. If you don't have time for exercise, you have to do this, even a 15 minute brisk one early morning or late at night will help keep you on point somewhat.

- Apple iCal: my wife, manager, and a couple of other people have a copy of my "work" calendar in Apple's iCal. It refreshes automatically in their computers, so that we avoid conflicts...in other words they can see what I'm doing at any time. Google's calendars do something similar if you don't have a Mac. I also use iCal in "week" view to really thoroughly block out my days so there's a very visual representation of what I'm doing for every 15 minutes.

- Internet surfing countdown timer: I give myself 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at night, and have a timer on my computer which blinks and beeps madly when my allocation for regular "surfing" has been used up. If I don't do this, I can seriously waste time...that's what the internet is most good for anyway, in my book.

- Fun time: sports (cycling for me), family time, a good massage (Thai massage awesome for musicians), etc. All quite important to somehow make time for, at least one "slot" a week if you can. Although I work in family time most every day in some regard, and I try to ride my bike every other day minimally.

- Delegate: my guitar tech on the road is also my part-time assistant and studio engineer. If you have someone like that in your life, USE THEM. I guarantee that your money is well spent if you have someone to delegate some things to. Make a list of all the things you do that AREN'T musical, and see who you can hand them off to. My wife certainly helps in this regard too.

Just a few things, I'm sure I can think of more....anyone else?

Best,
JMJ

[rorykins]

nice, thank you.
a few more if you can...

I use mac and iCal for my lessons and rehearsals, but i didn't know you could sync them with others calendars. my wife has a mac and uses iCal for her job. Is that with mobile me? hows does it work?

And, do you have suggestions for learning multiple bands/performers repertoire?
i make my own charts and notes, and keep them in a folder of sorts, so that i don't have to memorise EVERY little thing, but was curious for suggestions. is that o.k. in the land of professionals?

oh, and how much in advance do you schedule your time? a week, a month? (probly more with your bands/clients)

thank you very much, again.

[jmjbassplayer]

There are websites like http://www.icalx.com/, or via Mobile me. You "publish" your calendar, then set it up in iCal to refresh those calendars. I don't really have time to give you a tutorial, I just originally searched the web and had it going in a few minutes.

Multiple band/performers repertoire? I don't really have anything specific to tell you. It's a thing where as I get older, I seem to actually get better at remembering stuff with multiple artists! Strange...

A folder of charts? Sure, no issue there.

I schedule my time as far in advance as projects require it. I have stuff now scattered into September/October, but some months, I only have stuff scheduled a week or so in advance.

Best,
JMJ

[thombo]

Originally Posted by jmjbassplayer

- Internet surfing countdown timer: I give myself 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at night, and have a timer on my computer which blinks and beeps madly when my allocation for regular "surfing" has been used up. If I don't do this, I can seriously waste time...that's what the internet is most good for anyway, in my book.

Delegate: my guitar tech on the road is also my part-time assistant and studio engineer. If you have someone like that in your life, USE THEM. I guarantee that your money is well spent if you have someone to delegate some things to. Make a list of all the things you do that AREN'T musical, and see who you can hand them off to. My wife certainly helps in this regard too.

when i read the Internet bullet, it made me appreciate your allowing us to pick your brain even more than before...
... then i read the Delagate bullet. just who are we speaking to here "Mr. JMJ," if that is who is really responding to us!

[rorykins]

sweet. thanks very much again.

[Simonsimone123]

I always have a problem at about 10-11 am, where i tend to get very tired, and then its very tempting to drink some coffee. You don't do caffeine at all?
This is of course a very advanced discussion regarding general healthiness, etc, but im really struggling with sleepiness when working on my own during the 'normal' working hours. Tried ginseng, but the effect wore off, im back to square one...
Do you guys have the same problem? And what did you do to prevent it? Is the no-caffeine cure really a cure?

im looking forward to your response.



*yaaaaaaaaaaawn.........*

[bhawk1]

Caffeine really isn't a substitute for not getting enough sleep. It can make you more alert of course, but is sort of masking the larger problem of sleep deprivation.

Worse, your body can become acclimated to certain levels of caffeine, meaning it'll take more and more of it to have an effect on you over time.

You have to be careful with ditching caffeine though - you can get headaches if you suddenly cut your daily caffeine amount. Your best bet is to ramp down your intake gradually to just a cup or two a day, or take the next step after that and cut it completely.

Finally, figure out some better sleep habits to solve the real problem.

[pbass2]

Great thread!
I do have a suggestion for caffeine I'll toss in---try various teas, especially green, and some black tea. You can still go overboard with them but it's a lot harder to do, and it's a different "buzz" than coffee I find. In particular, something like matcha is an awesome gentle lift and also can provide a feeling of "clarity" and focus(which is how it was traditionally used in tea ceremonies). Good for you too.

[unclekebm]

Originally Posted by jmjbassplayer

You are a busy person indeed!

And this is a very very good issue to bring up in a thread, thank you for doing so.

Time management is interesting. I don't utterly excel at it, but I'm PRETTY good. Some things I do:

- I keep a lot of to-do lists.

- No caffeine, very minimal sugar and alcohol. Strongly avoid hard liquor, beer is kind of a drag on you, and some occasional red wine is your best bet if you like to drink at all. That's about all I do these days. Your adrenal glands are your best friend or worst enemy. Keep them healthy by avoiding those things. Sorry, but I've certainly learned. All three of those categories of things age you prematurely too, red wine being an exception, I'd say. Also: just try to eat healthier. Avoid carbs! Eat raw nuts for quick protein. Raw juicing is very helpful as well.

- Walking. If you don't have time for exercise, you have to do this, even a 15 minute brisk one early morning or late at night will help keep you on point somewhat.

- Apple iCal: my wife, manager, and a couple of other people have a copy of my "work" calendar in Apple's iCal. It refreshes automatically in their computers, so that we avoid conflicts...in other words they can see what I'm doing at any time. Google's calendars do something similar if you don't have a Mac. I also use iCal in "week" view to really thoroughly block out my days so there's a very visual representation of what I'm doing for every 15 minutes.

- Internet surfing countdown timer: I give myself 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at night, and have a timer on my computer which blinks and beeps madly when my allocation for regular "surfing" has been used up. If I don't do this, I can seriously waste time...that's what the internet is most good for anyway, in my book.

- Fun time: sports (cycling for me), family time, a good massage (Thai massage awesome for musicians), etc. All quite important to somehow make time for, at least one "slot" a week if you can. Although I work in family time most every day in some regard, and I try to ride my bike every other day minimally.

- Delegate: my guitar tech on the road is also my part-time assistant and studio engineer. If you have someone like that in your life, USE THEM. I guarantee that your money is well spent if you have someone to delegate some things to. Make a list of all the things you do that AREN'T musical, and see who you can hand them off to. My wife certainly helps in this regard too.

Just a few things, I'm sure I can think of more....anyone else?

Best,
JMJ

+++
awesome advice

if I may add...
a nutritional supplement such as a "multivitamin" or a super green mix,preferably made from "whole foods"
that contains "antioxidants" as well as a comprehensive selection of vitamins, minerals, essential fats, etc. is a must
especially if you play in smoke filled rooms...
or if you're on the road and can't always eat healthy

a daily stretching and or yoga routine is a plus as well,
I only weigh 150lbs and I carry my bass 4 sets per night 5 nights per week
if I didn't stretch everyday, my career would have ended years ago...

one last thing,
I've noticed that because of "rockin' out" every night...
I was having a problem with loosing weight,
so I started a work-out schedule (basic bench, military press, curls, push-ups, etc.)
along with a "Whey Protein" powder and it helps keep weight on
as well as the overall strength to "rock out with my &#*$ out!"

PS: I'm about 25+ years as a "working musician" and my goal is to achieve at least another 25+

cheers

[JimmyM]

I've really got to get back into working out again. You guys are so right about it. My biggest downfall is my shoddy time management...these are good tips for making it better. And one of these days I will do them...but right now, it's time for pie!!!