May 18, 2026 - Complete rewrite of the original blog:
One of the most common things I hear from students, parents, and even professional musicians is:
“I just don’t have enough time.”
Not enough time to practice consistently, learn a new piece, take lessons, work on technique, or explore music more deeply. Modern life is truly busy, though. Between school, work, sports, family responsibilities, social activities, and the endless distractions built into our phones and devices, it's easy to feel like there's just not enough room left in the day.
But after years of teaching, I’ve noticed something important: most people do not actually have a time problem as much as they have an awareness problem (and perhaps upon self-reflection, a priorities and overextension problem - more on that in a future blog).
This can reveal a lot - try this: For one week, track how you spend your time throughout the day. Meals, homework, driving, gaming, social media, television, practicing, everything. Most people will be shocked by how many small moments disappear into distractions and filler activities. Ten minutes here and there may not feel like a lot, but over the course of a week, it adds up to hours...
This isn't about eliminating rest or enjoyment - those are vital to maintaining balance in your life. The goal here looking at our intentionality with our time and attention. Once you understand where your energy is actually going, it's easier to adapt your routines toward supporting your goals.
One of the biggest misconceptions about practicing music is that improvement requires huge blocks of time. In reality, consistency matters far more than intensity. Yes, woodshedding is a thing and we all do it on occasion for pressing through a huge challenge or skill acquisition. But, a focused twenty-minute practice session every day is usually more effective than cramming for several hours once a week. Students who grow steadily - or even rapidly - aren't usually the ones with the most free time; they're the ones who've developed sustainable habits and routines.
Thankfully, there are some great tools available today that can help with organization, focus, and time awareness. One tool I personally recommend is Toggl Track, a simple time-tracking app that works across phones, tablets, and computers. It's a little more advanced nowadays, but can still be incredibly helpful for understanding how much time is actually being spent practicing, studying, writing, or getting distracted.
Other helpful tools include:
- Todoist
for organizing goals and daily tasks
- Forest
for reducing phone distractions during practice
- Finch
for building positive routines and daily habit motivation (plus, it's cute and fun)
For Exodus Music students, our TeacherZone platform can also help build better awareness and consistency by keeping lesson assignments, practice materials, backing tracks, reminders, and teacher notes organized in one accessible place.
No app will magically create discipline or motivation, but awareness and setting a simple starting routine (start small!) is often the first step toward meaningful change.
Learning music is about much more than technical skill. It teaches patience, discipline, focus, consistency, and long-term thinking. Growth rarely comes from “finding” extra time; it usually comes from intentionally choosing what matters most for your goals.