In this week's blog we are continuing our series on “supercharging your practice” with the subject: Track Your Progress.
Tracking your Progress refers to the really simple process of writing down the things you have practised. Some call this a practice journal, others a homework diary or something similar. The idea is to write down a few small details about the things you have practised.
Why Track?
Writing things down can improve our memory by as much as 70% (1)! 70% is a significant amount. Our brains are bombarded with so much information these days that it can make remembering things challenging. We can have many “mental plates” spinning and our brain will prioritise the most important pieces of information. This can mean that we forget what we have practised one day to the next.
The simple act of writing down the things we have worked on in a practice session, automatically stores that information and prevents it from being “forgotten” by our brains.
When we remember what we have practised, we can pick up where we left off the previous day and therefore make steady and continuous progress.
Another benefit to writing things down is that it creates a record of your personal history with your instrument. It becomes possible to look back on the work done, challenges encountered and overcome, and the great success and breakthroughs you’ve experienced. This may seem a little trivial on the surface, but when you’re having a bad day, week or more, being able to look back on your practise and see how and when you’ve developed and improved in the past will boost your confidence and enthusiasm to keep going and keep growing.
How to Track?
Tracking doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated (although it can be if you like that sort of thing). When starting out, simple is better.
Decide how you want to keep a record; in a physical book or a digital note taking app.
Make a new entry every time you practise. (Even if it’s the same exercises).
Repeat.
There are some really great apps to help with journalling and note taking, and a digital record is something we can always have access to now with online and cloud based storage systems.
Alternatively, using a good old paper and pen is just as effective and can even be a time saver (depending on how fast you type/write). Everyone has their own preference and the best way to find yours is to try different methods. My personal favourite is using a small, A5 journal that I keep in a case or near my instrument at all times. I have a pen strapped to the book (so I can always write in it and not get distracted looking for a pen!”) and as part of my setup every time I sit down to practise, I open the book to a new page before I play anything. It is honestly that simple.
What to Track
So what do you write down in your practice journal? Anything you feel is relevant to practise and growth. Some suggestions would be:
Date - so you know when you practised.
Exercise name or short description can be shortened or abbreviated as it is only you that will read it. Make sure it is something that you can understand though.
Tempo - how fast did you practise, did you use a metronome etc.?
Time - how long did you spend on the idea?
Reflections or observations - did you notice anything physical, tonally, rhythmically etc. whilst practising? Keeping a note of these things will help you to identify potential gaps in your knowledge or technique.
You don’t need to write an essay or book every time you practise, but keep it simple, easy to read but informative notes will help you progress. This is the whole purpose of practising.
Summary
Keeping a practice log or diary may not be an obvious thing for everyone to do. It may not seem like it will have any great impact on you're playing. The truth is, the act of writing down what you have worked on alone will not make you a better player. However, having access to and using the knowledge from those notes will, over time, help you make big strides forward as a musician and performer.
Try tracking your progress for a month for yourself and you will see the impact it can have on your
playing.
References
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