To succeed at anything you need to focus. It literally is an art. It’s something you can learn to do.
If you’re like me, a bit ADD, the art of focusing is super important.
Let’s look at what you can do to maintain laser focus in a world of chaos.
Since I was a boy I have always been a “multi-tasker”.
Staying focused is a challenge.
Over time I have learned to stick with one task at a time until it is complete.
I get a lot done by avoiding multi-tasking.
If you’re like me and have tons of energy out of the gate but then burn out quickly, I have a cure.
The Art of Focusing in 3 Easy Steps
1. Focus on What Works
The first step in staying focused is concentrating on what works for you. Typically, you’ll breeze through these items and then burn out when it comes to the more challenging tasks.
What does this look like as a musician and band?
In one of my previous bands I offered an extra 10% pay for each gig you booked. So, if you booked a gig at $300, the first $30 went straight in your pocket. A pretty nice commission.
Guess how many gigs the other members booked? Less than 1%. I still ended up booking 99% of the shows.
But, when it came to passing out fliers and promoting a show, our bass player rocked it. He was great at that. He was a terrible booking agent. I was a terrible promoter at the time. I was great a booking gigs.
In the end I focused on booking gigs, the bassist focused on promoting the shows. It was a win-win.
2. Simplify Everything Often
Before Ray Croc took over McDonald’s restaurant, the McDonald brothers had already optimized their system. It was fast and efficient. Everything was very laser focused. They literally invented “fast-food”.
Long story, short, they eliminated all the items from their menu except for the top 3 selling things: hamburgers, french fries and soda pop.
That is laser focus.
Because of this simplification and their passion for the business, you could have your order within 30 seconds of paying for it. That was unheard of at the time.
Without the ingenuity of the McDonald brothers, Croc could have never franchised and grew the business to what it is today.
They never stopped making it better.
As a musician you have so many processes that you deal with on a daily basis.
- Writing Songs
- Booking Gigs
- Promoting Your Music
- Posting to Social Media
- Practicing alone and with your band
- Submitting to Record Labels
- Networking
- Yadda, yadda, yadda
Every time you go to work on something ask yourself if the process could be simplified or is there a better way.
Simplifying your system could result in you putting out 52 beats this year instead of 12. It could mean you release 2 albums instead of an EP. It could mean you book 20 more gigs or get 10 more music blog features.
3. Laser Focus Your Energy
Time and energy is limited. If you missed my podcast on The Gift of Time check it out.
Being laser focused on the task at hand is critically important to success.
Look at your task list. What is most important?
Stay focused on it until it is done.
Think of a magnifying glass. With laser focus, it can remain completely still and cause a fire. Positioned with laser focus the energy of the sun will ignite a spark that will burst into flame.
Imagine what could happen with your music career if you maintained that kind of laser focus!
How GigFaster Can Help
Look, you need to do what you are best skilled for. That is how you will make traction and find success. For the other stuff, find the best most experienced people to do the job.
With GigFaster, you can get help booking gigs and promoting your music. GigFaster’s database has thousands of contacts across over one hundred music genres. It’s easy for you to get connected with a venue or promoter. We also have hundreds of independent record labels to submit to. Start your free trial today.
Work hard and stay laser focused.
Most importantly, never quit!
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