It’s no secret that social media may end up being more of a negative to society than a positive.

Not only can it do damage to self-esteem, democratic elections, and society, but it can also have a negative effect on practice and learning.

It’s even harder to stay away from social media during COVID. It seems to be one of the most common ways to stay in contact with society and your friends/family but I (and several people I’ve talked to) have seen real benefits from reducing “undirected” social media time.

Digital Minimalism

If this sounds like something you may need, I recommend Cal Newport’s excellent Digital Minimalism book. The book lays out a simple progression for eliminating non-essential and/or stress-inducing social media outlets, without going completely off-the-grid.

Even if you’re happy with your current social media diet, I would encourage you to read the Bulletproof Musician blogpost about the damage social media use can do in the minutes (and hours) before a physically- and mentally-intense practice session.

Practice for Results, Not Time

I often tell my students to set (realistic) musical goals before a practice session, rather than a stopwatch. If they finish all the assigned goals in 20 minutes, then that’s all they need to do for that day.

Activities like score study or active listening before practice can give your sessions more focus and direction.

If you want to get more results from every minute of practice, give these things a try.