Improve Practice by Being Specific

Recently, I read the 1937 classic book, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.  If you've never read this, its title is deceptive.  It doesn't offer schemes to increase your bank account.  Instead, it talks about cultivated the mind-set that leads to success, which may happen to include but doesn't necessarily limit itself to monetary wealth.

A big part of his philosophy stresses the importance of establishing a DEFINITE GOAL.

Definite Goals come in long-term and short-term.  I won't elaborate further on the book, but I want to talk about you and your music goals.  It is very effective to use definite goals as a pianist.

Long term:  What kind of pianist do you want to be?  Re-read the blog post I wrote to review which type of pianist you should be shooting for.

Short term: (and this was what I wanted to focus on) - what are you going to accomplish in practice this week?

Examples:
INDEFINITE goal:  "I'm going to practice a little bit each day as time permits.  I'll try to go through all my assignments and see what happens."

DEFINITE goal:  "I'm going to double the tempo of my C and G major scales.  I'm going to study my note recognition on musictheory.net and get 100 correct answers in 3 minutes.  I'm going to complete my theory assignment.  I will thoroughly master a 16-measure passage in my repertoire to the point where there is hardly anything else to accomplish."

See the difference?  The indefinite goal gives you no clarity.  There's also no accountability.  You could accomplish nothing at all, and be emotionally okay with it.  In the definite goal, you have a target.

What next after you establish a definite goal?
Now you look at your week, your schedule, your current knowledge of how long it takes you to learn music, and determine how much you need to practice.  After you gain some experience, it's good to work this step in harmony with your weekly goal.  Choose a weekly goal that you can actually meet.  At the same time, challenge yourself to accomplish as much as you can.

If you don't meet your goal...
...then don't fret about it.  Setting goals is a work in progress, and merely a tool.  If you don't accomplish something, look at what you did accomplish and where you fell short in your goals.  Look at WHY you fell short.  Can you improve the way you practice?  Can you spend more time in practice?  Are you focused and in full concentration?  Answer these questions and adjust, if necessary, the ambition of your future goals.

So, what are you going to accomplish in practice this week?