It’s that time, again!  It’s the new year, and most people have already broken the promises they’ve made to themselves for their New Year’s Resolution.  In this post, I’m going to give you some tips/strategies to set yourself up for success in 2015 so your goals don’t fall by the wayside like that gym membership you bought last January.

Step 1: Pick a Theme

“Man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” ~Chinese proverb

When you’re working for yourself (or by yourself), it’s easy to lose sight of the forest through the trees.  You may occasionally find yourself running in 5 different directions at once without making any significant process in any direction.  One strategy that I enjoy is picking a major, underlying theme to focus on throughout the year.

If you try to get better at too many things simultaneously, you’ll probably hinder your own progress.  This is incredibly frustrating, because you can put in a lot of effort and still come out on the other end feeling unaccomplished.  By choosing a theme, you can stay very focused, prioritize more effectively, and keep some flexibility beyond the narrow area you’re looking to make leaps and bounds within this year.

For example, instead of making this year the year that you really kick it up a notch with your audio reel, maybe you get more specific and make this the year of better melody writing or better mixing.  This theme can focus all of that self-education that happens on the internet, and you can ask for recommendations from your peers about topic X.

With annual themes, you can become a totally well-rounded badass in a few years time.  You can make audio as complicated as you want it to be, but if you spent a year becoming a much better melody writer, another year becoming a better mixer, another becoming better at home recording, etc, you’ll find yourself in a good place.

Step 2: Keep Your Goals to Yourself

Some people “go public” with their New Year Resolutions by posting them on Facebook, their entire family, etc.  Sometimes this is done as a novelty at whatever New Years party you may be attending, but some people will share it with their entire network of friends/family online or offline.  While this may seem like a good idea because of the accountability it may provide you, it’s actually makes you less likely to work towards your goal.  

What gives?  Well, imagine the last time you had a big goal that you shared on Facebook, Twitter, or with a large group of friends/family.  Maybe you decided to train for your first 5k run or marathon, or you decided that this is the year you’re finally going to get serious about learning to improvise on the guitar.  Maybe you announced that you’re embarking on a new Zelda tribute album or something like that.  Whatever the case may be, how did you feel when you finally told people out loud?  What did people say in response?

More likely than not, you felt proud of yourself for finally committing to your new path and your friends/family gave you congratulatory/encouraging praises that may have sounded something like this:

Good for you!  
That’s an ambitious goal – we’re proud of you!  
You’re going to do great!  
The first step is always the hardest!  
I know you’re going to CRUSH IT! 

…And, more likely than not, all that verbal commitment and praise felt pretty damned good – almost like you’re one step closer to your goal already!  The downside to this is that you’ve now tricked your brain into thinking that you’re actually one step closer to your goal already, and now that you have a feeling of accomplishment you’re much less likely to do the work towards actually achieving your goal.  For a bit more information on this phenomenon, watch this Ted Talk by Derek Silvers.

Note: This doesn’t mean that you have to keep your goals an absolute secret!  Tell a couple of trusted loved ones or colleagues who will hold you accountable if you’d like, but change your positioning.  Instead of saying “This is the year I finally get into shape!,” tell them “I want to finally whip myself into shape, and I need to go to the gym 5 times every week to do it so give me a kick in the ass if I’m not following through”.  You’re still sharing, but you’re removing the warm-and-fuzzies from the conversation.  This will be especially handy for the next strategy, which is…

Strategy #3: Join/Start a Mastermind group

If there’s one strategy you choose this year, let it be this one.  Join or start a “mastermind group”.

Mastermind groups are common in the business/entrepreneurship world, and they can become a great force-multiplier in your professional life as a composer.  But what is a Mastermind Group?  Typically, it’s a small group of 2-5 people who meet regularly (either in-person or virtually) to help each other achieve success.  Meetings are usually a combination of brainstorming, education, accountability, and support amongst like-minded individuals who have similar or complimentary goals.

Being a freelancer or a remote contributor on a project can be a lonely situation.  The isolation is great for the creative process in some ways, but always feeling like you’re alone in the fight can totally suck.  Self-doubt, paralysis by analysis, over-complication, knowledge gaps, and narrow perspective can creep up on you at any time and hinder your progress.  With a Mastermind Group, you have people to turn to to keep you on the right path in exchange for doing the same.

To get started, look to your existing network of people and find similarly-motivated folks who could also benefit from regularly talking through what they’re working on.  There are obvious benefits to speaking with other composers due to the highly-specialized nature of music and the valuable feedback another composer can give you, but be sure to consider the unique value each member can bring to the table to create some diversity.

My Mastermind Group is just one composer on the west coast and myself, but our skill sets are perfectively offset.  We both have formal training in music which provides a solid foundation for connecting.  I excel at the business/marketing stuff, but have a knowledge deficit when it comes to digital music production.  My partner in crime is exactly the opposite, so we’re able to swap knowledge where we both need it the most.

Strategy #4: Create a Morning Success Routine

This one is likely to get a lot of groans, but it’s one of the most effective strategies to implement.  When I look at some of the most successful people whom I’d like to emulate, most of them have some sort of morning routine that sets them up for success each day. I could write pages and pages about why this is so important, but the benefits of a morning routine can be summed up in one sentence:

The first hour of your day is a pretty good indicator of how you’re living your life.

Most people wake up everyday because they have to – That is to say, when they wake up and what they do first is often dictated by obligation or responsibility.  Many independent composers are either students or have another full-time/part-time job to pay the bills, and its these obligations that usually determine what time the alarm clock goes off in the morning.

If you have a full-time job and aspire to be a successful composer, you should take ownership of your day by making the first hour about you.  This lifestyle decision is a bold statement to the universe that your needs and ambitions are at the top of the priority list, which has a profound effect on your mindset and how you feel throughout the rest of the day.  It puts you back in control of your destiny instead of your employer or your schedule, and this is HUGE.

Whether you know it or not, you already have some sort of morning routine that you’re doing and that precious first hour is often a direct reflection of how you live your life.  Look at the last few days and map out what you did during the first 60 minutes of being awake.  What picture does that paint about your life?  Do you wake up with just enough time to get ready and rush out the door for work, or do you give yourself enough time to have a healthy breakfast?

 Strategy #5: Find a Mentor

Like strategy #3 above, this one can be a fantastic kick in the pants that also helps you feel less isolated in 2015.  Finding a mentor is a great idea, but don’t go looking for a personal Mr. Miyagi of video game music.  When choosing a mentor, you should deeply consider where you are in your career/craft and your goals or theme for the year.  The most successful or prestigious person is usually not the best pick for several reasons.

For example, if I were paired up with John Williams tomorrow, it would probably only be a semi-effective relationship.  Firstly, the knowledge gap between myself and John Williams would be MASSIVE, and experts often have a difficult time teaching pupils who are too far beneath their level.  Moreover, the pressure would be absolutely crushing for someone like me to work with someone like him.  There are several other reasons that this match-up would be an ineffective pairing, but the most important thing would be this: he’s not an expert at what I need right now.

Look at your theme for 2015 as per strategy #1 or your goal for the year, and identify a person who is especially skilled at the one thing you’re looking to crush.  Not only does this help you find the best mentor for you, it also helps your chances of them actually helping you.  “Will you be my mentor?” is a much more intimidating, committing proposal than: “I’m trying to improve my skills at recording and working with live vocalists, which seems to be a particular strength of yours.  Could I ask you a few specific questions and keep in touch via e-mail if the occasional question comes up in the future?”

What’s Your Favorite Strategy?

Which strategy sounds good to you?  Do you have one that you’d like to add to the list?  I’d love to hear about any success stories from folks who have used similar strategies or have their own they would like to share.  Contribute in the comments below!