Tip: 5 Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Day

  Doesn't time always seem to go by too fast when we need it most? One second we're waking up with the whole day ahead of us, but the next we know we're already sitting down for dinner. 
  With college auditions getting closer every day this has been the story of my life these past couple weeks. Between practicing, writing, working, and just trying to get a second to relax I've really had to "revamp" my day-to-day schedule just to get it all in.
  Here's five pieces of advice that'll hopefully help you squeeze some time of out of your days too...

1. Get to bed at a good time. Nothing can take away time faster then laying in bed and pressing the snooze button for an hour. Don't think it's possible to stay up until 3 AM and then have the energy to jump out bed energized and ready to go in a few hours. Trust me, it'll never work, and once you begin pressing the snooze button it is almost impossible to stop.
2. Get an early start. The biggest enemy to being productive is procrastination. Resist the temptation to wake up and say, "Before I start practicing I just have to check my Facebook.... then my email... then my Twitter... And before you know it, it's already been an hour! Just start doing warmups when you first wake up and you'll be surprised how much more your mind will want to focus on that instead.
3. Keep a schedule written down. The one thing that no one likes to find out is that they're working on that day they planned to spend really getting into the horn. Or even worse, scheduling two different events at the same time. Not only is it very unprofessional, but it'll end up taking even more time to straighten it out. Whether it's on an online calender or a daily planner, make sure it's all in there.
4. Don't take too much on in one day. Don't think that everyday you pick up the horn is a day to fix everything. Instead of trying to do a mediocre job with a bunch of things, pick a two or three problem areas and really focus on perfecting them. This is the same with all the rest of the baggage life throws at you. Only take enough responsibility so that you'll be able to do all of it well, while still having enough time to rest and recuperate each day.
5. Shut out the distractions. Close that laptop, turn off the TV, put the cell phone away, and all the other countless things that we have. It is necessary to have a productive environment to work in. Whether that's practicing your horn, writing, or whatever else you need to get done. If you have these devices on, it'll only make everything take twice as long. Now I'm not saying that these always need to be off, but when it's work time -- get the work done -- and when it's time to relax, really loosen the belt and relax.

  Now these are things that sound pretty easy in theory, and will just take some repetition to make this feel "normal." We will all slip, but it's just a matter of getting right back on that horse and trying our hardest.

  Do I always follow these rules? No, this very morning I turned my alarm off and just laid in bed for an hour letting thoughts run through my head. Then I got to work and realized, "Hey! I actually don't have to work today." If that wasn't enough, when I finally got home, instead of immediately going downstairs to write this and practice, I watched some TV while playing some chess on my laptop.

   Now I think that practically went against everything I just said, and that's bound to happen. I just know that I'm going to try to make up for lost time by being very efficient with my practice time tonight, and make sure I wake on time tomorrow and get some time in before work.