You know how the plan-your-day-and-win-at-life folks tell you you have to prioritize? Just pick three. No more.

I hate it. Don’t make me choose.

I want to write down 87 things on my list for that day and accomplish them all. Thank you very much.

And don’t tell me to time block. Acknowledge and adapt myself to the constraints of time and space? No, thank you.

I’d like to continue being overwhelmed by my list and tell myself every morning that today’s the day I will snatch timelessness from the jaws of finitude.

It hasn’t happened.

(Writing this email was one of my top three priorities on Monday.)

It’s funny because as a singer and teacher, I bow to the laws of physics and physiology as well as I can. I know what certain vowels will do to registration. I know how certain levels of support will affect sound. I’m all about leveraging the things I understand about the voice.

But when it comes to other areas of life like planning or breaking down large projects into smaller chunks, I’ll eventually do it (clumsily), but I’ll be mad about it.

It’s okay.

It’s how my brain works. Melissa asks if there’s anything we need for the grocery list while I’m loading the dishwasher, and my brain’s all like, “How daaaaaare you interrupt my focus on this crucial task????”

So it’s a question of trying to meet my brain with curiosity, trying to understand how it works, and working with that in a beneficial way that creates good and satisfying outcomes.

Same with our singing training or any kind of artistic pursuit.

Do you like long spans of focused practice? Do you have time for that? Or do you like short bursts of attention? Little check-ins that help build motor learning over time. Maybe a little bit of both. What do the realities of your life allow at this time?

I’m doing revisions on the play we’re premiering in August, and I know if I don’t work on it right after I make coffee and do a little bit of writing and praying, it’s probably not going to get done that day. Knowing I spent 45 minutes working on it before anything else is helpful for my brain and useful in actually getting the revisions done. This morning I only got through about seven lines, but I got through those seven.

All this to say — as much as I’d love to be a time blocking expert, it might not be how my brain works best. Are there things in your life and practice that you’re trying to square peg? Maybe take a gentle, curious look and ask yourself if there’s a way for you to work that would be more effective.

Or maybe take the tool the experts say works so well and see if you can adapt it to your purposes.

It’s about understanding the principle of a thing and then seeing if and how that harmonizes with your nature.

I’m working on it.

One thing I am confident about, though, is that there’s only one you, and somebody would love to hear the story only you can sing.

Love much,

Dan

PS Speaking of trying the thing, this morning I actually spent ten minutes taking my tasks and putting them at specific times during my day. It made my guts tighten up, and I was angry about it. So. Much. Executive. Function.

But I also have to say, my day is going pretty straightforwardly. And I’ve been be-bopping through the tasks pretty well. Maybe I am a grudgingly grateful time blocker after all. I’ll keep you posted. 😡

PPS And I guess I can break a large project into small chunks and get it done. That is, if I have to show up for people. And that’s how we created the Voice Map Course. It teaches you about all the systems of your voice and how they work together, and gives you intimate wisdom of how your body, breath, phonation, registration, resonance, articulation, and overall artistry collaborate. If that sounds like something that will help you on your singing journey, you can check it out here.

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