I woke up this morning feeling ready.
There was a kids’ birthday party at 10 a.m., and a group management call at noon.
Because of the celebration, I’d prepped for my presentation over the past two days rather than on the morning of the meeting, as I sometimes do.
With that, I had a bit of extra time to refine my talk points, and most importantly, two nights’ sleep before my 90-minute deep dive on organization as an artist.
You see, sleep is where I see the biggest leaps forward in my readiness.
Have an important meeting?
Need a new perspective?
Have an idea that isn’t fully formed?
Whatever the scenario, my mind will be more prepared after it rests.
During that rest period, I’m subconsciously a processing machine.
Variables, edits, angles, iterations… They all happen with my eyes closed.
Stuck on a lyric?
Get a good night’s sleep.
Need to rehearse a song a few more times?
I don’t even always have to pick up a pair of drumsticks.
All it takes is more time to process and prepare.
Now, is this foolproof?
Not entirely.
I could be more prepared and still be distracted by something that happens 5 minutes before the call.
The point is, with 2 nights’ sleep, I’d have had the time to let the lessons sink in again and again.
By doing the work early, I give myself the best opportunity to show up ready for my roster.
Simply put, “the best way to prepare is to prepare.”
Framework of the day:
THE FRAMEWORK: MAKE. MOVE. MEET.
Artist development in action is three actions a day. Not three hours. Three actions.
1. MAKE — put something into the world that didn't exist yesterday. A verse. A voice memo. A rough mix. Ninety seconds of video. A lyric on your Notes app.
Bar to clear: It exists now and didn't this morning.
2. MOVE — advance one thing that already exists. Send the mix to the engineer. Book the photographer. Upload the artwork. Approve the master. Fill in one week of the release calendar.
Bar to clear: something that was stuck is now one step less stuck.
3. MEET — one human, on purpose. Reply to the fan who's commented on nine straight posts. Email the venue. Follow up on the pitch you sent three weeks ago and never chased. Text a writer about a session.
Bar to clear: a name that didn't know you today knows you tomorrow, or a name that knows you heard from you.
Three actions.
Fifteen to ninety minutes total.
Do that five days a week, and you’ve taken 780 actions this year: 260 things made, 260 things moved, 260 humans reached.
Compare that to the version where you don’t do anything daily.
780 vs. 0.
That's all for today.
See you next Sunday,
Neil
Ways we can work together:
1. Done With You MGMT - Individual and Group Management for Independent Artists.