Musicians - What’s Your Daily Routine?

Maybe you’ve recently graduated from school or perhaps you’ve had the misfortune of losing your job. All of the sudden you are left with more time to be a musician then you know what to do with. Going from being on a strict routine where every moment counts, to having no routine at all can really throw things off. At first you may feel like you have been liberated from the shackles of routine and responsibility, you can stay up as late as you care to without worrying about what you have to do the following day; go out drinking on a Monday night; even stay in your pajamas all day just being a musician! But living this way can start to take a toll. It’s true; human beings are creatures of habit, especially musicians, thus having no habit can have some negative outcomes. If you want to take this newfound extra time to explore new A&R opportunities or pursue the things musicians really love, this lack of routine may be detrimental to your progress and productivity.

What most musicians think of as routines, psychologists have referred to as social rhythms. According to those who study social rhythms, they reflect the timing of meals, social interactions, work, and play. The rhythm of these daily activities has been associated with a myriad of human factors, such as: the sleep-wake cycle, sleep quality, mood, cognition and alertness. Having an unstable social rhythm can lead to negative effects in any or all of these arenas. This then turns into a vicious cycle that can be pretty difficult to get out of. You don’t sleep well, you feel tired all day, you want to nap, maybe you stay up late with other musicians jamming, you sleep late the next day (wasting half the day) and so on.

To recap, unexpected life events are typically for musicians, what changes the consistency of social rhythms which in turn lead to changes in biological rhythms (circadian rhythms), which can then lead to the somatic or mood changes referred to previously. For those musicians that are susceptible to mood disturbances these instances can easily lead to depression. Sometimes we can’t control these life events but we can control how we deal with them.

If you have found yourself with a lack of routine, by all means indulge in it for the first week or two, but after that get out of your pajamas at a reasonable hour and get yourself on a routine! The best way to avoid getting stuck in a rut is to create a schedule for yourself. Schedule times for waking up, meals, being a musician, social activities, and work activities.