time management

[brian]

just being curious and wondering how much time people on this board spend producing in a given week, i know to some guys here music is their main job and would prob spend a working week or more in the studio, but for those of us were its more of a hobby (for want of a better word) i was wondering how you juggle everything. For me between work, girlfriend, etc i get to spend maybe 10hrs a week working on something (give or take), as much as id like to i cant really find anymore time, dont know how anyone with kids gets any sort of spare time to work on tracks.

[Mattias]

As someone who is not married, have no kids and no obligations to a girlfriend. And considering music is my full-time work in different shapes...I spend most time Im awake on music. For production alone it gets trickier to give an exact answer. It depends what else I have to do but in 9/10 cases I'd say I spend 4-5 hours per day on production. Some weeks less and some weeks more. The weeks I put of to spend entirely on production (for new projects etc) it can be 8-10 hours a day on production. Rarely happens anymore though.

[Mono-xID]

it's hard to take time for music when you got kids (and education exams besides)...when the little nipper is in bed i have my 3-4 hours to do some stuff,but not everyday as there are other aspects of life that needs to be done...

but on the other hand i gets really focused on what i want to achieve with my little time in the studio

[disparate]

Between 0-3 hours each weekday evening, usually a bit more at the weekends. So maybe 10 hours a week, give or take? I spend about the same on DJing too.

I work full time so there's not too much time left after that. I've usually got a few social things each week but no wife or kids, can't imagine having even less time!

[rktic]

Got a kid, girlfriend, job & the usual suspects to deal with. There are some weeks when i spend 3-5 hours of1-3 days with producing music. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Depends on wether i've got something cooking or not.

[Wiu]

I've learnt to give music production a break every month for a week or so. I find it helps me to kind of recharge the creative batteries.

[elk]

depends. music isn't my profession so I don't ever have to be working on music. some days I'll spend about 5-6 hours working on sound design, building up some loops, etc.. sometimes I might go 2 or 3 weeks and do nothing music related, and then other times I might spend a solid block of time working on it for 10+ hours a days.

it varies really as I'm not tied to any sort of schedule. if I had to guess it'd probably average out to about 10-15 hrs a week over the course of a year tho.

[Faust]

Hey Brian.. Something Im dealing with myself for the first time in a looooong time is time management. There was a time (not so long ago) when I was unemployed, had no other commitments, and was basically working on music for 2/3 days solid, fuelled on super noodles and coffee until I dropped... then would roll out of bed and start the cycle again. I was pretty prolific at finishing and releasing stuff, and it got me to a decent place among the rest of the crowd I guess , however it was terrible for my physical, emotional, and indeed mental health (the silver lining being that my music perhaps gained an extra edge from being a little broken personally.... or perhaps not).

Then there was a time that I was working shifts, and with a girlfriend, and still applying the same gusto... this resulted in being even more broken and with a broken relationship to boot.

Now Im lucky enough that music is my profession (Its a struggle but worth it), am very happy with wife and a new daughter... but time is at a premium. We are kind of lucky that we both can work from home so can share parent duties and can trade hours for work with each other. The rest of the house is in bed by 8.30 so I have like three and a half hours each night to work. During the day, as I say we share parenting and work hours, so I get about 4 hours during the day. Usually what I will do is be super super focused during the day hours I get, and really try to get shit done. That means no dossing or playing around, just straight up focused work.

At night when everyone is in bed, I will use this time to listen through stuff, have a play, write notes, check new releases and the internet etc, play with new software/plug-ins, try nail that one sound that was bugging me during the day, watch some production vids or read some production articles... y'know general music dossing with no real plan.

Im only really just getting back on the horse after 6 or 7 month break from it all but it seems to work well this way. Before I was totally living music and writing so much and it was fucking great!!! :] However, I was pretty unhappy and unhealthy if Im honest. Now, Im happy, healthy and life is more balanced. Less music is made and its harder to get in that "zone", but the time I get I balance well and use it wisely and Im starting to think there lies the secret.

Annnnyhooo....

Good luck, and send me some of your stuffs if your writing music fella :] Ste (CV)

[Faust]

That was quite a waffle, sorry chaps!

*edit* hehe, my status says "broke".. is pretty fitting in every way

[brian]

yo ste, didnt know you were posting over here.

id say its tough alright getting a few hours to yourself with a very young baby in the house, i suppose having a healthy balance of living a normal enough life and immersing yourself in producing when you can is essential in the long run.

Good luck, and send me some of your stuffs if your writing music fella :] Ste (CV)

nice one man, will upload a few bits and send them onto you, cheers

[Faust]

I do try not to post so much on here (time management innit) :]

Yeah, It's more so the trying to adjust thats been tough man - getting there slowly... but yeah I think thats it mate, you hit the nail on the head - an equilibrium is vital I recon, a good balance between enjoying life and total immersion (thats the ideal anyroad). Wish I could have told myself that back in the days of caning it all ends, but then I probably wouldnt have this little family unit if I did things any different.

Cool, that would be wicked :]

[Críoch]

Equilibrium is a great word. Its certainly a concept that you have a better chance of succeeding with when there are a couple of axises. God I regret time I wasted in the days when all I had to contend with was just working & coming home. Fuck it

I've actually just stated working - part time.. and I'll be going back to college in a couple of weeks AND have the typical family shizzle (and equilibrium in its own orbit).. as well as doing stuff here.

Gonna have to get even more organised. As usual though, it'll probably be my music time that will suffer.. but hopefully I'll be able to ditch some classes & head home once a week for some me time. Just have to be craftier about where you steal the time from.

[kuba_rubacha]

just being curious and wondering how much time people on this board spend producing in a given week, i know to some guys here music is their main job and would prob spend a working week or more in the studio, but for those of us were its more of a hobby (for want of a better word) i was wondering how you juggle everything. For me between work, girlfriend, etc i get to spend maybe 10hrs a week working on something (give or take), as much as id like to i cant really find anymore time, dont know how anyone with kids gets any sort of spare time to work on tracks.

Kids....you're talkin bout 6-7 hours a week if your lucky.It's a major scag to do stuff when you actually feel like it,it's well worth it tho
You should try it yourself man

[Mslwte]

I have a girlfriend and two children but usually it's not to bad. The job I have as a service engineer means that I can be home early once I have completed my jobs, normally two a day. So i can get some time in before they all get home But recently things have changed. We had a meeting the other day at work and it was made clear that we have to be prepared to give more of our time for nothing, for the good of the company. We'll see

It is difficult keeping up with forum, podcast and music stuff, I try and keep my toe in during the day on my phone but get in a couple of hours in the evening. Weekends usually more.

[sam]

It changes with me. When I'm obsessing I'll spend as long as it takes which can be multi day runs usually comprised of several hour stretches stacked together with some food and sleep breaks. When I'm not obsessing so much it can be less than a couple of hours a day and that's mainly just experimenting.

I find I go through stages of experimenting, then a small break, then an obsessive stage that can last weeks or months at a stretch.

It's pretty much always been like that with me too, sometimes I feel the need to learn and make music a lot more urgently than other times.

[disparate]

It changes with me. When I'm obsessing I'll spend as long as it takes which can be multi day runs usually comprised of several hour stretches stacked together with some food and sleep breaks. When I'm not obsessing so much it can be less than a couple of hours a day and that's mainly just experimenting.

I find I go through stages of experimenting, then a small break, then an obsessive stage that can last weeks or months at a stretch.

It's pretty much always been like that with me too, sometimes I feel the need to learn and make music a lot more urgently than other times.

Do you have a 'day job' or family or anything? Just curious.

It is difficult keeping up with forum, podcast and music stuff, I try and keep my toe in during the day on my phone but get in a couple of hours in the evening. Weekends usually more.

Thankfully I usually manage to get enough downtime in the office to keep up with all that stuff reasonably well, and often I'm able to sit with my earphones on for podcasts etc. I'd have even less free time if I didn't - when I end up being pretty busy at work, the forum/Google Reader catchup afterwards is always a bit of a nightmare!

[ross-alexander]

I've cut down a fair bit now 12-15 hrs in a good week, would love to do more but it's not what pays the bills, I did about 2 years of 6 hours a day but can't afford that sort of time anymore unfortunately. Trying to use my time wiser now and limit to a handful of good bits a year and getting the label going

[sam]

Do you have a 'day job' or family or anything? Just curious.

I've been off work for several months now but usually work full time in the city. I saved hard for this break but I have to go back to work soon. I don't have children but live with my girlfriend and we have a dog

When I'm working I still spend a lot of time experimenting usually on public transport with headphones, but multiday sessions are restricted to weekends and holidays.