Set Yourself Up for Success

If you’ve been around me for a while, you know that I love books about efficiency and habits. I’m endlessly fascinated by how small choices can make life easier, especially when those choices free up energy for the things we actually care about.

The best book I’ve read on this topic is Atomic Habits by James Clear. One of the core ideas he comes back to again and again is setting yourself up for success before you even begin.

A common recommendation in books about habits is to prepare ahead of time. If you want to exercise in the morning, lay out your workout clothes the night before. That one small action removes a barrier (and an excuse). The same goes for packing your lunch ahead of time. When the morning is rushed, and your brain is tired, the decision has already been made. You’re simply following through.

James Clear takes this idea one step further and talks about “setting the room.”

I use the same studio space for working out and for musical activities. Every time I leave the room, I think about what I’ll be doing the next time I come back, and I set the room up for that activity.

At night, when I finish teaching, I prepare whatever exercise equipment I plan to use the next day. In the morning, I would actually have to put things away in order to avoid exercising… so I might as well exercise first. After that, I reset the room for teaching so when I come back later, I can move right into that without any hassle.

Technically, no time is saved. But mentally? Everything is easier.

Fewer Decisions, More Energy

Here’s the real power behind these habits: they eliminate the need to make decisions in the moment.

I’ve already decided that I’m exercising, so in the morning I just do it. If my lunch is packed the night before, I don’t need to negotiate with myself when I’m tired. The decision is done.

And this brings me to music.

What This Has to Do With Music

Music practice works exactly the same way. Being prepared makes your life easier and your practice far more effective.

Recently, I talked about how I prepare for Symphony rehearsals by making detailed markings in my music. That way, I can immediately find the passages that actually need work instead of just playing through everything and hoping for the best. My practice time becomes focused, efficient, and intentional, and I don’t have to decide what to practice once I sit down. That decision has already been made.

I also make a lot of detailed markings in my music.

If I miss the same note a few times, say playing a C natural instead of a C sharp, I add a sharp sign right into the part. If there’s a tricky passage with lots of shifting, I write in fingerings.

Do I need to write down what finger to use? No.
Could I figure it out while I’m playing? Sure.

But every decision I make in the moment takes mental energy away from tone, rhythm, timing, and musical expression. By making those decisions ahead of time and writing them down, I don’t have to think about them again. They’re done. I can simply play the music and focus on the musical details that actually matter.

No More Surprises

Sometimes students tell me that part of the music “surprises” them every time they play it. I once had a conductor say that by the time we arrive at rehearsal, there should be no more surprises. We should know the music well enough to have made our decisions, marked our parts, and removed as many unknowns as possible.

So if you’re playing from sheet music and you keep making the same mistake, or if the same passage keeps catching you off guard, make a decision and write it down. Don’t be shy about it.

One of my early conductors said something that has always stuck with me:
The difference between amateur musicians and professional musicians isn’t that one makes mistakes and the other doesn’t, it’s that the professional puts markings in their music so they don’t make the same mistake again.

Make Your Life Easier

At the end of the day, this is about making your life easier. Make your decisions when you have the mental space to do so, and then take note of them. Set the room. Mark the music. Prepare ahead of time.

That way, when it’s time to play, you’ll have more mental capacity left for what really matters, the music itself.