05-20-2016, 07:37 AM
For me, one of the most difficult aspects of working concurrently on a number of tracks is focus. Especially in the late stages of the process when the tracks are like 80-90% done and all that remains is adding whatever stuff is still missing and moving on to the finishing touches. Logically this should be the easiest part -- I'm almost there! -- but my brain doesn't always work logcially. At this point my phobia of making decisions and committing to them rears its ugly head. Is this really as good as it can be? Am I really sure about this part? Maybe I should wait a bit before I decide... So procrastination kicks in, and before I know it I'm working on some other tune and focus has been irrevocably lost.
This is probably different for everyone, but I've noticed that planning ahead helps a lot. It doesn't have to be very detailed planning. Even something as simple as deciding on a single track to work on for every day of the week and putting it down on a piece of paper seems to do the trick for me. Monday: Track 1. Tuesday: Track 2. And so on.
So when I'm working on Track 1, I don't allow myself to even listen to any of the other tracks that day unless absolutely necessary. While it's always tempting to have a go at the other stuff that also needs finishing -- even more so if you're on a deadline -- I've found that hopping between tracks becomes a huge time waster in the long run. Everytime I do it I have to sort of reset my brain and get into the mood and feel of the new track, time which could have been spent on just pressing on with the previous one.
What's your thoughts on this? Do you have any good tips for staying focused?
This is probably different for everyone, but I've noticed that planning ahead helps a lot. It doesn't have to be very detailed planning. Even something as simple as deciding on a single track to work on for every day of the week and putting it down on a piece of paper seems to do the trick for me. Monday: Track 1. Tuesday: Track 2. And so on.
So when I'm working on Track 1, I don't allow myself to even listen to any of the other tracks that day unless absolutely necessary. While it's always tempting to have a go at the other stuff that also needs finishing -- even more so if you're on a deadline -- I've found that hopping between tracks becomes a huge time waster in the long run. Everytime I do it I have to sort of reset my brain and get into the mood and feel of the new track, time which could have been spent on just pressing on with the previous one.
What's your thoughts on this? Do you have any good tips for staying focused?