The hard part about practicing is finding the focus to do it at all. Contemporary life is distracting; I practice at my little home-studio desk, a great spot if it weren’t for the Internet-connected computer in front of me. Many times I’ve sat down to practice only to have a stray thought lead me on some circuitous cyber-journey through YouTube, Wikipedia, or some other insidiously addictive eHabit. Provided I overcome these temptations, I then confront the enigmatic task of figuring out how to be productive and accomplish my goals.

I suggest finding a physical practice location that doesn’t present myriad opportunities to get sidetracked. That means no TV, no Internet, no magazines on the coffee table. Create a special space where it’s just you and the tools you need, like a phrase recorder, metronome, and music books. If this is unrealistic (we can’t all have a cloistered music retreat), then at least follow the TV and Internet rules. 

To make your practice more productive, this month’s assignment is to spend some time thinking about and writing down your goals as explicitly as possible. If you think, for example, you’d like to expand your groove vocabulary, you must first identify your method. Perhaps it’s transcribing funky lines by famed groove players. Choose the players, the songs, the parts, and get to it. Dedicate a certain amount of time to each facet of these tasks, and write down this schedule. Apply this method—goal identification, scheduling, execution—for all your practice tasks, be they transcribing, learning scales, or practicing technique. Finally, reserve a set amount of time during each practice session for free play—do whatever comes to your head, without any restrictions whatsoever. Most important: Record all of the above for review on the next practice session. As you apply these techniques in the next few weeks, go to the Low Down Lowdown forum at bassplayer.com to share your experience.

Practice takes discipline, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it easier on yourself with a little careful planning. I’ve found that having a schedule makes it all seem more formalized, more clearly marking my personal growth from day to day.