Have you played guitar for 1 minute today?

If you haven't played guitar for 1 minute today, please stop reading this and do it now.

I'll wait.

Have you done it?

Great!

You might say:

"Sean, this is ridiculous. Making significant progress in guitar playing can take 30 minutes a day. An hour a day. Or more."

As someone who has taught guitar for 26 years, I agree.

So why would I ask if you've played guitar for 1 minute today?

Small wins

When you set a goal of playing for 1 minute and then do it, you feel good.

You achieved a small win!

You may end up playing longer than 1 minute.

Another win!

On the other hand, if you set a lofty goal like 2 hours a day and then miss it, you feel bad.

Over time, unrealistic goals for daily practice time can actually keep you from playing.

You start to feel that if you don't have 2 hours, you shouldn't even bother picking up the guitar.

But if you play for at least 1 minute a day, something happens.

Habit

You start to develop a habit.

Daily guitar playing becomes part of your day, something you would miss if it wasn't there.

Once you have a habit, you start to think differently.

Identity

Instead of seeing yourself as someone who tries to play guitar, you start seeing yourself as someone who actually plays guitar.

That feels good!

And it leads to progress in your guitar playing.

Am I saying you shouldn't let yourself play longer than 1 minute?

Or course not.

But if you're inconsistent in how often you play guitar, try this simple approach.

Play guitar for 1 minute a day.

Let me know how it goes.

Keep making music!

People sometimes ask why I make music. I share a few thoughts here.