3 (Hard) Questions to Ask Yourself this Month

May is a great time to plan ahead for the rest of the year and make sure you accomplish everything you hope to do in 2018.  As the academic year comes to a close, now is the time to get organized for the future.

1. What is the most important task or project that you want/need to complete during the remainder of this year? Maybe it is a big project you are taking on. Maybe you need to find a full-time job. Maybe you are starting graduate school in the fall and you need to prepare for your first year. The key here is prioritizing – what is the most important thing that you want to make sure you do and do well? Now fill in your list behind that #1. Consider dividing your list into three categories: projects/tasks/goals that are priorities and need to happen this year, projects/tasks/goals that are not priorities but would be good to accomplish or start, and projects/tasks/goals that are more likely for next year.
2. In what ways can you improve your work/life balance? Do you feel like you have a good balance between work/school and other activities? How do you unwind from your work or studies? Do you want to take up a new hobby? Are there activities that are part of your job/school/community that you could be taking advantage of? Musicians tend to be very hard workers, but it is also important to nurture your life outside of work. For most people, having a healthy balance in life actually leads to better, more productive, more fulfilling work.
3. What can you do this year to differentiate your work from your competitors? Whether you are an ensemble, an instrumentalist, a vocalist, a composer or any number of other things, you may find it beneficial to identify what makes your work different from your peers. This simply takes some time to think hard about yourself. Let’s say you are a violinist – what makes you as a musician different than the thousands of other violinists out there? Is it the repertoire you play? Your personality? Your particular sound? Your arrangements or compositions? Videos that you make? Your social media presence? Your website? Your overall professionalism? The more you know about what differentiates you, the more you can communicate that in the future and build your unique brand.

Happy brainstorming!