Get Organized in Order to Find Easy Success

Get Organized in order to Find Easy Success

Well, I hope you’re having a very happy February- all of you Learn Flute Podcast listeners. I’m Rebecca Fuller, your expert and instructor on all things flute, mindset, and musical enjoyment. This podcast is in conjunction with the Learn Flute Online programs and members area where we can’t help but find motivation, purpose, and fun in our everyday musical endeavors.

Today we’re going to be having a fun chat that many of you have actually requested I talk about here, which is to Get Organized in Order to Find Easy Success.

Sound interesting? Great! Let’s get started.

So, this month is a busy and fun one at Learn Flute Online because we’re into another big collaboration ensemble. Which, I’m not going to reveal here because we like to keep it a secret until it’s released for the general public. We have a lot of fun putting these together, and it makes us happy that we’re able to spread some good vibes around the world as well.

If you’re on the email list and, or a subscriber of the Learn Flute Online YouTube channel, Facebook Page, or Instagram you’ll see the notification the same day each one of these is released.

Now, when I design these for the students here at Learn Flute Online. And there are hundreds of you all buzzing around inside the members area, moving sequentially through the modules like good little learners, I design these so that there is a lesson learned no matter which level you are on. 

Whether it be special finger patterns, octave jumps, embellishments, or a certain form to learn about, these collaboration ensemble videos are always very educational and the highlight of the season we are in.

So, if you’re a member here at Learn Flute Online, you’ll want to be sure to join in on the next one because everyone is welcome, and you honestly don’t have to worry about not blending in. Everyone blends in. Everyone.

I’m a master at mixing these and every level is invited. And we want you part of our team. We’re like a super flute choir full of super human-beings.

And, if you’re not a member yet of Learn Flute Online, then let’s get you in here so you can join us. Go to the home page at LearnFluteOnline.com and click to “Get Started”. I’ll get you in the process and give you an invite.

You won’t be sorry, it’s a lot of personal improvement and enjoyment to be part of something positive and motivating.

Today on this podcast we’re going to be diving into the subject of organization and really taking a closer look at how we can get ourselves to the stage where we are really set up for learning. Now, I’m not just talking about a special physical space, but I’m also talking about a mental space as well.

Yep- we get a little woo-woo in here, because it works! And it’s how the achievers achieve.

Let’s start by labeling out three different areas of “space”. 

Now, if you’re taking notes, you’ll want to divide your paper into three different areas  and label the first one, you guessed it: Physical Space.

This is the area in your home you want to have set aside for your learning station. Look at it this way, I’ll use people who have sewing as a hobby because I know there are probably a few of you out there who like to sew and will immediately understand the correlation. 

If you have sewing projects planned, or have sewing as a hobby, it’s really quite cumbersome to go to the closet or storage area where your sewing machine is, and your totes with your threads and needles, etc. and haul it all out and get set up at the kitchen table every single time you want to make something.

Now, I’m not saying that this is wrong, I’m just saying that it’s cumbersome to have to get it all out, set it up, use it, and then spend the same amount of time cleaning it all up and putting it away.

Sometimes, in fact, I’d even dare say that many times just the thought of having to get it all out again is going to make you hesitate on your decision to start a new project in the first place. Am I right or am I right?

Sometimes we may not have the space in our home to accomplish a whole separate room for our hobby, but if we do some space organization we can find an appropriate place for our musical endeavors. For sure. It doesn’t really take too much room.

First of all, we need a real music stand to hold our sheet music, our ipad, or our lesson notebook while we’re in a practice session. In the lesson modules and in our Members Only training I get really clear on what goes inside your practice notebook and on your daily schedule. It takes care of the guesswork. I’ve got that part for you, so that’s not what we’re going to talk about today.  

But another thing is that you also need a special and very safe place for our instrument to live in its case. Away from heater, air conditioner vents and un-trained hands.

We also want this area of our home to not have any other purpose except for our practice spot, it’s our music area. This will keep it from getting cluttered and full of distractions.

Just starting with a nice, tidy space for these things is going to make our creative time with our instrument feel inviting and calm.

In this same area we want some sort of drawer, or box, or small tote to keep our music-collections in. If you’re new you may not think that your stack of notes and sheet music is going to grow that much. But it most certainly will, so be prepared. 

It’s also good to make sure it has a lid or is in a substantial container so that prying little curious hands can’t get their way in and ruin your organization. Or… water. Having years of musical collections get flooded is not fun. 

Now, I used to use filing cabinets, but lately, I’ve kind of gotten into stackable rubbermaid file-drawers so that I can re-order them or move them from shelf to shelf in my music closet.

I also have more digital organization than I ever used to – it keeps you from losing your sheet music if you’re good enough at computers and know how to not lose the digital file that you have been placing your sheet music files into. I find that a cloud is definitely the best idea here instead of keeping everything on your local computer.

Here’s the reason: saving your sheet music or digital notes right on your computer, say in the document folders (for example) is great until your computer crashes and dies on you.. Which it will. No computer or external hard drive lasts forever. (ask me how I know) When it dies, you’re back to square one, and it’s just not a fun feeling when your special things have vanished in an instance. 

Having your computer die is like having a ferocious house fire rip through and destroy everything you have saved over the years. So, my number one suggestion for digitizing your sheet music file and your music notes is to use a service like Google Drive. If you have a gmail account or a google account then you already have access to this. You may just not know it. It’s also free, and is like a digital filing cabinet that lives in the cloud and can’t catch on fire.

I’ve had quite a few of you ask me about digitizing your musical files lately, and I am setting aside a date this year to dive deeper into this subject for you. That’ll be a fun time that we can all look forward to, because we get to get techy and talk about viewing programs, different devices that work best, apps, and digital page turners etc. 

Email me your questions or advice (if this is already something you have in your routine) so that I can keep the information and organize it well for you then.

Okay, moving on.

Let’s talk about our Mental space. 

I want to share a routine that I go through each morning and each night. Actually while I’m still in bed.

In my mind at night when I’m winding down the day, I like to take a little recap of what went on, be grateful for my blessings, and find the joy in any of the activities of the day, as well as take a moment to look forward to what is next.

Now, my personality seems to need this. I really have to have something fun to look forward to. It helps my mood. It helps me relax and feel optimistic and in a ‘ready for what’s next’ mindset.

I’m not sure if everyone needs this, but I do. And, when I forget to think about the upcoming events or learning opportunities, I tend to fall into kind of a stagnant routine.

Creative souls thrive on flavor and variety, and I am definitely one of those people. So each night before I make my way into dreamland, I think of something I”m excited for the next day. And especially something musical. 

When I wake in the morning, I am usually kind of groggy to be honest, and I’m not a morning person at all. It takes me a little while to fully wake up and realize who I am and what day it is. Can any of you relate?

The idea of rising in the wee hours is not how I roll, but believe me, I make up for it in the wee hours of the night when the silence of the world creates space for me to relax. And then the colors and sparks start to fly in my mind. There are so many cool things to explore and think about. Silence and empty space actually send electricity through my creativity veins.

So after I figure out who I am and relish in how comfortable my bed feels, I start planning out my day. Even though the night before, I may have already written this down. Yes, I’m a notebook keeper. It’s my other brain.

Now, of course my days don’t always pan out how I have them planned, but reminding myself of what schedule I had set for myself and the variety on the horizon gets me looking forward to hopping up and getting rolling.

New melodies get my adrenaline pumping and seeing the possibilities of a new opportunity or something I can create for all of you listeners, learners, and students of the Learn Flute Online studio gets me all jazzed up.

Now, if you’ve found yourself feeling quite stagnant and non-motivated, take a look at your daily routine and figure out what has happened to get you this way. 

Write out a couple of new possibilities that will get your creative juices flowing, and make mental space to dream about them. I dare you to dream your way to new successes.

Okay so number one in this podcast of Get Organized in Order to Find Easy Success was to look at your physical space you’ve created or will create in order to have a ready-made area that will invite you to a daily creative session with your instrument.

Number two was to organize your mental space. Taking time daily- at least at the very beginning and the very end of your day, to dream and ponder on the fun possibilities you have with life, and your musical fun, is a very good way to stay positive and enjoy your journey.

So this last category is all about creating a Social space for yourself.

Alright. This one is tough. And the reason I say it’s tough is because it depends on who is in your life and what expectations have been habited and set up over time.

Let me give you an example: I have a professional friend who is absolutely brilliant in what she does. I mean, top of the top in her craft. But, she had a daily frustration and struggle getting the people who live in her home to respect her professional time.

Now, at the time of this recording, we are in a lovely pandemic, still, and many people of all ages are trying their best to achieve their goals strictly from home.

Many of us have families, small children, teenagers, college kids, husbands, wives, roommates, etc. and training them to respect your time is not as easy as it sounds, but it is absolutely do-able.

So my friend lives with multiple distractions every hour, big ones. I mean things that actually take her out of her space. And she has to try to come back and rein it all back in and start where she left off multiples times each hour. Over and over. It’s just exhausting.  And I’ve noticed it really turns her creative spirit into like damaged split-ends, if I can use that as a comparison. She’s split into pieces yet trying so hard to keep it together. 

I have this struggle from time to time myself. What I’ve had to do is sit down with my spouse or family (or whoever it is that is the perpetrator of the distraction) and let them know that I am unavailable during certain times of the day. I’ve run an at home studio for thirty four years and know that it is one hundred percent achievable to train your family to respect your time. As long as you let them know where and when the boundaries are, and stick to them. 

My family has gotten in a habit of sending out a little group text when we are going to be unavailable for a call or interruption. It’ll say something like this, “Hey I’m taking a test and studying for the next 3 hours so please don’t call. I’ll be available to talk after four p.m. thanks) It’s kind of our “do not disturb text”, and it works. The lines were clearly drawn and we know that respecting them will in turn be reciprocated.

Put a sign on the door of your practice room if needed, definitely turn your phone off, and have a great time in the space you’ve created. 

(Doesn’t it sound wonderful?)

You’ll come away from your time feeling refreshed instead of soggy or drained. Leaving your practice time with a sense of accomplishment – especially if you spent some time just exploring what you can do in music and marveling at your progress- will give you a jolt of happy feelings which you will in turn cast upon your waiting family or friends.

Whew- it feels so good when you take charge of yourself, your physical, mental, and social space.

Wow- what a great episode today. I just love getting deep into what it takes to be a better human through music and other endeavors of life.

It’s sure been fun having you with me today.

If you have any questions, comments or ideas for an upcoming podcast, let me know. I’m all ears and here for you.

Again, if you’re not part of our Learn Flute Online member community, I dare say that you are missing out, and I invite you to join us!

Head on over to the LearnFluteOnline.com website and click “get started” so that you also can enjoy this wonderful journey with us in the privacy and comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.

We’ll have some more fun next time. I’ll play you out again today. Thanks for being here. Bye now.