With the arrival of my son Jackson, I’ve been having to let certain things go. Here’s some of the stuff that I’m realizing I can slack on that doesn’t matter: 

1. Current gear news. 

I love gear, but missing some industry stuff (cough, NAMM!. . . cough, cough) is not the end of the world. 

2. Social media. 

If you struggle with thinking people will stop remembering you if you aren’t posting all the time on instagram, relax. Shoot for two or three really interesting posts a week, and you’ll save a bunch of time each week. 

3. Cleaning.

This one is hard for me, since I’m a bit of a neat freak and I work at my house. But I’ve had to concede that nobody really cares if my house is spotless all the time.

4. Email.

You should already be severely limiting how much time you spend on email each week, but if you haven’t, this is an area you need to cut fast. Check out this blog on how to get started.

5. Mindless practicing. 

If you’re spending hours each day practicing stuff you already know, I’d encourage you to set a strict time limit, and really focus on what areas that challenge you. Remember: short focused practice session will get far better results than long unfocused practice sessions. 

As a side note, here are a few areas I’m refusing to compromise in: 

1. Sleep. (Even if it’s broken, I’m getting 8 hours of it throughout the day no matter what)

2. Food. (Eating healthy is the single most important factor for me staying productive throughout the day)

3. Relationships. (Both business and personal)

4. Daily work on both my keyboard chops and producing. (There’s no excuse for letting your chops slip).