Don’t get me wrong, a music career is something you have to slowly build over years. But there’s a few things you can do right now in the next 5 minutes that will give your career a bump. Here’s how: 

1. Call someone in the industry and ask them to lunch.

Don’t text. Don’t email. Be direct, and offer to take them out (your treat) to a really nice restaurant of their choosing. Building relationships with other people in music is the cornerstone of your longterm success, and cutting through the email/text clutter by actually calling will help up your chances of actually meeting up. 

2. Pick unproductive 3 things that’s eating up your time, and write them down. 

Post this list on your workspace, and force yourself to not do these items until all of your other work is done for the day. You’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll get done throughout the work day. 

3. Update something small on your website. 

Just posting a quick blog update, a picture, or even an Instagram video can make a huge difference in your site traffic and google search results. Budget 5-10 minutes every day, and post something fun that your site visitors will love. 

4. Sign up for a library card. 

Reading is a vital part of any musician’s career, and most libraries have at least a small section on business/career management. I’d recommend starting off with Seth Godin’s “Permission Marketing” and Tim Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Work Week”. 

5. Get a personal coach.

We all need career accountability, and one of the best ways to stay on track is to get a personal career coach. There are a lot of great coaches around, but my personal favorite is Grammy-winning drummer turned personal career counselor Steve Grossman. In about 5 minutes he can set up an online career counseling session with you via his website here.