Ideas form the basis of actions. Artists always need new ideas, whether it’s ideas for songs, album artwork, stage moves, or otherwise. In this post, our founder & editor David Andrew Wiebe reveals a simple but effective process for generating more and better ideas.
This post originally appeared on David Andrew Wiebe. There are no alterations except to enhance clarity, cite more resources, or offer more up-to-date information.
Quick answer: Read a book. Listen to a podcast series. Take a course. First, take in relevant and inspiring information. Then, take a break. Take a shower. Go for a walk. Drive. Meditate. As your brain works on integrating and synthesizing the information you’ve been consuming, fresh ideas will begin to form. Rinse and repeat until desired outcomes are reached.
Now for the longer answer.
Step #1: Consume Relevant & Inspiring Information
Here are several sources of valuable information:
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Books
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Courses
- Mastermind groups
- Coaches and mentors
- Live events
Experiment. Try staying with a concept or topic for an hour or more. Then, try jumping around from topic to topic as you finish articles or podcast episodes.
Keep digging, reading, listening, or watching until you begin to feel excited and/or inspired.
Step #2: Take a Break & Step Away for a While
Once you’ve consumed one or more value-adding resources, try:
- Taking a shower
- Going for a walk
- Going for a drive
- Meditating
Fresh ideas should begin to form in your mind. If not, go back to the first step and try again.
Capture your ideas, such as with a journal or voice memo app.
Additional Resources on Generating Ideas
I believe James Altucher to be the foremost expert in this field. Check out his article on becoming an idea machine for more information.
https://productivityformusicians.com/throwbackthursday-how-to-generate-more-and-better-ideas/
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
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https://productivityformusicians.com/
The Latest NewsMusic Entrepreneur HQExplore More SitesArctic SunburnDavid Andrew WiebeContent Marketing MusicianMusic Entrepreneur HQ
https://productivityformusicians.com/
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Have you ever been writing a song, only to be distracted by a potentially important phone call? Sure, you probably did need to pick up the phone and have that conversation. But when you finally returned to your song, you probably lost your place. And it probably took you the better part of 20 to 30 minutes to find your place again, if you managed to find it at all.
These kinds of things happen all the time. If anything, they happen more than ever due to phone, tablet, and even computer notifications. You’re interrupted in the middle of working on something important, lose focus, and have trouble finding your flow again.
In an article titled Context switching: Why jumping between tasks is killing your productivity (and what you can do about it), RescueTime writer, content marketer, and editor Jory MacKay points out that 20% of your productive time is lost when context-switching between two tasks. Further, 40% is lost when switching between three tasks.
The best strategy to reduce context switching is to refuse to multitask and choose instead to focus on one thing at a time for longer, uninterrupted blocks of time, switching only after meals, workouts, meditation, and the like. That’s the ideal. It’s easier said than done, however, even if you do turn off all device notifications.
Learning how to perform under any circumstance is just as valuable. And this usually requires that you put yourself in situations where you are challenged to focus. It’s like building muscle. If you don’t tear your muscles (microtears), they will never grow or become stronger during recovery. Similarly, if you’re never under the gun to produce, you may not learn how to adapt to different scenarios and continue to perform at a high level.
Engaging in self-development programs that last for several months will do the trick for most artists. Adding a new responsibility to your life and staying accountable to doing what the program requires you to do puts you in a situation where you must make things work, no matter what. Rising to the challenge transforms you into the kind of human being that can handle more.
https://productivityformusicians.com/task-switching-kills-productivity/
These kinds of things happen all the time. If anything, they happen more than ever due to phone, tablet, and even computer notifications. You’re interrupted in the middle of working on something important, lose focus, and have trouble finding your flow again.
In an article titled Context switching: Why jumping between tasks is killing your productivity (and what you can do about it), RescueTime writer, content marketer, and editor Jory MacKay points out that 20% of your productive time is lost when context-switching between two tasks. Further, 40% is lost when switching between three tasks.
The best strategy to reduce context switching is to refuse to multitask and choose instead to focus on one thing at a time for longer, uninterrupted blocks of time, switching only after meals, workouts, meditation, and the like. That’s the ideal. It’s easier said than done, however, even if you do turn off all device notifications.
Learning how to perform under any circumstance is just as valuable. And this usually requires that you put yourself in situations where you are challenged to focus. It’s like building muscle. If you don’t tear your muscles (microtears), they will never grow or become stronger during recovery. Similarly, if you’re never under the gun to produce, you may not learn how to adapt to different scenarios and continue to perform at a high level.
Engaging in self-development programs that last for several months will do the trick for most artists. Adding a new responsibility to your life and staying accountable to doing what the program requires you to do puts you in a situation where you must make things work, no matter what. Rising to the challenge transforms you into the kind of human being that can handle more.
https://productivityformusicians.com/task-switching-kills-productivity/
Friday, June 9, 2023
The Productivity, Performance & Profits Breakthroughs Program was created by Music Entrepreneur HQ founder & CEO David Andrew Wiebe in support of his first premium book, the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook.
Wiebe is a best-selling seven-time self-published author, an award-winning composer, and a podcaster for over a decade. He has published 44 songs (not including those he’s produced or played guitar on), thousands of blog posts and articles, hundreds of podcast episodes, and hundreds of videos too.
These are not facts he’s openly bragging about. But these achievements sparked an idea. Wiebe began to think, “What if I could help other people be more accomplished in their own lives?” And so, a plan started coming together.
Wiebe is currently campaigning to gather early feedback on his new material. He set up a Facebook group – called Productivity, Performance & Profits Breakthroughs – where artists committed to having breakthroughs in productivity can gather, ask questions, offer feedback, and engage in weekly live streams and assignments.
The group is already a veritable treasure trove of valuable information on productivity and efficiency. There’s plenty of time to get caught up with the training Wiebe has offered so far. Here are the relevant links (you may need to answer a few questions to be able to join the Productivity, Performance & Profits Breakthroughs Facebook group):
- Week 1 live stream
- Week 1 assignment
- Week 2 live stream
- Week 2 assignment
Join in on the fun!
https://productivityformusicians.com/if-youre-not-in-the-productivity-performance-profits-breakthroughs-program-youre-missing-out/
Wiebe is a best-selling seven-time self-published author, an award-winning composer, and a podcaster for over a decade. He has published 44 songs (not including those he’s produced or played guitar on), thousands of blog posts and articles, hundreds of podcast episodes, and hundreds of videos too.
These are not facts he’s openly bragging about. But these achievements sparked an idea. Wiebe began to think, “What if I could help other people be more accomplished in their own lives?” And so, a plan started coming together.
Wiebe is currently campaigning to gather early feedback on his new material. He set up a Facebook group – called Productivity, Performance & Profits Breakthroughs – where artists committed to having breakthroughs in productivity can gather, ask questions, offer feedback, and engage in weekly live streams and assignments.
The group is already a veritable treasure trove of valuable information on productivity and efficiency. There’s plenty of time to get caught up with the training Wiebe has offered so far. Here are the relevant links (you may need to answer a few questions to be able to join the Productivity, Performance & Profits Breakthroughs Facebook group):
- Week 1 live stream
- Week 1 assignment
- Week 2 live stream
- Week 2 assignment
Join in on the fun!
https://productivityformusicians.com/if-youre-not-in-the-productivity-performance-profits-breakthroughs-program-youre-missing-out/
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Founder & CEO of Music Entrepreneur HQ David Andrew Wiebe says focusing on sharing about productivity has increased his performance.
Wiebe always has multiple projects on the go, but he recently decided to focus on a specific aspect of his expertise – productivity.
In a Music Entrepreneur HQ blog post published on April 17, 2023, he shared:
As I continue to work toward , I’ve come to accept that getting myself steeped in the subject would make a big difference. Sounds obvious, I know, but I do have a slight case of shiny object syndrome, something I know many artists can relate to.
So, what has Wiebe been up to? How has founding Productivity for Musicians been helping him get stuff done and avoid chasing shiny objects?
“About 80% of my day is taken up by client writing work,” shared Wiebe. “Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from blogging daily, podcasting weekly, or advancing my various book projects. It has been organized chaos at times, though, and I've been falling behind with Content Marketing Musician a little.”
Wiebe added that he’s been able to revise each of the course sales and order pages on Content Marketing Musician in the last week and that he now has plans of creating a Productivity Power Pack. More details to follow.
You can view each of the revised course pages here:
- Entrepreneurial Essentials for Musicians Masterclass
- Digital Marketing Essentials for Musicians
- The Code Breaker Course
Focus truly is the key to rapid advancement in the areas of life that matter most to you.
https://productivityformusicians.com/its-funny-how-productivity-for-musicians-forces-me-to-get-stuff-done-says-david-andrew-wiebe/
Wiebe always has multiple projects on the go, but he recently decided to focus on a specific aspect of his expertise – productivity.
In a Music Entrepreneur HQ blog post published on April 17, 2023, he shared:
As I continue to work toward , I’ve come to accept that getting myself steeped in the subject would make a big difference. Sounds obvious, I know, but I do have a slight case of shiny object syndrome, something I know many artists can relate to.
So, what has Wiebe been up to? How has founding Productivity for Musicians been helping him get stuff done and avoid chasing shiny objects?
“About 80% of my day is taken up by client writing work,” shared Wiebe. “Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from blogging daily, podcasting weekly, or advancing my various book projects. It has been organized chaos at times, though, and I've been falling behind with Content Marketing Musician a little.”
Wiebe added that he’s been able to revise each of the course sales and order pages on Content Marketing Musician in the last week and that he now has plans of creating a Productivity Power Pack. More details to follow.
You can view each of the revised course pages here:
- Entrepreneurial Essentials for Musicians Masterclass
- Digital Marketing Essentials for Musicians
- The Code Breaker Course
Focus truly is the key to rapid advancement in the areas of life that matter most to you.
https://productivityformusicians.com/its-funny-how-productivity-for-musicians-forces-me-to-get-stuff-done-says-david-andrew-wiebe/
Monday, June 5, 2023
Many artists would consider living by deadlines the very definition of hell. Yet, Music Entrepreneur HQ founder & CEO David Andrew Wiebe says they are essential to accomplishing everything you’ve set out to do.
“I get lots of comments and questions around productivity,” shared Wiebe. “And there are many layers to it that I share in my various resources. But the one thing that sees me writing and editing eight blog articles in a day, as I did yesterday, is deadlines. Deadlines are critical to achieving peak productivity. I don’t always get excited about deadlines. But if I didn’t have them, I’m not sure that I would be half as effective.”
On March 24, 2021, Wiebe published an article on his blog titled The Power of Deadlines (Backed by Quotes, Examples & Science). Here are several quotes from the article that stood out to us:
In trying to motivate ourselves, we constantly undervalue deadlines. When it comes to working with clients, we see it as a necessary evil. But when it comes to our own work and projects, we tend to think of it as a jail sentence. True, deadlines might be what some call ‘negative motivation.’ Yet, they move us to action and inspire innovation.
Sometimes, we don’t know how we’re going to get something done. But when we have a deadline, our mind goes to work on figuring out how to have it happen.
When you don’t have deadlines, your next actions can be murky and uncertain. Basically, without a deadline, you let yourself off the hook and allow yourself to be wishy-washy in its completion.
Clarity and focus are key to productivity, and deadlines help make your next actions certain. You waste less willpower thinking about what to do next and simply get to work.
… deadlines help us focus. They eliminate choices by default, including those that distract us in our daily lives.
We may not especially like deadlines. They may feel constricting. They may stress us out. But if we can change the context of deadlines and embrace them as invaluable productivity tools, we can use them to our advantage. Just remember – it is possible to set deadlines that are too lofty and aggressive. Experiment and see what works for you.
https://productivityformusicians.com/david-andrew-wiebe-says-deadlines-are-critical-to-achieving-peak-productivity/
“I get lots of comments and questions around productivity,” shared Wiebe. “And there are many layers to it that I share in my various resources. But the one thing that sees me writing and editing eight blog articles in a day, as I did yesterday, is deadlines. Deadlines are critical to achieving peak productivity. I don’t always get excited about deadlines. But if I didn’t have them, I’m not sure that I would be half as effective.”
On March 24, 2021, Wiebe published an article on his blog titled The Power of Deadlines (Backed by Quotes, Examples & Science). Here are several quotes from the article that stood out to us:
In trying to motivate ourselves, we constantly undervalue deadlines. When it comes to working with clients, we see it as a necessary evil. But when it comes to our own work and projects, we tend to think of it as a jail sentence. True, deadlines might be what some call ‘negative motivation.’ Yet, they move us to action and inspire innovation.
Sometimes, we don’t know how we’re going to get something done. But when we have a deadline, our mind goes to work on figuring out how to have it happen.
When you don’t have deadlines, your next actions can be murky and uncertain. Basically, without a deadline, you let yourself off the hook and allow yourself to be wishy-washy in its completion.
Clarity and focus are key to productivity, and deadlines help make your next actions certain. You waste less willpower thinking about what to do next and simply get to work.
… deadlines help us focus. They eliminate choices by default, including those that distract us in our daily lives.
We may not especially like deadlines. They may feel constricting. They may stress us out. But if we can change the context of deadlines and embrace them as invaluable productivity tools, we can use them to our advantage. Just remember – it is possible to set deadlines that are too lofty and aggressive. Experiment and see what works for you.
https://productivityformusicians.com/david-andrew-wiebe-says-deadlines-are-critical-to-achieving-peak-productivity/
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Music Entrepreneur HQ founder & CEO David Andrew Wiebe has had his articles published on leading music industry sites like Hypebot, Indie on the Move, CD Baby’s DIY Musician, Independent Music Promotions, Music Marketing Guy, Music Industry How To, Guitar Aficionado, and numerous others.
Wiebe is now a frequent contributor to Bandzoogle as well, and his latest article on How to get a booking agent to book your band went live on April 13, 2023, and was also syndicated to Hypebot.
As Wiebe points out, many bands coming to the point of wanting to enlist the help of a booking agent aren’t ready for one. So, knowing when to seek out the help of an agent as a band is an important productivity hack all its own.
“Just because you want a booking agent doesn’t mean you can necessarily get one,” shared Wiebe. “There are so many pre-qualifiers to getting to that point – having a tight show, a polished brand, 1,000 followers or subscribers on all the main platforms, 100 to 200 ticket sales per show, the right fit, a manager, and more. And even though you may not need to fulfill all these criteria, you will need to fulfill most to get to the point of getting a booking agent.”
Bottom line – until you’re ready for an agent, put your head down and keep doing the work. It will have you focused on the strategic activity that matters to get to the point of achieving long-term goals.
Read the article here:
- Bandzoogle
- Hypebot
https://productivityformusicians.com/dont-waste-time-trying-to-find-a-booking-agent-use-this-resource-instead/
Wiebe is now a frequent contributor to Bandzoogle as well, and his latest article on How to get a booking agent to book your band went live on April 13, 2023, and was also syndicated to Hypebot.
As Wiebe points out, many bands coming to the point of wanting to enlist the help of a booking agent aren’t ready for one. So, knowing when to seek out the help of an agent as a band is an important productivity hack all its own.
“Just because you want a booking agent doesn’t mean you can necessarily get one,” shared Wiebe. “There are so many pre-qualifiers to getting to that point – having a tight show, a polished brand, 1,000 followers or subscribers on all the main platforms, 100 to 200 ticket sales per show, the right fit, a manager, and more. And even though you may not need to fulfill all these criteria, you will need to fulfill most to get to the point of getting a booking agent.”
Bottom line – until you’re ready for an agent, put your head down and keep doing the work. It will have you focused on the strategic activity that matters to get to the point of achieving long-term goals.
Read the article here:
- Bandzoogle
- Hypebot
https://productivityformusicians.com/dont-waste-time-trying-to-find-a-booking-agent-use-this-resource-instead/
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