Doing Less to Get More Done

I want to talk about something that comes up a lot both in the work I have done in Music as well as the work I do in life in general. It’s the idea of doing less, in order to get more done. 

That’s right, I hereby declare that Status is no longer attained through being “Busy.”

 

Quality is the new Quantity. 

 

Gone are the days when we would look with envy at that guy–let’s call him “Player A”– running into and out of a rehearsal–barely making it into his seat in time for the downbeat–gosh, we used to think “He’s SO IN DEMAND!! HE MUST BE AMAZING” 

These days? We look at the person sauntering in with a vanilla chai latte in hand–. ”Player B” is smiling, with time to chat with their friends. This person? They’ve got it going on. They have a small, but elite studio of advanced students, run a successful and always-sold-out chamber music series, and performs the concerts THEY want. They’re not frantic, they’re not exhausted. But they are: 

• Artistically fulfilled
• Doing work that matters to them
• The creators of important legacy projects that will outlast them
• Enjoying plenty of time to relax, think and create
• Financially secure

Both player A and player B are awesome players. Both went the the “right” schools, had the “right” teachers, and both have stellar reputations as a colleague and a person. 

So what’s the difference? 

Player B made the decision to do Less, in order to get more done

 

 

In music it looks like this: 

Identifying the 3 notes that are tripping you up in a tricky passage and practicing those for 5 minutes instead of going over and over the entire passage for 10 minutes—usually without much progress. 

When I taught my eager and enthusiastic cello students, I often talked to them about the power of doing less, not (only) so that they wouldn’t become exhausted and burned out, but so that they had time to really think about what they were doing, and as a result, make faster progress. 

For them, it might look like only being in one youth orchestra as a student so that they have more time to practice and improve their playing skills. 

Or having half of their lessons virtually to save a 2-hour commute (giving them more time to practice). 

I, too, have had to learn the benefits of doing less in order to get more done. In my case, it has less to do with tricky passages in a cello concerto, and more to do with streamlining the work that I was doing. 10 years ago, I had the equivalent of 3 full-time jobs. I had obligations to too many people, and way too many of my hours were spoken for. My bandwidth was stretched to the max. And ironically, I never felt like I had any time to get any ACTUAL work done. The kind of work that mattered most. 

One concern I had when I decided to stop performing, (and then I had it again when I stopped teaching two years later) was that clients would think that in order to have any success leveling up their career or creating big programs and events like I have, they, too, would have to quit. 

Some of them were looking for permission to do just that. (and, yes, permission granted, my friend! I hereby grant you permission to do whatever you want to do!)

But others love performing and can’t imagine a day when they would ever want to give it up. 

And that’s great too!

I think it’s definitely possible to do different things. I very successfully Performed and taught, and ran a large chamber music program. And then I taught in person, and ran an online cello program and festival, and had a coaching program. 

But there’s a limit to how many different things one can do before there’s no time left in your schedule to work on YOU. 

 

 

The freelance musician who is running around from rehearsal to rehearsal all over the entire region, squeezing every possible gig into their schedule like a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. In the moment, being able to squeeze in that $200 memorial service on a Wednesday morning seems like a victory. But over the long term, every morning practice session you gave up delayed your progress as a musician. Every 2-hour commute to a “kinda crappy” gig meant that you lost 2 precious hours of figuring out your ideal recital program, or booking your own concerts, or starting that chamber music series–The things that you’ll look back on with pride. 

The artist who is teaching classes at three different schools, babysitting, and working at Starbucks. When do they have time to make their own art? 

 

Do less by…Cutting Expenses

Okay–let’s talk about what needs to be talked about. Artists are not paid enough. So, maybe it takes three teaching jobs, babysitting work, and a job as a barista just to pay your bills. I get that. (trust me, I GET that) but these moments need to be moved through as quickly as possible. 

Generally speaking, I think you should look for ways to make more money, rather than live a life of desperate frugality. BUT…sometimes, to get out from under the giant boulder of  “needing to do 20 jobs in order to pay rent” you need to cut whatever expenses you can until you can start increasing your revenue.

What if you’re in a period of your life when you need to be focused on your craft?–you’re preparing to submit your work to a big art competition, or you’re taking auditions, trying to get an orchestra or acting job. 

This is a period of time when you want to say no to as many things as possible and spend as much time as possible investing in your craft. Spend whatever money you can scrape together on audition excerpt training, lessons, and the flights you’ll need to take. Say no to both the low-paying gig with a 3-hour commute and dinner out with your friends. 

 

 

Do Less by…Charging more money for what you ARE doing: 

I had a colleague who would ONLY play a gig if they were principal. “If I have to be there,” they said “I might as well be making as much as possible–that way I don’t have to take as many gigs” 

When I streamlined my teaching into my online program I taught less (technically) and charged far more than I had previously. But I was also giving my students twice the value in other ways. There are things that they need and benefit from that don’t require more of your time! 

You can also apply for grants, funding, or donations (depending on your status as a non-profit, etc) but there are ways to bring other people into the fold to support the work that you are doing. 

So while Player A spent 9 hours of his week rushing around the city to play three low paying gigs and proving just how “in demand” he is, Player B was at home curled up with her cat writing a grant proposal that will bring her the $5000 needed to cover the costs of her next chamber music series concert—including her pay has artistic director, which is quite a bit more than what Player A made that week. 

 

Do less by…Being the best at 1 thing: 

 

Being “the Best” is pretty subjective, especially in the arts, but the more specialized you are, and the better you are at doing that specialized thing, the higher your rate can be. Are you an expert in a particular genre or style of music? Or a particular aged student? Or a particular art medium? Carving out a niche for yourself can be both rewarding and lucrative. 

This might not be appealing to you–you might love the wide variety of work opportunities you get—that’s great! But for some, niching down is exactly the right thing. 

 

 

Do less by…Finding the unifying factor

I’m the first to admit that on paper, the past few months have seemed cRAZY busy for me, I launched a podcast in January, and then Profit Pivot in February–those two on top of my Creatives Leadership Academy program, my 1:1 coaching, and the work I do running a local orchestra. 

But really, all of those things are just 1 thing. I help people to create and live the lives they have always dreamed of. It’s what I do with my 1:1 clients, my CLA cohort, Profit Pivot, it’s what I am doing with this podcast, and it’s even what I am doing with the Philharmonic. Providing the musicians with a container in which to play great repertoire, and express themselves through music, and providing residents with a vibrant cultural landscape that they can enjoy and be proud of! 

This IS essentially my niche, my one thing. On paper, it might look like 5 things, but to me, and in my mind, they are just one. And that one thing leaves me: 

• Artistically fulfilled
• Doing work that matters to me
• The creator of important legacy projects that will outlast me
• Enjoying plenty of time to relax, think, and create
• Financially secure

None of this comes by accident, of course. Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s about…wait for it…intentionality. It really does always come back to that, doesn’t it? It’s about having some clarity around what you want to be known for. The kind of work you do, rather than how much of it you do. The quality of it, rather than the quantity. 

What can you clear off your plate this year so that you can have more time to do the things that matter? If you put those things aside, how would you spend that extra time? And how could those activities bring in as much or more money than the ones you cleared off? 

If you’d like a bit of structure around how to think through these questions and plan out the next 90 days with more intentionality, go download my Quarterly Retreat Planning Guide.  This is my popular guide that will show you exactly how I plan out my stay-at-home retreat, how I prepare for it, and what I do each day to ensure the next 90 days are met with intentionality, progress, and plenty of white space for fun and relaxing goodies. Grab it today, and start planning your next retreat (don’t forget the croissants!)

Have a great week! 

Kate