I'M BORED!

Practice Tip: The Value of Boredom
When we practice any skill, especially a physical skill like we use in music, dance or sports, there are a lot of times when we have to repeat an action over and over and over. Repeating can start to feel really boring! And sometimes we let that boring feeling get to us, bother us, even feel painful.

But what if that feeling of boredom wasn't actually a bad thing? What if feeling bored didn't have to be painful?

When we're practicing, there are a lot of times when we have to repeat one little thing over and over. We repeat it because it's challenging and we want to play it better than we're playing it right now. The first few times we play it, it feels hard. If we repeat it enough times, at some point it starts to feel easier. Then, if we keep on, it starts to feel boring.

Often this is the time when we decide we should stop. Stop because practicing isn't fun any more. Stop because it feels like we aren't making progress any more.

DON'T STOP!!!  Please don't stop now.  When we start to feel bored, that's a sign that we're beginning to get good at something.  Celebrate the feeling of boredom!  It means we're making progress.  It means we're ready to add a new layer of challenge to our practicing.

How do we add new layers of challenge?  I'll tell you all about that in a future Practice Tip.