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Posts tagged consistency

Difficult problems are also Easier

Difficult problems are also Easier

Two months ago, I became a father for the third time. I have heard countless times that “when you become a parent, you will never have any more time of your own again” or something similar. Which is a big fat lie, of course. It just requires priorities and planning. A very good approach to a problem that seems too difficult is to realize that the reason you are stuck is because the problem is too easy. By increasing the difficulty level, you eliminate more of your options, until only a handful or preferably only one option remain. If you only have one choice, then the path forward becomes rather obvious.

Diary, HabitsRikard ÖqvistJuly 5, 2024habits, routine, consistencyComment

Why routines are critical

Why routines are critical

Oh, how easy it is to lose a habit. This is my 218th weekly blog post, but a couple of weeks ago I stopped caring about which day I should publish it. It used to be Mondays, almost without fault for a couple of years. And here I am, Sunday evening, in the final hours of this week before my habit is officially broken. It is interesting that these things always seem to gravitate towards “I’ll do it later”. But later usually never comes. Obviously, it can never work if you don’t follow a routine. Lesson learned.

Diary, HabitsRikard ÖqvistFebruary 12, 2024blog, writing, habits, consistencyComment

Priorities

Priorities

When consistency has been established in any domain, it becomes very difficult to break it. However, habits that are so perfectly chosen, that they should stay with you for life are few and far between. The very first habit that comes to mind is marriage. I cannot figure out any conceivable path that would be better in any way shape or form. There might be a handful more, and I can think of a couple of them that work for me personally, but I cannot think of anything more generally applicable. So how do you know when the time has come to ditch one or two of your habits?

HabitsRikard ÖqvistDecember 27, 2023consistency, focus, christmas, family, timeComment

Willpower and habit formation

Willpower and habit formation

Christmas rush at work, a man cold, and severe sleep depravation after a morning flight. And a whole bunch of sleep depraved nights before that. I am quite sure that the cold is a consequence of an immune system that is just as tired as me. A bit of proper sleep would probably do the trick, if there were enough clock hours. The energy reserves are gone, I am running on fumes now just hanging in there for the final check out on Friday. It is times like these that things are really put to the test. How much do I really want to write this blog post and practice my drums? To go to bed right now, is the easiest sell in the world.

Habits, MusicRikard ÖqvistDecember 19, 2023writing, drumming, habits, consistencyComment

How to maintain a habit

How to maintain a habit

I was defeated by life once again yesterday, by failing to publish my weekly blog post every Monday. Still, two times out of 197 consecutive weeks isn’t too shabby. But as I suspected back when I missed the first one, the chance that it would happen again increased tremendously. But a week with several deliveries in combination with sick kids for several days is just a combination that cannot add up. Not without giving the middle finger to your wife at least, but it was not worth it. Instead, I have been thinking about potential solutions to the problem of how to maintain a weekly writing habit.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistSeptember 12, 2023consistency, habits, writing, willpowerComment

Keep your eyes on the prize

Keep your eyes on the prize

When I became active on social media a couple of years ago, I discovered the phenomenon of so called “haters”. They exist both in real life and online, but it sure seems as if they are more common online. The pattern often repeats like this, the first weeks or months (depending on your virality), the comments section usually becomes active with people who try to bring you down. My best example is when I have been documenting my progress of learning how to play the drums. Negative comments were more common in the first year, but from year two and onwards, it feels as if they have vanished. I guess it is not that fun to harass someone who couldn’t care less even if he tried.

Music, HabitsRikard ÖqvistApril 10, 2023drums, consistency, focus, inspiration, practiceComment

I published 1000 videos on YouTube

I published 1000 videos on YouTube

“Yes” is a commitment and “No” equals freedom. I like that saying and seldom have it been more appropriate than yesterday when I published my final daily upload on YouTube after publishing at least one video every single day since November 2019. I had concluded that video is the medium of the future, and decided that I needed to get comfortable in front of a camera, and that the best way to get there was to publish at least 1000 videos with a minimum of one per day. It is physically impossible to not get at least decent at it if you do it one thousand times. Yesterday, after I pressed the upload button for the final time in my somewhat insane endeavor, I experienced a strange and very satisfying feeling of inner peace. A sense of freedom.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistMay 31, 2022vlogging, blogging, video, writing, podcast, habits, consistencyComment

Am I on the path to Heaven or Hell?

Am I on the path to Heaven or Hell?

I have been visiting my mom and dad during the Christmas holidays, and the visit has clearly demonstrated the importance of routines and habits. When you are administering a two kid-two dog family, routines are very important to get anything done. But the challenge is to keep the routines going when you’re away for a couple of days. One of the habits that did work though, is the writing practice. I was about to go to bed, when it hit me “What a minute, it’s Monday and I haven’t written my weekly piece.” So, not allowed to go to sleep yet. This is the 108th weekly piece without interruption and I am not going to start tonight. My writing habit has become like a giant flywheel that is spinning at high speed. There is MORE resistance to NOT write, than what it is to fire up the laptop in the middle of the night and get going. How interesting!

Habits, PhilosophyRikard ÖqvistDecember 28, 2021future authoring, planning, habits, consistency, dreams, vision, goal, hell, nightmare, regretComment

The worst days are the most important

The worst days are the most important

I’ve been publishing content daily for more than two years by now and this is the most important lesson that I’ve learned. Never pre-produce your content! The best blogs and videos are created on the fly when you’re in the zone. You cannot pre-plan flow. However, writing a blog or recording daily videos has a flip side. What do you do when you are all out of inspiration? Sometimes life sends you a curveball and it is all but impossible to create. Today is one of those days, and I now wish that I had some pre-produced content ready to publish. But I don’t, so here I am anyway. And I guess that might be an even more important lesson.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistDecember 20, 2021blogging, vlogging, writing, thinking, consistencyComment

When is the optimal time to practice?

When is the optimal time to practice?

I always practice a musical instrument 15 minutes per day and have been doing it every day for the past seven years. In these years I have been experimenting with the optimal practice time, and I have tried all of them. What I have found, is that a habit like this works best first thing in the morning. When you open your eyes after a night’s sleep, your mind is fresh and feels like a blank slate. As the day goes on, more and more ideas enter your mind. And at the end of the day, the mind is so full of thoughts and ideas that a night’s sleep is needed to crystalize them, so that the process can start over the next day. That’s why I have found the morning hours to work best, but there are also other factors to consider.

Habits, MusicRikard ÖqvistJuly 12, 2021practice, consistency, focus, growth, routine, habits, writing Comments

The Grind

The Grind

It is now 24 months since I decided to learn Bleed by Meshuggah on the drums, as a beginner drummer. This is a totally crazy project, because it is arguably one of the most difficult metal songs ever written. It is also one of the best, and a personal favorite. I can now play all the parts of the song one by one, in somewhat lower tempo. It took almost two years to just understand the riffs. But now the next phase begins, which I call “The Grind”. It is the final push to connect all riffs together and bring the tempo up to the original speed. And paradoxically, this is the easiest part of the whole process!

Habits, MusicRikard ÖqvistJune 28, 2021meshuggah, bleed, drums, practice, habits, consistency, 15 minutesComment

Wax on, wax off

Wax on, wax off

When I was a kid, I watched the movie Karate Kid where young Daniel wants to learn Karate and gets old Karate master mr Miyagi to train him. Miyagi lets Daniel clean and polish his cars using the “wax on, wax off” motion. He also lets him clean a terrace and pain a fence, always using special motions with his hands when appying the wax, paint or cleaning water. All in all, Daniel spends lots and lots of time with these activities until he finally snaps and goes furious – “When are you going to teach me Karate?!” It turns out, that is precisely what he has done. The special movements Daniel used in the activities are important Karate moves, and by doing restoration and renovation work, they have just killed two birds with one stone. A lot of works has been done, and Daniel now has the correct movements in his muscle memory.

Habits, MusicRikard ÖqvistMay 10, 2021meshuggah, tennis, consistency, practice, habits, mind, 15 minutesComment

Slow and steady wins the race

Slow and steady wins the race

Six years ago, I opened an account where I put aside ~50 EUR every month. The purpose of this account was to slowly build up a buffer so that I can buy musical equipment whenever a I come across a good deal of something I desire. I have been looking at a pair of Finnish Genelec studio monitors for about 15 years. They are called the 8050 and they are ridiculously expensive, and they are also quite rare on the 2nd hand market. I have been scanning the trading sites for years and have only seen them a couple of times and when I did, I wasn’t fast enough and someone else grabbed them before me. But if you keep your eyes on the target and are consistent, there are only two options: Either you will find a used pair, or you will save up enough money to go and buy them brand new.

Music, HabitsRikard ÖqvistMarch 6, 2021studio, home studio, genelec, loudspeakers, sound, consistency, habits, patience, goalsettingComment

The Catch-22 of drumming

The Catch-22 of drumming

I started playing the drums in July 2019 and am in my second year now of daily practice. First and foremost, I would consider myself a guitar player because I have played for more hours on the axe than on any other instrument. If you already know one instrument, it will be easier for you to learn a second, even easier to learn your third and so on. Mastery on multiple instruments is comparable to polyglots who speak several languages. It gets easier and easier to acquire a new one, the more you already know. In this post, I will focus on how some important lessons I have learned in my drumming. Some techniques translate well from the guitar, and others do not translate at all.

Acoustics, Engineering, MusicRikard ÖqvistFebruary 27, 2021drums, guitar, practice, consistency, growth, analogyComment

How to learn any song

How to learn any song

Back in 2012, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to come along to a concert with Tommy Emmanuel. I had never heard about the guy, but apparently, he was some kind of world class acoustic guitarist that was touring in my hometown Umeå. I said sure, it is always fun to expand one’s musical horizon. I went to the concert with zero expectations and it turned out to be one of the best things I have experienced in my life. Tommy Emmanuel is an absolute genius and a treasure of a human being. The things he creates with his guitar does not resemble anything else I have ever heard. He is the literal definition of a one-man band. In his own words: “When I was a kid, I wanted to be in show business. Now, I just want to be in the happiness business. I make music, and you get happy. That's a good job.” I don’t know of anyone who does a better job at that, than Tommy Emmanuel.

Music, EducationRikard ÖqvistJanuary 30, 2021tommy emmanuel, guitar, acoustic guitar, learning, practice, consistency, habits, concertComment

The secret of successful New year’s resolutions

The secret of successful New year’s resolutions

Most of us probably have probably struggled with new years resolutions of one kind or the other. It is all too common to fail on a commitment. We might show up a day or two, or a week, but even if we have some early motivation boost it often goes away after a while. It is like the first phase of a loving relationship. The initial period is filled with passion which fills us with energy. We feel that we can do anything! That phase cannot last forever, and neither can the initial joy of taking up a new skill. Honestly, it gets kind of boring after a while! (The skill practice, not the relationship ;) ). I have done several projects by now. New years resolutions are among the best things I know, and I never fail them. The secret? Keep it simple and be consistent. Do something every day for 365 days and it is physically impossible to not get at least decent at it. If you miss one single day, you will fail.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistDecember 12, 2020habits, discipline, focus, consistencyComment

One year and 52 blogs later

One year and 52 blogs later

Today is a one-year anniversary! This is my 52nd weekly blog post. A year goes by quickly. It is amazing how much easier the writing process is now, compared to the first one or two months. The friction is all but gone now. Writing is an incredibly useful and valuable skill, and I am glad I started this habit. I have now reached a point where I can decide to sit down, write a blog post, and publish it. Even if I start from scratch and no idea what to write about, I can produce something. And that is often enough. Something always beat Nothing.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistNovember 28, 2020blogging, writing, consistency, growth, anniversaryComment

What is the purpose of 500 vlogs in 365 days?

What is the purpose of 500 vlogs in 365 days?

Last year I attended an online course called the London Real Business Accelerator. The course had a strong focus on video and its importance for online business. A recurring theme throughout the whole course was to record vlogs. I believe most of you will agree with me that it is a strange and scary feeling to speak into a smart phone and publish it to the whole world forever. One of the tasks the first course week was to record 10 vlogs in 10 days. And on the 5th of November last year I recorded my first vlog. I had just finished an awfully long field day of measurements in the south of Sweden and had gotten into my rental car about to head back home. But I knew that I needed to record that vlog before I go, because it was late in the evening. So, after a LOT of resistance, I grabbed my phone and started talking about the thoughts that were in my head at that moment and published it on Youtube and shared the link on my other platforms. I did not stop at 10 vlogs, I just kept going. Now, a year later I am closing in 500 vlogs and the friction is all but gone. Here are some of the most important things I have learned.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistNovember 14, 2020vlogging, habits, discipline, consistency, video, practice, social mediaComment

Designing the ultimate home studio

Designing the ultimate home studio

When designing a room, you need to balance and prioritize certain aspects against each other. For a home studio, I consider the following three to be the most important: 1) Acoustics, 2) Aesthetics and 3) Functionality. I am currently building my fourth home studio in my garage. Each iteration has had a different priority order and the results have varied accordingly. As with any project, you need to write down the purpose of the room, to understand how the parameters should be rank ordered. In this article, I will describe what I have learned from my different home studios.

Acoustics, Art, Habits, MusicRikard ÖqvistOctober 10, 2020acoustics, home studio, recording, habits, discipline, consistency, creativity, architecture, studio, sound, sound quality, beauty, function, functionality, sound absorbersComment

Discipline equals freedom

Discipline equals freedom

I always write my blog posts on Saturday mornings, but today I am writing this post at a café in my hometown Umeå, around lunchtime. I haven’t gotten enough sleep the past week, and last night me and my wife had an important discussion which dragged on past midnight. I realized that four hours of sleep on top of the already empty sleep account would come back to bite me, when my alarm went off at 04:45. The icing on the cake was that my son had cuddled up next to me in the night, sleeping peacefully. Even my dogs were extraordinarily calm (they usually want to go walking around 05:00). It was that kind of a moment that you only get a handful of in a lifetime and I wasn’t going to miss it. I decided that my blog can wait a couple of hours and switched off the alarm.

HabitsRikard ÖqvistSeptember 26, 2020blogging, writing, consistency, flexibility, freedomComment