The surprise hit show of 2020 offers a hilarious and honest look at the struggles new artists face when trying to excel in the music business.
Coronavirus has forced the majority of Americans indoors, and many are choosing to spend their time binging as much content as possible. That scenario, while largely bad, is giving new television programs and movies a chance to be seen, and the show winning over the masses more than any other right now is the FXX original, Dave.
Dave is all about Lil Dicky, the creator, writer, editor, and star of the series. Lil Dicky is a successful rapper whose level of fame and recognition often baffles people both inside and outside of the music business. Dave details a fictional version of Lil Dicky’s rise to success, as well as the struggles he encounters along the way. It’s a grounded, yet hilarious look at the entertainment business that speaks to the reality of trying to quote/unquote “make it” in 2020.
In addition to laughs, Dave also offers a lot of good advice to young musicians. Every hurdle the characters encounter is similar to the real problems artists from every genre faces in the music industry today. There are episodes dedicated to confidence, team building, label negotiations, and feelings of inadequacy. The show even dares to mental health, and how the stigma around it can hinder even the most creative people from living an otherwise normal life. It’s so accurate, in fact, that we made a video essay exploring the lessons viewers can learn:
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Have you heard of cob-core? Before January 2020, nobody had, but a lot can happen in a month.
Call it a tragedy or not the way things should be, but there countless promising artists and bands around the world struggling to reach people that claim to be passionate about new music. Everyone loves to hear the next group that could change their life, but how many of us are actively searching for those artists? As a journalist, I like to think I do my fair share of discovery work, but there are too many musicians promoting far too many songs for anyone to hear everything worthwhile.
The marketplace of music has never been as oversaturated with talent as it is right now. You could listen to five new artists in your favorite genre every day and barely scratch the surface of what there is to hear. Streaming services have attempted to do their part with algorithms that show us several artists we may be interested in, but even those fall short of covering everything.
Musicians hoping to get ahead today need more than good songs and quality production. The recipe for success has always required a few extra ingredients. Still, the increasingly overcrowded content has made the need to uncover or share something unique more significant than ever before. What works for some will not work for others, but thinking outside the box is a must because, frankly, you never know what will connect.
As The Structure Fails is a Canadian metal band with two releases under their belt and nearly a decade of touring experience. The group has always written exciting music that spoke to the struggles most face when trying to chase dreams and overcome tragedy in the modern age, but finding traction in the media and metal scene at large has been an uphill battle. Despite delivering well-written songs and high-gloss visuals, As The Structure Falis has mainly been overlooked by virtually everyone, including the person writing this post.
That is, until the video for the band’s new single, “The Surface,” hit YouTube in early 2020. Check it out:
Tagged as both #CobCore and #HillbillyMetal, the official video for “The Surface” finds As The Structure Fails channeling the small-town lifestyle for a unique take on performance-driven music videos. As Vocalist Kyle Laird explains:
“We decided to take a jump outside the standard heavy music videos we tend to see, to create something outside of the box. We feel like this video truly is one-of-a-kind, reflecting our own lives of living in small towns and working on farms. We hope people see the humor in it.”
The concept for “The Surface” is incredibly silly, but it has also proven to be an effective marketing tactic. In its first month of release, the video earned over 27,000 views, making it the band’s most successful video to date. The song also has over 15,000 streams on Spotify, which is double the total streams for their second most popular song.
As for the press, As The Structure Fails’ level video has made an appearance on some of the most famous sites in rock and metal, including Lambgoat and Hardcore Worldwide. The band has been gaining fans faster in the weeks since “The Surface” was released than at any other point in their caree, and it is all thanks to one original idea.
So, what happens next? No one can know. However, it is safe to say that As The Structure Fails has captured the attention of their genre peers and gatekeepers in a time when accomplishing such a thing is often considered an impossible task. They broke through the noise and competition by leaning into their originality as much as possible. They trusted themselves with a wild idea and it paid off.
The lesson here is clear: Do what makes sense for you and don’t think twice about looking foolish. There is always a chance that what you do will not work the way you imagine, but the likelihood it becomes more significant than you ever anticipated is equally high. Art is about originality and risk-taking. Don’t be afraid to do something unlike anyone else because that is how you set yourself apart and get noticed. Just don’t try to be the hillbilly metal band. That role is already taken.
There is a lot of great advice on succeeding in the music industry, but there are a lot of lies as well. Let’s take a moment to separate fact from fiction before someone steers your career in the wrong direction.
The only thing the music industry has more of than artists is people who think they can help artists succeed. We choose to believe anyone offering advice is doing so because they genuinely want to help others. After all, why would someone purposefully offer lousy advice that could be detrimental to another person’s career?
The problem with offering advice, especially in an industry like music, is how rare any path to success works more than once. Artistic pursuits are built mainly on originality and creativity, which is why artists who become game-changing superstars are so rare. Not everyone has a clear vision for their career, and far less possess the unbreakable spirit needed to risk everything long enough to establish themselves as an undeniable talent. There is a reason we only have one Taylor Swift, one Kiss, and one Elton John. All three are examples of talented musicians that blazed a path entirely their own that has been repeated countless times by gifted people who never took the extra step needed to separate themselves from the rest of those following the lead of those who came before.
Our goal with this blog has always been to keep things as simple as possible. We would never advise you to copy another artist’s career because the likelihood that lightning strikes twice is incredibly low. We choose to focus on establishing a foundation for success with essential marketing and business knowledge in the hope it empowers your creative expression. We cannot make you a star, and anyone who is claiming they can is most likely selling you a lie.
With that in mind, here are three common lies sold to musicians on the rise all around the world. These ideas are discussed at conferences, on podcasts, and through blogs (un)like this one regularly, which is why so many foolishly believe they offer some magical solution to becoming a star. But trust us: No such magic exists.
“All you need is one great song.”
When people originally started telling artists that they only needed one great song, they were probably telling the truth. Before computers and the internet empowered anyone with a melody in their head to quickly release music, one great song could land you a record deal and number one single. If that single sold well, the success of your one great song could propel you into the music hierarchy long enough to make a little money, buy a house, and more or less sustain yourself until people came to their senses. The 1980s and 1990s were filled with musicians who blew up from a single song and never duplicated their success, but those instances became far less frequent with the rise of internet culture.
These days, one great song is all you needed to get started. One great song can turn heads and raise awareness for your music, but it is rarely enough to make you a star. Even Lil Nas X, who came out of nowhere with “Old Town Road” in 2019, needed several remixes of his hit to propel the song to its record-breaking streaks atop the Billboard charts. He also followed that song with “Panini,” which also performed incredibly well (aided, at least in part, by its own series of high-profile remixes).
The reason one great song isn’t enough is due to the marketplace. There is so much music being released all the time by artists from every corner of the planet that one song very rarely can establish a career. There will always be outliers, of course, but believing your song will make you one of the exceptions to the rule is a recipe for disaster. You need more than one great song. It would be best if you as had as many great songs as you can possibly write.
“You need to be on every social media platform.”
We have written extensively about the problems social media can create for artists. Social media is a time-consuming monster that must be fed frequently with original thoughts and ideas that may or may not convince someone to follow you. In the event you do earn a new follower, there is still no promise that an individual will become a financial supporter of your music or even become a fan of your creative output.
Experimenting with social media is the best method of participation. Launch accounts on any platforms that interest, but do not allow yourself to believe existing on social media is a necessity. The only place you need to be is where your fans already are, and the only people you need to worry about entertaining are the people already invested in your music. If you can get your current fans to engage with your tweets, new followers and fans will come in time. If your fans aren’t present or don’t participate, then getting people unfamiliar with your work will be incredibly difficult.
If something doesn’t work, delete your account and move on. You don’t have the time to be creating content for platforms that do not help your bottom line.
“You need to tour.”
Let’s get one thing straight: You don’t need to do anything that doesn’t make sense for your career. If you prefer releasing singles, then you shouldn’t worry about creating an album. If you prefer to record every instrument yourself with the help of a laptop, then you shouldn’t worry about building a band. If you have no interest in touring or it doesn’t make sense financially to hit the road, then you have no obligation to do so.
Will your fans always love your choices? Probably not. Will they respect you for taking care of yourself and consistently engaging with them, however, you are able? Absolutely.
Touring can be incredibly lucrative. Touring can also create a lot of debt. Make sure going on the road is right for you before you begin booking shows. If the numbers don’t add up or you don’t feel ready for it, then you have no obligation to tour.
Never let anyone tell you there is only one way to succeed. There are countless ways to excel in the music business, including numerous methods that have yet to be discovered. The best path anyone can take is the one that makes the most sense to them. That way, even if things don’t work out, you did things your way, and that’s more than many creatives can claim.
With the year coming to an end, it is time to take stock of where we’ve been and where we plan on going.
Most days it is hard to believe that 2019 is almost over. In roughly six weeks, people everywhere will be gathering to celebrate the start of 2020. There will be parties held and promises made, all of which hinge on our awareness that time marches on whether or not we are prepared for what comes next. The best we can do is to position ourselves for success, which is what you need to do in the days and weeks ahead.
We live in exciting times. There is so much happening at any moment that it is all anyone can do to try and be present. If you take your eye off whatever you’re doing right now to reflect or plan you’re likely to miss the next opportunity that presents itself. Thankfully, the end of the year signals a slowdown in music that gives people at every level of the business a chance to take stock of their lives.
There are three things every musician should do before the years ends, but before we get there, consider this: Are you happy? Is the work you’re doing, including everything that has happened over the last year, making you smile? Is the path your on in line with your dreams? If the answer is yes, great! Keep on keeping on. If the answer is no, then consider this moment the perfect time to make a change. Don’t allow yourself to enter another year living a life that doesn’t reflect your values or interests. We only have a limited time on this planet, and you owe it to yourself to do everything your heart desires. Don’t push off being your true self any longer. Be the real you to the fullest extent possible.
After you do that, do these things as well:
Take time to appreciate your journey.
With so much happening all the time most people rarely take the opportunity to reflect on their journey. A lot has transpired over the last year, probably much more than you realize, and it’s important to set aside time for reflection. Maybe you did not accomplish everything you hoped for, but you no doubt did a lot. Maybe you played shows in places you’ve never been or wrote a song about something you never thought you’d share. Maybe you wrote a single lyric that made you feel like your truest self was being expressed. Whatever the case, take some time before the year ends to appreciate the work you’ve done. The life you are living now was once a dream that felt out of reach. Don’t forget that.
Show appreciation to those that support your dream.
No one is an island. Your success is the direct result of other people caring about you and your creativity. Every listener, concert attendee, and person who responded to an email has helped shape the career you have today. Before entering 2020, reach out to those who made an impact on your career to show your appreciation. Make them feel as special as their support has made you feel however you are able. If you can send notes or cards or gifts, do so. If you want to post a blog that recounts some of the more memorable experiences you’ve had receiving help from others, do that. Go above and beyond to show how grateful you are for the support you have received because there are many who would do anything for the following you have right now.
Make a (reasonable) plan for the new year.
The goal of every artist is to do something new and exciting with each passing year. The best way to position yourself for success in 2020 is to enter it with a plan already in place. Set reasonable goals for yourself that play into your strengths. If you wrote two good songs this year, consider planning to release an EP in the new year rather than two full-length albums. If you played two shows this year and want to play more, try making plans for a short tour instead of a month-long trek across the country. Set your sights on achievable goals that won’t feel too great to tackle when it comes time to work.
Furthermore, once you have a few goals in mind, create checkpoints in your calendar to help keep yourself on track. If you want to tour for a week in the summer, set aside time every other week where you work on building connections and pitching venues. If you want to record, set aside time weekly to work on your material.
Small accomplishments can easily lead to major accomplishments, but trying to do too much without a plan is a recipe for disaster. Take your time, trust yourself, and commit to seeing things through. If you can do that, which may be a bigger ‘if’ then you realize, then you will already be ahead of the competition.
Every artist has a unique journey to success in the music industry, but they should all start with the same goal.
Now is the best time ever to start a music career. The opportunities for exposure and success are at an all-time high, and virtually everyone can begin making money for their creative output as soon as it’s uploaded to the internet. Artists have never been as empowered to express themselves as they are right now, and that has made music as a whole far more interesting.
But regardless of who you are and the kind of music you seek to create, the goal of every musician starting today should be the same: Growth.
Jesse Cannon, music producer and author of numerous books geared at helping musicians succeed, says all new artists should prioritize growth until they have at least 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Why Spotify? If you asked a few years back, Cannon would have said the goal growth on Facebook or Twitter. Online metrics matter significantly in the industry, and having a sizable audience on any platform is a clear sign to the industry at large that people care about what you’re doing.
These days, however, Spotify is the most sought-after platform for strong performance stats. After all, the streaming giant is where digital engagement transforms into money. Every stream on Spotify counts towards an artist’s income. When labels, management, and the like are looking for new talent, Spotify is the place most turn to gauge an artist’s value.
When asked for more information, Cannon said 20,000 was indicative of an artist having “buzz beyond those of us who talk about [music] all day.” Meaning, an artist with a large Spotify following confirms the general public has discovered and taken an interest in their music. There are many artists that critics and industry professionals love who may never reach a following that large, so it’s important — from a business standpoint — to know music consumers are embracing someone.
Cannon further suggested that artists should avoid releasing or working on albums until they hit the 20,000 listener goal. Until that time, Cannon recommends releasing singles regularly. Consistently giving people a new reason to care or give you a chance is a proven tactic for developing an audience. Until people are willing to wait for something that could take a long time to complete, stick with singles as a means of showcasing your talent.
Careers are built on fans. In the age of the internet, engaging with listeners is incredibly easy. You can tweet at people, post to Facebook, share stories on Instagram, create videos for YouTube, and maintain a mailing list, among other things, without spending a dime. Growth on any platform is excellent, but growth on Spotify makes a difference that other digital communities cannot. Focus your efforts, build a community, and in time you will have the audience needed to support a full-time career.
Everywhere you look, people are encouraging you to work harder, but there is more to life and success in music than grinding yourself to death.
The world is full of lies, and the most hurtful are often those disguised as advice. Motivational speakers and authors everywhere have spent the past several years speaking about the need to work harder. “Do more of what you love,” they say. “You have to want it more than anyone else.”
Working hard can lead to success, but there is more to life and having a career than working around the clock. The CEOs of tomorrow are not necessarily the people working eighty-hours a week right now. The innovators who will lead us into the future are not pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion every single day. Hard work plays a part, sure, but it is not the entire story.
When you speak to people in positions of power they will tell you that taking time off can be as beneficial as working long hours. The human body has limits. You can only do so much and come up with so many ideas before you hit a wall. You can push yourself beyond that point, which many do, but such behavior produces diminishing results.
In this episode of Music Biz, host James Shotwell tells us about the dangers of living a ‘hustler harder‘ lifestyle.
The best advice for avoiding burnout and developing your career requires the least amount of work.
We live in the ‘motivation age.’ Whether it be in books, on podcasts, or plastered throughout social media, there is no shortage of people shouting into the void about maintaining forward momentum. They tell us to sleep eight hours a night, exercise daily, eat clean, and hustle — always hustle.
Want to get your dream job? Hustle. Want to get ahead in your career after landing that great gig? Hustle. Want to have a spouse and a family? Well, you better hustle so hard that you can afford the time away from hustling required to do all those goals that have nothing to do with work.
If you’re working in entertainment today, you have probably spent a Saturday morning or Sunday evening checking emails when you should have been doing something with family and friends. You have likely worked ten or twelve-hour days when you’re only required to do eight. You have chased the approval of superiors to a fault because you fear something bad will happen if you take even one day for yourself.
I have been this person more times than I would like to admit. My partner has been this way, too. We are always struggling to balance work and life outside of work. More often than not, work takes priority.
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that tells us such thinking is bad for our mental and physical health. You can push your brain pretty far, but eventually, your brain starts to push back. The creativity that once flowed like water becomes a slow drip. The spreadsheets that once felt straightforward suddenly feel complicated. What is easy feels exhaustingly difficult.
“There is a lot of research that says we have a limited pool of cognitive resources,” says Allison Gabriel, an assistant professor of management at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies job demands and employee motivation. “When you are constantly draining your resources, you are not being as productive as you can be. If you get depleted, we see performance decline. You’re able to persist less and have trouble solving tasks.”
The law of diminishing returns is a phrase used to refer to a point at which the level of profits or benefits gained is less than the amount of money or energy invested. All humans have this point, and most of us are doing all the wrong things to increase the longevity of our productivity. We do more and more when we should be doing less. We fear asking for time off because we feel to do so is admitting weakness. We tell ourselves we are undeserving of rest because there is more to be done.
Everyone’s story is different. The vacation time afforded to one person may be far greater or less than the next. Whatever your case happens to be, use these steps to get ahead by getting away:
Experience life outside work:
When Scooter Ward of the rock band Cold finished his last album cycle, the legendary musician had the opportunity to record something new. Ward chose instead to take some time to experience life. In an interview on the Inside Music Podcast he explained his decision by recognizing the role everyday life plays in creative pursuits. “My music is inspired by what is happening in my life. You can grind it out on the road or in the studio nonstop, but eventually, all you’re doing is writing music for other musicians stuck in that situation.”
Sometimes people lose sight of why we work. You don’t have a job because it’s the cool thing to do. Careers can be exciting, but they are not (usually) the main source of joy in our lives. People work so that they can afford to spend time with friends, care for a family, and travel the world. Living life without feeling tethered to work is key to our longterm happiness. Don’t lose sight of what really matters.
Take a vacation.
You do not need to visit another country or spend a ton of money to take a vacation. For some, vacations take place in the homes they otherwise never see because they are working around the clock. Others may use time off to try new hobbies. Find what fits your budget, set an away message on emails, and do your best to do as little as possible that puts a strain on your brain.
Set boundaries with your job by setting aside at least one day or evening a week that is work-free.
The wheels of business never stop turning, but you should. You are legally afforded time off. However, it is on you to take full advantage of that allowance. If you do not draw a line with work it will follow you everywhere you go. You should be able to eat dinner without keeping your phone on the table. You should be able to wake up and not immediately check your emails. You have to separate your life from your career because, in time, the job will pass and the business will roll on without you. When that day comes, what will you have left? Will there be people in your life? Animals? Will you have an existence that continues without the tether of work or will you have given your precious time on this planet to help someone make more money?
Take short play breaks during the week.
Sometimes the break your brain needs does not require time off or hours away from your work. Sometimes all you need is five minutes to grab a cup of coffee without checking your phone or go one a walk. If you want to check your social media or play a mobile game, that’s fine too. Take a few moments to yourself whenever you feel brain strain setting in and you will be amazed at how fast you recover.
If you don’t feel like you can take five minutes to do something without checking your work emails or answering a text, please reconsider the boundaries you have set at work. There are very few jobs where every message is a life or death scenario that needs immediate attention. I’m not encouraging you to slack off, but you have to take care of yourself.
Take naps
Finding time to rest in the middle of the day is harder for some than others, but it is a worthwhile affair for all. Carve out time when you’re working through the weekend to decompress on your couch or in your bed. Take thirty minutes to rest and recover. Your body will thank you.
An American rock band called The Maine has found a way to succeed that other artists should use to get ahead.
Marketing is everything in music today. Everyone knows this, but very few know how to make their marketing efforts stand out from the noise being created by their peers and the competition they have yet to know. Blogs like the one you’re reading now can help. We post a lot of articles about getting ahead and becoming known. The one thing we cannot teach, however, is the one thing everyone needs: Organic connection.
is an American rock band from Tempe, AZ. The group started their career as much groups do by working with labels, but the better part of the last decade they’ve been fully DIY. That decision has made all the difference in the trajectory of their career, and it has afforded them a unique opportunity to develop a thriving community around their music with those who love them the most. In the latest installment of our Music Biz 101 video series, we examine how got here, and why other artists should follow their lead.
will release their new album, You Are OK, on March 29. You can learn about the album by listening to our recent podcast with frontman John O’Callaghan below:
Succeeding in the music business is hard work, and the only way to get ahead is by doing everything you can to consistently develop new skills.
The goal of every aspiring professional is to land their dream job and feel secure within it. You could say the same for current professionals as well. Everyone hopes to find something to do for a living that compliments their interests and has the potential to last for many years. No one likes looking for work, and no one wants to go through life feeling as though their job may be taken away from them at a moment’s notice, especially if they’re good at what they do.
Life in the music business is a tricky proposition. On the one hand, finding employment can mean the actualization of dreams that have lived in someone’s soul from a very early age. On the other hand, maintaining a job once employed is never guaranteed. Business come and go in this industry just like trends in music. The label that employs 300 people today could very well find themselves needing only a fraction of that staff in five years time. Consumers dictate which businesses thrive and which companies die. You can be the best at what you do, but if no one is buying or supporting that thing there is a good chance you could soon be looking for work once more.
I tell you this not to discourage you, but to reinforce the need to stay engaged in the industry. If you want to work in music then you have to accept the fact you the hustle really never ends. That doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7, but it does mean you need to be constantly pushing yourself towards bigger and better things. Full-time employment is not enough. Paying your bills is not enough. It’s not about money and it’s not about things. Longterm success in music is about constant personal development, both for yourself and for those around you.
Several years ago the head of publicity at an iconic heavy metal label told me that he challenged himself to develop a new skill every year that would – in some way – aide him in life. The year we spoke he had set to learning video editing, and by the following spring, he was making additional money creating promotional clips and lyric videos for bands of all sizes. He was also creating more interesting content for work, which in turn helped push the label forward.
We apply a similar practice here at Haulix. We invest in the skills our marketing and sales team need, such as public speaking and graphic design. We encourage our programmers to be creative with their designs, make training available to support team members, and hold weekly meetings to discuss the economics of our market with the entire team present. We don’t want our team to understand our business alone, we want them to understand the industry and our role in it, as well as that of all our competitors.
Everyone in music works too much and has a million things they feel they must accomplish, but taking time to recover is just as important as getting ahead.
Movies and television based on the life of music professionals and the artists they support make the entertainment business seem like a nonstop party highlighted by epic highs and perilous lows. It’s true that there is a lot of fun to be had in this industry, as well as plenty of opportunities to cut loose, but work is work. Music professionals often put in 45-80 hour weeks, every week, for as long as they can convince their body to continue getting out of bed. It’s like the postal service motto about how no weather can stop the mail from being delivered, only without the exercise.
There are many professionals working in music today who are great at their jobs. These individuals are the movers and shakers of the industry. They pour every ounce of themselves into their daily tasks, exceed expectations, and quite often find themselves being praised for all they do on industry blogs. The entertainment business tells us to admire those professionals because they have the power to make dreams come true, but far too often celebrations of talent overlook one key to success that anyone who makes a lasting career out of music possesses: Avoiding Burnout.
If 100 people decided to pursue working in the music industry at the same time, how many would eventually have a career? Of those that make it, how many would last more than five years? Ten? Twenty?
These are questions I think about a lot. Having worked in music for a decade now, longer if you count unpaid work, I’ve lost count of how many friends and acquaintances have chosen to pursue other careers. Some feel they will never find stable employment, while others run themselves ragged trying to establish a presence in the industry.
Not long ago, a magazine Editor I had worked with for nearly six years abruptly exited his role. When I inquired as to why he stepped down his response was simple, “I’m just tired.”
Anyone who chooses to pursue a career in music is told from the day they make their desires known that success is a rarity guaranteed to no one. We are trained to believe music is a battleground where the hardest working people trample one another to uplift the most creative minds we can uncover. We are told to network, but also keep our cards close to our chest, and because of all this the stress involved in pursuing a music career can be downright overwhelming.
When you pour everything you have into something you’re passionate about results will happen. The problem is that no one is able to pour themselves entirely into their passion for as long as they have air in their lungs. Human beings did not evolve to be creatures of habit, living to work and working to live. To borrow a phrase from the band Switchfoot, “We were meant to live for so much more.”
But the music industry doesn’t recognize that. No business or industry does because businesses and industries exist to profit above all else. From a business perspective, time off equals time spent not making money, and who doesn’t want to make money?
Money is great, but it’s not everything. Your happiness and peace of mind are worth more than any paycheck could afford, but the need to realize that falls on the professional and not the people who employ them. If you allow it, working in music or any other industry will drain you of your passion, work you ragged, and keep you away from those you love. In a business as fickle as music, it’s hard for those working to feel strong enough to express a need for a break or vacation, but it’s something that must be done to ensure longterm success in this business.
With all that in mind, here are a few tips to help ease the burden of the nonstop pace of the music industry. The advice outlined below should be viewed as a treatment and not a cure. You need to get away from it all in order to remember why you gave a damn in the first place. Don’t lose hope.
1. Put a priority on face-to-face social contact with supportive people
Social media is a fantastic innovation, but all too often we confuse the connections the digital world provides with being a replacement for legitimate human contact. Too much time alone can cause legitimate sickness, sometimes with life-altering consequences.
2. Set a time each day when you completely disconnect from technology
You are addicted to technology. We all are, in fact, and because of this, our brains are rarely given a chance to decompress. Set aside a part of each day, even just 30 minutes, where you exist without the aide of a screen or device.
3. Move your body frequently—don’t sit for more than an hour
You don’t have to go to the gym, but it certainly won’t hurt. Physical activity increases the endorphins in your body, which in turn alleviates stress. Try to never go more than two-hours without fitting in physical activity of some kind. Take a walk. Try yoga. Be active.
4. Reduce your intake of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine
In other words, “control your high.” You may think you need these things to function or fit in, but too much of anything is not good for you. In some instances, as with cigarettes, any amount is not good for you. Try to limit mind/body altering substances so that your body does not have to work as hard to reset your system from day to day.
5. Get all the restful sleep that you need to feel your best
The average American adult currently gets just 6.7 hours of sleep per night. Medical studies have related a lack of sleep to health problems and cognitive impairment. With this in mind, try to get anywhere from 7-9 hours a night. If you cannot make that work, maybe carve out a cat nap in the afternoon.
