personal development Archives

The biggest music festival and conference in the world, SXSW, is happening right now in Texas, but you don’t have to be there to get ahead this week.

SXSW Music starts today, and if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you are not in attendance. Haulix has traveled to Austin for this amazing week of shows and networking before, but this year we are staying home and working hard to develop the next era of our company. It was a tough decision, as it is every year, but we saw this week of chaos in Texas as an opportunity for us to get ahead while the vast majority of the industry was distracted with the madness that is Sixth Street.

The same is true for you. Every year we hear from professionals and those looking for work about how they wish they could be attending SXSW. The event has done such a good job positioning itself as a cornerstone in the industry that anyone who isn’t attending can fall prey to thinking they are missing out on something that could be life-changing. Whether or not that is indeed the case is another point altogether, but you have to appreciate the power of good marketing.

If you did not go to SXSW, then you should consider this week a gift from the Gods of the music business. This industry never shuts down, but for the next few days things will be slower than usual, and that provides you with a rare opportunity to focus on self-improvement rather than the minute-to-minute developments of the music business as a whole. Once the event ends, promotion for summer kicks into high gear, and after that we will all be focused on the fall until things slow down once more in December.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions of things you should do while everyone else is away at SXSW:

1. Your brand needs work. No, seriously, It needs work.

Whether you’re searching for a job or trying to get the attention of an A&R rep, you currently have a set of tools and resources you use to distribute your information. No matter how good your brand is, it can always be better. Review your promotional materials, cut unnecessary fluff, your designs, and make sure every word represents you the way you want to appear to others.

2. While everyone is scrambling to make it to the next big name showcase or catch a specific panel, you are free to discover and learn at your own speed.

Austin has a dizzying amount of options at any hour of the day, leaving most to scramble from event to event, often while consuming alcohol and binging on food that is far from healthy. That is not the case for you. Time is on your side this week, and without the rigid scheduling of SXSW to hold you back there is no limit to what you can see, do, or otherwise accomplish. Dig into research for your next big interview, listen to that growing pile of promo invitations in your inbox, or catch a documentary you’ve been putting off for the last few weeks. Stay busy, but know you’re not under the same pressure to perform that you feel every other week.

3. All those projects and tasks you have been pushing off to the side? Now is the time. Clear your to-do list.

Trying to find a full time career or record deal is hard enough without also trying to handle all the other responsibilities that come with being a music industry professional, let alone being a fully-functional adult as well. Between things you need to do to survive, the things you need to do to get ahead, and the things you want to do before your far too limited amount of time on this planet is up, life can often be overwhelming. With a large portion of the industry at SXSW this week you should feel free to take a little time for yourself as well. Catch up on the stuff that really matters. Not just for work, but for your own happiness and well being. There will be another week of industry madness in just 9 sleeps.

4. There is ample entertainment to keep you going, and you don’t have to wait in any line to enjoy it.

The beauty of SXSW in 2019 is that the vast majority of important events that take place in Austin will be broadcast online or uploaded within hours of completion. There will be tweets, Facebook Live feeds, Instagram stories, and a wide array of similar social media content available in real time. You have the best seat in Texas, and you are not even there. Take in the panels, pausing as needed for notes, and don’t be afraid to kick back while streaming a set or two after your work is finished. Just because you’re trying to get ahead does not mean you cannot have a little fun after the work is done.

The secret to professional freedom lies in having a good routine

Whenever I meet an aspiring professional looking to make a mark on the entertainment business I typically ask what projects are currently consuming their time. Regardless of what information follows, the person I’ve just meet often concludes their summary by saying something to the extent of, “But that isn’t what I plan to do long term. I really want to ________.”

When it comes to your professional life, which optimistically only takes up 50% of your waking hours on this planet, there are few feelings worse than not happy about your current position. Every day feels like a slog, and even if the work you’re doing is good the way you feel about it is largely negative. You want more, which is normal. Most people want something more than what they have now, but very few know how to get it. Most want to be their own boss, make their own rules, or simply create the things they want to create, but they they don’t know how to do so and make a living.

We’ve all seen and heard those Nike advertisements that end with the iconic slogan, “Just do it.” Many will tell you this is a motto for life in general, and that the hardest part of any journey is the first step. While this may be good advice, it is really only a half-truth. You can go far by simply forcing yourself to do something even when you don’t feel like it (exercising regularly is a good example of this), but to become an independent professional it takes more than simply showing up and working to succeed.

The other factor of the equation that begins with “just do it” and ends with your having professional freedom is routine. Establishing and maintaining a healthy daily routine can make all the difference in longterm success and happiness. It’s also surprisingly easy to get started. Here are a few things you need to decide up front

When do I need to leave for work and when will I return
What do I wish I could do outside of work
What do I have to do outside of work?
When do I wake up?
When do I go to bed?
How often am I going out at night to relax/have fun?

Once you have these answers, the rest is largely a matter of scheduling and sticking to the schedule your create. I recently read an article on the most productive professionals, and almost all of them have a similar morning routine. The individual tasks vary, but every one of them has eaten, stretched, exercised, bathed, and meditated before 7AM each morning. Obviously this is not something all of us can duplicate, but it does let you know where the bar is set for the most successful among us.

As a more practical example, let me tell you about my routine.

I work from home full-time. Outside of that job I do freelance writing when I am able, in addition to working on my own writing projects. I hope to finish a book this year, or at least a draft, and I would like to be able to run a 5K in under twenty-five minutes. I typically go to bed by midnight and I’m up by seven without an alarm.

If I just live my life hoping my goals become reality and I continue to be a successful person there is a chance that someday, by fluke or chance, good things will happen for me. People who consistently work hard inevitably rise through the ranks, but without being proactive there is no knowing how long that ascension might take.

With this in mind, about two months ago I started making changes. First, I went to be no later than 11PM during the work week and made it a point to at least be awake and showered by 7AM. Next, I told myself I would run at least three days a week at the gym and that I would force myself to write at least 500 words a day. I could choose the time I went to the gym and the subject of my writing, but I had to get them done nonetheless.

The first week was basically hell. Every day I had a different excuse why I should not make the changes I knew, deep down, I needed to make. “I’ll start next week,” I’d say, “No one cares about this other than me, so I probably shouldn’t care that much either.”

That last one is actually true. At the end of the day no one cares about your personal development as much as you do, so unless you take it upon yourself to change no one is going to do the work for you. Most people, unfortunately, never find the strength to take such actions into their own hands. They remain complacent, complaining about opportunities that never came their way without acknowledging the often obvious truth they never deserved them.

I still struggle today. Every day I have to force myself to do the things that will allow me to progress as a person. I tell myself if I can do them then everything else will be easy because the most difficult part of my day will be complete. Once you accomplish the things that feel hard the easy stuff is even easier. You have more energy and focus, too.

Make this the week you put action behind desire. Take your career by the horns, develop a routine, and in no time at all you will find more time than ever before to work on the things you are most passionate about.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the Inside Music podcast, as well as a ten year veteran of the music business. You should follow James on Twitter.