If you want to  build a house you have to plan. You dont just start hammering nails into wood and seeing what you come up with. You will end up wasting time, money, losing interest, and probably giving up.

When it comes to learning guitar it is no different. You have to plan and you have to have your goal in sight at all times.

I have had students that have taken lessons for 6 months that blew right past others that had been playing and taking lessons for 7 years from various instructors. The players that were efficient with their practice time and focused  always came out ahead of the others.

-Plan ahead. Plan and schedule your weekly practices based on what you need to be working on. Set your schedules in moderation and be realistic. Dont ever assume that you can't make any progress unless you quit school, and your job to practice.

Managing your practice time efficiently will allow you to make significant gains in as little as 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.

Decide first how much time you can put into your practice every day. Dont think you have to do large chunks. I find students work best when breaking practice into small segments in multiple sessions each day.

Try praticing 20-30 minutes in the morning, again in the afternoon and maybe an additional 15-30 minutes before bed. This will help you stay focused, and help you to better retain what you learned by not turning your brain into mush.. It will also keep you from getting burned out, and bored.

-Have a goal. Focusing on short term and long term goals gives your practice purpose.

-Use a calendar to plan lessons and track progress.

-Dont confuse practice with playing. If you set aside 30 minutes a day for practice then stick to it. That 30 minutes is for practice only and not to be used for jamming with friends.

-Always learn something new and have an open mind. You may love country but dont stay locked into only learning country music. Branch out and learn jazz, rock, and classical. You will be surpised at how much fun it is to explore other styles and try mixing them into the styles you like.

Take Care and enjoy your journey

-=D=-