When you are serious about making music, then you have definitely got your work cut out for you in 2019.
Between writing songs, mixing your music, and music promotion, it takes an incredible amount of work to make your mark in today’s competitive music world.
It may be simple to focus purely on your work and not on taking care of yourself.
Musicians are spending more time working in front of screens than ever before. You may think your work as a musician is radically different than that of somebody who works in an office, however, you both actually face lots of the same physical and mental challenges.
Spending countless hours in front of a computer is the truth for a growing number of musicians working today. It could result in negative health impacts when you aren’t careful!
How to bring wellness to your workflow
1. Don’t sit for too long
Sitting is obviously the most natural position for producing, mixing, or writing music at a computer, however, it’s a bad habit to get into.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting too long will increase a person’s risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Yikes.
Right here’s the way to break up long stretches of sitting to bring wellness to your workflow:
Set alarms to remind you to stand up and walk around
It’s an enormous challenge to remember to stand up and move round during your workflow. Instead of relying on your memory, set consistent alarms on your phone or laptop to help.
Work at a standing desk
This will not work for every music-maker, however, it’s a good option for some.
A standing desk will get you out of your chair, however, even standing all day is not great for your health.
To fully fight the negative impacts of sedentary work you have got to move round periodically throughout your work sessions.
Use a step counter
Utilizing a step counter is pretty much the opposite of music’s harmful aesthetic, however, who cares.
Setting hourly objectives for how much you should be walking to stay healthy is a great method to keep yourself accountable and in motion throughout your workflow.
2. Take stretch breaks to ward off wrist problems
Computer work could be rough on a person’s wrists. The repetitive motion could cause serious injury to a person over time.
Nasty issues like stress fractures and carpal tunnel syndrome could crop up if you do not take care of your wrists.
Taking frequent breaks is an enormous assist right here to bring wellness to your workflow. Stretching and strengthening your wrists can relieve ache and stave off work-related problems.
Learn more about hand, wrist, and finger stretches:
3. Give your eyes and ears a rest
I have already mentioned the importance of taking breaks during your workflow a few times, however, I could not stress how vital it’s for maintaining your eyesight and hearing.
Music is work we all like to be doing, which means we have every incentive to stay put staring at a screen for hours on end. However, doing so is bad news for your eyes and ears.
Whether it is a sticky note stuck on your monitor or an alarm on your phone, take breaks to protect your eyes and ears.
Right here are more suggestions for treating your eyes and ears well to bring wellness to your workflow:
Minimize computer glare and don’t sit too close
The relentless blue light of the pc screen is no friend to your eyeballs. There is even a terrifying-sounding term to explain what occurs when your eyes are negatively impacted by working at a pc: Pc Vision Syndrome.
To fight CVS you have a few options:
- Reduce the glare on your screen as much as possible. This may take moving your desk away from a window or getting blackout curtains.
- Arrange your desk in a method that sets your screen 20-28 inches away from you. Turn the brightness down if it is too bright.
Pay close attention to volume and monitoring equipment
Listening to loss is a major problem facing musicians that most are not taking seriously enough.
A month, week, or even just a few hours of high volumes could injury your hearing forever.
Even scarier than the prospect of losing listening to is picking up a case of tinnitus, which causes a person to believe they are hearing a constant roaring, clicking, humming or hissing sound.
Keep your working volume low, and wear earplugs if you record loud material like a drum or heavy guitar parts. When you love music and need to make it the rest of your life, take this seriously.
You need to use desk speakers to combine and produce your music. Over-the-ear headphones can be utilized at low volumes, however, never use earbuds (the headphones that go straight into your ears).
Earbuds are not designed for music engineering and composition, and they could do serious injury to your hearing over time.
4. Break up work sessions with exercise
The sedentary demands of modern music-making may be rough on your body and your mind. A good way to combat that is by breaking up your sessions with vigorous exercise, and you do not even have to leave your studio to do it.
There is now an endless amount of free exercise video options available online.
Yoga videos are good for blowing off steam from sessions, and HIIT workouts (high-intensity workouts) are additionally a great bet because they pack lots of good exercise into small 15, 20, or 30-minute increments.
Exercise fights depression and anxiety, boosts memory, and is good for maintaining a creative mindset.
5. Watch what you eat and drink while working
When you are in the habit of slamming a dozen power drinks and wolfing down a few fast food hamburgers during your sessions, you need to consider making an effort to make better dietary choices while working.
Music is your pure focus while you are working, which means you will probably reach for food choices which are the simplest. This comes with some big drawbacks, though.
Consider planning ahead for what you will eat and drink during your music sessions with better decisions instead of creating impulsive ones at the last minute.
You will feel sharper, more creative, and your body and music will be greater for it.
Stay healthy in the studio
Taking care of your physical and mental health is vital for your musical productivity, workflow, and peace of mind.
It’s simple to get so concentrated on making music that your health suffers. However, it’s never worth it.
Try these tips to ensure you are doing the best you could for your body and mind in the studio to make some great tracks.