Why This Won’t Work

A favorite idea of mine when starting a new project is to do a “pre-mortem.” When this project fails miserably, and I look back on it in six months to a year, why will it have failed?
I have been running for two years and, aided by a body that is extremely genetically suited to distance running, I have progressed to a decent amateur status. I am absolutely nothing special. I’ve done a little bit more than most people and a lot less than most people who consider themselves serious runners. It’s pretty clear that learning tends to loosely follow an exponential curve, with faster gains early on in the experience, and every inch late in the game requiring intense grit, sweat, and effort. I’m clearly a lot later in the game as a pianist. I have a bachelor’s degree in piano performance with a jazz emphasis. I’ve been playing for over 20 years. I am good enough that people pay me to do it and I can feed a family of four.
Interestingly, while objectively I would consider myself a better pianist than runner, subjectively I do not feel that way. I still, as a pianist, feel like I am absolutely nothing special.
So am I trying to do elite level piano work with an amateur running plan?
Will I actually do the work? This is a whole other post…

 

Why a seven day cycle? Do SOS (something of substance) and easy days make any sense? Mental recovery is different than physical recovery, though sleep is important for both. Why not a one day cycle?

 

It is common practice among musicians to basically set up that kind of cycle. One of my earliest teachers told me that he simply put all the material he would be working on in a regular order on one side of the piano and moved it to the other side when it was done. Same thing every day. Am I risking missing consistent development by not having a daily routine?

 

Reason this failed: I set too high a goal. I took on too big/hard a program and didn’t have the initial skill, number of weeks, or number of hours per day to do it right without neglecting my children (my wife is tough, she can deal), or being absolutely terrible at my job, or injuring myself.

Reason this failed: I didn’t eat and sleep well, so I lacked focus and then felt a need to prioritize “balance” and relaxed too much.

Reason this failed: By sticking with my strict plan each day it didn’t leave me room to react to the deficiencies in my playing that I was hearing right then and there, and I did work that was planned rather than work that was needed.

Reason this failed: I strayed from the plans too much and followed impulses, not getting the real benefit of the weekly consistency.

Reason this failed: I wrote a lot about why it would fail and they became self fulfilling prophecies and easily found excuses!

A friend just told me: “Show your work, not your plan.” Eek. Cut me to the core.