How To Practice Singing Part VI: Make Practicing Easy!

You can view part I of the series here, where we compared two different practicing styles: Striving vs Contentment. You can view part II of the series here, where we discuss how you can practice with intention. You can view part III of the series here, where we explore the nature of identity-based habits. You can view part IV of the series here, where we devise practical ways of creating practice habits for singing that promotes consistency. You can view part V of the series here, where we learn to make practice habits attractive and irresistible to singers through the principle of temptation bundling.

When it comes to forming lasting habits, the easier you make a behavior, the more likely you are to stick with it. This principle is especially crucial for developing a consistent singing practice routine. Many singers fall into the trap of waiting until they've perfected their practice routine before they start. This pursuit of the optimal routine, while well-intentioned, often becomes a form of procrastination. We tend to delay practice while we research, read, watch YouTube videos, and take voice lessons. These activities (Clear refers to as Motion) while valuable, won't make you a better singer on their own. Improvement comes from consistent practice—doing the reps and singing regularly, which Clear refers to as Action. Supplemental resources can enhance your vocal education but are insufficient alone for improved vocal motor skills. 

It is during regular practice where you will learn what works, what doesn’t work, and have the opportunity to modify, tweak, and integrate concepts from those resources, coaches etc. As Voltaire said, "The best is the enemy of the good", a sentiment echoed by many coaches: "The good practice routine you stick to is better than the perfect routine you don’t do." Once you establish a practice routine, you can enhance it, as Clear states: "You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist”(Clear, p.167).

Planning and learning feel productive, but as Clear states: "Sometimes we do it because we actually need to learn or plan more. But more often than not, we do it because motion allows us to feel like we’re making progress without running the risk of failure" (Clear, p.142). 

Repeating certain tasks frequently—warm-ups, exercises, songs—leads to automaticity and improved vocal coordination. Efficient vocal coordination forms the foundation of free and expressive singing, but it requires frequent practice where we string as many successful attempts until the behavior is embedded in our mind. That said, many of us never establish a practice routine because of hurdles or barriers that make practice appear or feel difficult, or for fear of failure.

Building on the first two articles in this series, which focused on James Clear's 1st and 2nd Laws of Behavior Change—Make it Obvious and Make it Attractive—this article will explore the 3rd Law: Make it Easy. We'll discuss a strategy and tactics to help you take action and develop a consistent practice habit, which in turn leads to automaticity of skills, and ultimately to more expressive singing.

Reduce Friction

Reducing friction is the most simple way of making your singing practice (or any habit) easier to begin, and is at the core strategy to be discussed in this article. Minimizing friction involves decreasing the number of obstacles or barriers between you and your singing practice habit. 

A foundational principle in physics known as the Principle of Least Action states that: "The path followed between any two points will always be the path requiring the least energy" (Clear, p.151). So in order for your singing practice to feel like less of a burden you will need to be strategic about how, when and where you practice so that it requires less energy than competing options. It is also important to consider increasing friction for undesirable habits that are competing for attention with your desired habit (e.g. making it harder to scroll on social media by moving Instagram off of your front page, so that you are more inclined to sing than scroll). This will be discussed in more detail in a future article in this series. 

Many of us make the mistake of trying to overcome or push past the barriers to practice, when in the long run minimizing the friction makes it a lot easier to establish and maintain a practice routine. A common mindset is that if we just keep our eye on the goal (e.g. to win the lead role in the musical etc.) that we will stay motivated enough to practice consistently. 

“Conventional wisdom holds that motivation is the key to habit change. Maybe if you really wanted it, you’d actually do it. But the truth is, our real motivation is to be lazy and to do what is convenient” (Clear, p.151).

When the upcoming recital, audition or recording session has passed, which may have been your initial motivation to practice, it is then that having less friction involved in your practice routine that will keep you consistent. Even if you have a considerable amount of motivation and willpower to practice, increased energy and friction will often make it difficult to stay motivated when the inevitable challenges and stresses of life arise over the long-term. This article will explore four tactics built upon the larger strategy to minimize friction in and around starting your practice routine. 

Prime the Environment

One of the first ways I encourage students to reduce friction when it comes to establishing a practice routine is to prime their environment for future use. This means setting up your space to make the desired action easier (Clear, p.156). For singing, this could involve:

• Keep Your Equipment Handy: Have your sheet music, recording devices, and any other necessary tools out and ready to use. If you use backing tracks to rehearse your songs, keep your media app or web browser with these tracks open and ready. If you practice with a recording of your recent voice lesson, keep the voice memos app (or similar) on the front page of your device for easy access. This way, you don't waste time searching for what you need, or getting side tracked. 
• Create a Dedicated Space: Designate a specific area for practice that is always ready to go. This could be a corner of your bedroom with a music stand and a mirror. If you are considering hiring a rehearsal space (music studio, community hall etc.) a few times a week, look for a practice space that is on your route home from work, so that it isn’t out of the way of your current routine. 
• Schedule Practice Time: Set a regular time for practice that fits seamlessly into your daily routine. Look to Part IV of this series for more times on Implementation Intentions and Habit Stacking.
• Judgement Free Zone: Fear of making mistakes or perceived failure that could be heard by family members, roommates or neighbors is a common road block that prevents singers from practicing. Finding a location where you feel like no-one will be listening and a time of day when others aren't around to hear you will likely make it easier to initiate practice and to be less fearful about mistakes.

Master the Decisive Moment

“Habits are automatic choices that influence the conscious decisions that follow” (Clear, p.160). We each have many of these daily habits, most of them we are not aware of. Clear suggests that some of these moments have an outsized impact, he refers to these as Decisive Moments (Clear, p.160). Mastering these moments can significantly and positively impact your practice consistency.

Make the decisive moment a ritual

If your practice time is set to occur when you arrive home from work each day, then the decisive moment may be the one when you walk in the door and put your work bag down. The big choice to make may be, do you:

A. decide to grab the TV remote and lay on the couch? or 

B. decide to walk to your practice space and start warming up? 

If you plan ahead of time to consider this fork in the road decision (Decisive Moment) that could easily be overlooked, you are likely to succeed at making the decision to practice. If you repeat this “ritual” of walking in the door, and heading straight to your practice space, then this also becomes a habit (a gateway habit) in and of itself that leads to the larger habit of singing practice. It is another choice that is made for you that reduces cognitive energy, and that makes practicing consistently much easier. 

Use the Two-Minute Rule

The Two-Minute Rule has been a game-changer for my students in developing effective singing practice routines. I would even say it's the most valuable tool I've learned from "Atomic Habits".

The Problem with Overly Ambitious Practice Plans

Many eager voice students tend to be overly ambitious with their practice plans. A common question is, “How much should I practice?” I usually counter with, “How much do you think you can practice consistently?” Often, they respond with, “1 hour, three times per week” or “45 minutes, 6 times per week.” While these might be excellent long-term goals, they are often unsustainable for beginners. This is where I suggest the Two-Minute Rule.

What is the Two-Minute Rule?

James Clear states: “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do” (Clear, p.162).

The Two-Minute Rule minimizes the friction associated with practice, particularly the perceived time constraint for busy individuals. It also addresses other challenges such as focus and vocal stamina. By starting with just two minutes, students can establish a habit before it becomes more involved.

Starting with Two Minutes

Many students initially think two minutes is too short to be effective. However, as Clear explains, mastering the habit of “showing up” is crucial before optimizing practice. The first two minutes should feel easy, creating a Gateway Habit that can lead to longer practice sessions.

Practical Application

To apply this, scale down the habit to its two-minute version. A typical template I suggest is a one-minute warm-up (e.g., a lip trill on a set of scales) followed by one minute of singing a verse and chorus of a song they are working on.

Building Consistency

If students can consistently practice for two minutes a day, four days a week, for two to four weeks, they are more likely to maintain this habit beyond that. This approach has two key benefits:

1. Habit Formation: Singing becomes a regular part of their lifestyle in a manageable way, promoting an identity change where they start to see themselves as singers. 
2. Extended Practice: Often, students find that once they start, they continue practicing beyond the two minutes, which boosts their confidence and reinforces the habit.
3. Getting in the reps: Although it might only be a couple of minutes to begin with, singers are getting in the reps on a regular basis. They are repeating and fine-tuning these new motor skills needed for improvement as a singer. 

Scaling Up

After maintaining a two-minute practice routine, I encourage students to gradually increase their practice time. Here's a potential progression over a year or two:

• Phase 1: 2 minutes per day, 4 days per week
• Phase 2: 5 minutes per day, 5 days per week
• Phase 3: 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week
• Phase 4: 30 minutes per day, 6 days per week
• Phase 5: 60 minutes per day, 6 days per week

(Clear, p.166)

The aforementioned example may take a singer a couple of years to move through these phases. While it can help to chart out hypothetical steps or phases (ideally with a trusted teacher or mentor) I believe it is important for the singer to focus their attention on the very next step (or phase). 

As F.M Alexander famously said: "End gaining is the tendency we have to keep our mind and actions focused on an end result whilst losing sight of, and frequently at the expense of, the means-whereby the result is achieved” (King, n.d.).

Adjusting for Individual Needs

This template won't fit all singers. Experienced singers might start at 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week. To me the principle of the two-minute rule is more important than the number of minutes. That is finding a gateway habit that feels easy and reduces barriers to showing up for consistent practice.

New singers might need to stick with the two-minute routine for six months or a year before scaling up. Hobbyists with busy schedules might not progress beyond 30 or 60 minutes.

Incremental Changes

Often, it’s more manageable to adjust one parameter at a time. For instance, increase practice frequency from 4 to 5 days before increasing duration from 2 to 5 minutes. This gradual approach ensures sustainable progress. I generally advocate for a higher frequency and a low duration to begin with, as I find that for habit building, motor learning and vocal health that it is more beneficial to sing regularly for short amounts of time than to practice for hours at a time once per week. 

By following the principle of the Two-Minute Rule and scaling up gradually, students can develop a consistent and effective singing practice routine tailored to their individual needs and lifestyles.

Automate Your Habits

“The average person spends over two hours per day on social media. What could you do with an extra 600 hours per year?” (Clear, p. 175).

Our default action during free time or boredom is often to pick up our phones and scroll through social media or watch YouTube. This behavior is almost automatic. To ensure singing practice happens, we need to break these habits and automate the desired ones. Here are some suggestions as to how:

Use Apps and Tools Utilize apps that track your practice sessions. Many apps offer free versions with features to set habit targets (frequency, duration, time, location) and track completion. "Habit" is a user-friendly app that provides reminders and feedback on consistency. You can set up multiple habits for singing, exercise, reading, and more.

Set Reminders Use your phone or a smart device to set regular reminders or alarms for practice sessions. These reminders help establish and scale your habit, especially during busy times when you might forget.

Community, Friends & Family Accountability can be powerful. When I set personal health goals, my personal trainer suggested I text him daily updates on my gym visits and meal plan adherence. Knowing I had to report my actions made me more likely to choose the gym over social media and healthy meals over fast food. Find a trusted friend or family member who can support and keep you accountable in a similar way.

Conclusion

To establish and maintain your singing practice routine, the key is to make it easy. This means decreasing obstacles and barriers to practice by reducing friction in and around your practice. This article explored various strategies to help you develop and sustain a singing practice habit.

By intentionally priming your environment—keeping equipment ready, creating a dedicated space, and scheduling your practice—you minimize physical barriers. Understanding and creating rituals around small decisive moments allows you to benefit from their outsized impact, relying less on will power and more or habit. Starting small with the Two-Minute Rule greatly reduces friction around one of our most precious commodities, time. This helps you master the art of showing up, laying the foundation for scaling up and optimizing your practice routines. Additionally, automating your singing practice habit with apps, technology, and accountability can remind, track, and encourage your practice.

While these tactics from "Atomic Habits" are highly effective, I recommend focusing on the ones that work best for you and discarding those that don't. As the saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks!” As a practitioner I am in favor of any tactic that helps singers establish, maintain, and enjoy practice. Consistent practice is essential for singers to "get the reps in," which is necessary for developing the coordination needed to improve technically and create the potential for enhanced vocal expression, artistry, and freedom. 

To reiterate Clear’s insight: “You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist” (Clear, p.167). I hope these principles on the 3rd Law of Behavior Change—Make It Easy—along with practical suggestions for your singing practice, will assist you in developing a personalized approach that suits your unique situation.

References

• Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Random House.
• King, H. (n.d.). End gaining. In Alexander Technique Glossary. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.hilaryking.net/glossary/end-gaining#:~:text='End%20gaining%20is%20a%20universal,whereby%20the%20request%20 is%20 achieved