I don’t have a practice routine.
No 10-minute warm-ups. No daily exercises. No structured schedule.
And honestly? It’s taken me years to admit that without feeling guilty.
The Guilt Of Not Practicing “Properly”
I’ve been playing guitar for years. And for most of that time, I felt like I was doing something wrong because I didn’t have a routine.
I’d see other guitarists talking about their daily practice schedules. I’d read articles about “the perfect practice routine.” I’d watch videos telling me I needed to practice every day, at the same time, with the same exercises.
And I just couldn’t do it.
Not because I didn’t want to improve. Not because I was lazy. But because that approach never felt natural to me.
I’d try to force myself into a routine, and I’d stick with it for a week or two. Then life would get in the way, or I’d get bored, or I’d just forget. And I’d feel guilty about it.
Why A Routine Didn’t Work For Me
Now, don’t get me wrong—I do teach exercises and drills. I’ve used them myself. I think they’re valuable tools.
I’ve done finger exercises. I’ve practiced scales. I’ve worked on picking technique. I’ve done all of that.
But for me, they were never a routine. They were just things I picked up when I needed them. If I was working on something specific—like improving my alternate picking or learning a new scale shape—I’d use exercises to get there. But once I’d achieved what I needed, I’d move on.
They were tools, not a daily requirement.
What Actually Improved My Playing: Deadlines
So if I didn’t have a routine, how did I actually improve?
The thing that made the biggest difference in my playing was… deadlines.
In my early years, I joined a band. I had to learn a whole setlist of songs. And I didn’t just have to learn the fun riffs—I had to learn the songs all the way through. Verses, choruses, bridges, endings, everything.
That pressure—knowing I had to show up to rehearsal and actually play these songs with other people—that made me learn faster than any practice routine ever did.
It wasn’t about “practicing.” It was about preparing. I had a reason to play, a reason to learn, and a deadline to get it done.
More recently, it’s been dep gigs and rehearsals. When you’ve got a week to learn 20 songs, you don’t have time to overthink. You just learn them. You listen to the recordings, you work out the chords, you figure out the tricky sections, and you get it done.
Why Deadlines Work
I think the reason deadlines work so well is that they force you to actually use what you’ve learned.
Exercises are useful. Scales are useful. Drills are useful. But they’re just tools. They’re not the end goal.
The end goal is making music. And when you’ve got a deadline—a gig, a rehearsal, a dep, even just a promise to play a song for a friend—you stop practicing and you start playing.
And that’s where the real improvement happens.
When you’re just practicing exercises, you’re working on skills in isolation. But when you’re learning a song for a gig, you’re putting all those skills together—rhythm, timing, chord changes, dynamics, listening to other musicians—all at once.
That’s what makes you a better musician. Not just a better technician.
Routines Work For Some People
Now, I want to say this clearly—this isn’t a criticism of people who have structured routines.
I know guitarists who have a very structured practice schedule. They do 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 20 minutes of song practice, 10 minutes of arpeggios, 10 minutes of chord theory. And they’re incredible players.
That approach works for them. It doesn’t work for me. And that’s okay.
The point of this article isn’t to say one way is better than the other. It’s just to share my experience—in case there’s someone out there who, like me, has always felt guilty about not having a routine.
Find The Right Approach For You
So if you’ve ever felt guilty about not having a practice routine, I want you to hear this: you’re not lazy. You’re not doing it wrong. You just haven’t found the right motivation yet.
For me, that motivation was deadlines. For you, it might be something else.
But here’s what I’ve learned: the secret isn’t practicing more. It’s creating a reason to practice.
Book a gig. Join a band. Tell a friend you’ll play them a song next week. Even just film yourself playing and post it online. Give yourself a reason to need to get better.
Because when you have a reason to play, you’ll play. And when you play, you’ll improve. Routine or no routine.
Watch the full video here:
Do you have a practice routine? Or do you learn through songs like me? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear what works for you!