Short answer: Lower the bar. Tell yourself you’ll practise for just five minutes. Very often, getting started is the hardest part.
Everyone has days when the sofa looks more inviting than the piano bench. The idea of concentrating on a difficult passage for half an hour can feel overwhelming, making it tempting to skip practice altogether.
Beat the Resistance
Your brain naturally tries to avoid tasks that require mental effort. The trick is to make the task so small that it’s difficult to say no.
Make a simple agreement with yourself: “I’ll sit at the piano for just five minutes and play a song I already enjoy. If I still don’t feel like practising after five minutes, I can stop without feeling guilty.”
Five Minutes Often Become Twenty
What usually happens is that once your hands are on the keys, the resistance begins to disappear. Five minutes often turns into twenty without you even noticing.
And even on the days when you really do stop after five minutes, you’ve still achieved something important—you’ve kept the habit alive.
Consistency matters far more than the length of any single practice session. Keeping your routine going is often enough to make tomorrow’s practice feel much easier.
