The three things you need to succeed at the guitar
1. A studio First, you need a place dedicated to the guitar. Find a spot where you can close the door and no one will bug you. Dedicate a chair (one that you use only for playing guitar) and put your guitar case on the floor next to the chair. That way, all you have to do is go the chair and sit down, open the case and pick up the guitar. If you have to find a chair, clear a space, get the guitar out from under the bed and tell everyone to be quiet, you’ll never practice. Make it simple and easy to play your guitar.
Next to the chair, you might like to have a table for a drink, a lamp and a clock. A folding music stand, electronic tuner and metronome are a good investment. At some point, you might consider adding a mirror (so you can see what you’re doing( and a small tape recorder (so you can tape yourself to get an objective viewpoint).
2. Time Nobody has enough time. You have make time. Start with a realistic amount of time. To begin, set aside five minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night to practice. If you were going to run a marathon, you wouldn’t just go out and run 25 miles, would you? No! First, you’d walk around the block. Start with five minutes and build from there.
Write down your schedule and figure out when you’re going to do your minutes. Practice planning must be done away from the guitar. Then make a point to arrive on time and do your five minutes. Showing up on time is 90% of life. When you’ve done that, you’ve succeeded! (If, at that point, you want to play more, it’s a bonus, a reward for a job well done.) You can do everything possible to make it easy and desirable but at a certain point you make the commitment to sit down and play. Just do it.
Write out your goals and number them according to their importance. I decide my priorities by saying “What will happen to me if I don’t do that.” Think about what you're going to give up--maybe you'll watch less TV. Set a series of small goals that you can succeed at. Many small successes lead to big ones. If the plan isn’t working, don’t give up--set new goals, one’s that work for you.
Write out your practice plan. Keep it simple. Make a list of your songs and draw columns on the right side of the page. Each day, put a check mark (in pencil) next to a song when you’ve practiced it. At the end of the week, look at all those checks. There is a record of your success.
Protect your practice time. It’s your time for you. When someone asks you to do something for them, the first thing you will give up is your time with the guitar. Post your practice plan on the refrigerator where everyone can see it. Learn to say ask them what they are going to give up in exchange. By making the people around you aware that this is important to you, you establish boundaries that they can respect. If you don't have boundaries, people can't respect them. Learn to say the words “I have to practice”.
3. Inspiration There are two kinds of inspiration: active and passive. Active inspiration comes from succeeding at something, no matter how small. There is nothing like the feeling of success. The more successes you have, the more you will want more. Learning guitar is a series of small, simple tasks and it's often difficult to sense any forward motion. By setting small goals and succeeding at them, you can sense your forward progress. By rushing ahead, you hold yourself back so take your time. Plan to succeed. Slow and steady wins the race.
Passive inspiration comes from outside of yourself. Your teacher provides some of this but you are responsible for you--no one else is. Do things that make you want to practice. Listen to music, read articles about personal development and music, go to concerts and, mainly, do things that make you want to play music. I have a favorite recording of Segovia that I listen to an after I hear it, you can't stop me from playing my guitar. Works every time. Do something for you. Above all, do what you love so you’ll want to keep doing it.