How to achieve your guitar goals in 2023 confidently

Have you thought about your guitar goals this year? It’s a new year, and like any beginning, you now have a great excuse to define and plan what you’d like to achieve in 2023. Here are 7 steps to do it right.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

— accredited to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

1) Define your Guitar Goals

That might be an obvious one. But choosing and writing your guitar goals clearly and concisely, instead of just thinking about them, makes them more tangible. Make a list of all your goals and then prioritise them and focus on the main one. It should be the goal you feel most passionate about. You can also write it down and place it where you play the guitar as a daily reminder.

For example: compose and release a guitar album.

(I used these steps to compose and release my latest guitar album – Love Blue Electric).

Tip: Write down as many goals as you want, but be realistic and focus on the most significant ones.

2) Write the “Why”

Motivation is the key to everything. So writing down all the reasons why you want to achieve your goals can help when motivation and energy levels are low. Again, that’s a reminder that can give you that push when you need it. Understing why can also help clarify and decide which goals are closest to your heart. 

For example: I want to release a guitar album because I want to contribute something new to the guitar world. I want to turn these ideas into completed songs. I want to finally have a decent artist profile on Spotify.

Tip: Don’t just write something generic like “I want to get better at guitar playing.” Dig deeper. Get in touch with your younger self, and remember why you wanted to learn guitar in the first place. 

3) Break your Guitar Goal into Mini-goals

Pursuing a big project takes time and time management. So it’s best to break down your goal into mini-goals and related tasks that will make you feel like you’re steadily progressing towards the finish line.

For example: I want to have 12 songs in my guitar album, so I’ll dedicate a whole month to every song. Each month, I will spend the first week composing, the second week recording a demo, the third week improving, and the fourth week arranging, editing, and mixing each song.

Tip: Using a mind map can help with outlining all of the steps you need to take and then organising them in an order that makes sense and fits your schedule.

4) Set a Deadline

Deciding on mini-goals and tasks is great, but it’s not enough because life always gets in the way. So assigning specific deadlines to each task is one of the best ways to ensure you complete them on time. Even if you don’t meet the deadline, at least you’ll be much closer to completing it as opposed to having no deadline.

For example: 

• 9 January 2023: finish composing my first song
• 16 January 2023: record the demo of my first song
• 23 January 2023: listen to my first song and improve it
• 30 January 2023: arrange, edit and mix my first song

Tip: If self-discipline is not your forte, ask a friend or a family member to be your accountability buddy.  

5) Use a Calendar

Deadlines are significant, but to increase the likelihood of meeting them, add them to your calendar as a specific block of time dedicated to a single task. If you treat it like a business meeting with yourself, you’ll feel more serious about it and more committed to it.

For example: 3 January 2023, 09:30-11:30 am: listen to 10 ideas from my voice memos app. Then choose the best one, learn it, and turn it into a 1-minute piece of music.

Tip: If you know what time of day you’re more creative and energetic, set the right time block for the right task.

6) Be Flexible and Adjustable

The great plans we have on paper don’t always match up with reality. And again, life always gets in the way. Unexpected events might occur this year, the goals can be diverted in ways you can’t anticipate in advance, and there’s a good chance that the deadlines are not realistic. So being flexible and being able to adjust is important. Allow yourself to rethink and readjust your goal, no matter what comes your way and without losing your momentum.  

For example: I didn’t finish my first song in January as expected. So in February, I’ll use the first week to do so and also try a different process of dividing it into four stages, and each stage will last three months. 1) Decide and compose at least 12 songs. 2) Record demos for all songs. 3) Improve all songs and get rid of the ones you don’t like. 4) Arrange, edit, and mix my 12 songs. 

Tip: It’s difficult and almost impossible to do everything on your own, so finding the right people that can help you is essential. For example, the right guitar teacher can help you decide the best songs and ways to improve them.

7) Enjoy the Joyride

Taking on big projects, like recording a guitar album, can be overwhelming and stressful. So it’s important to find joy in every step of your journey. If you focus on the daily and weekly tasks, you’ll get the most out of them and hone your skills, like songwriting and composing. This way, you might realise that your real goal is to bring more meaning and music into your life. It’ll be more than just the finished product. 

Tip: It’s perfectly fine (and even recommended) to take breaks from the guitar and the process, and to live life to the fullest.

I’d love to hear what your guitar goals this year are! Comment below.

My guitar goals this year include:

• Turning my online guitar school into an engaging platform that can help my students achieve great results.
• Finish and publish my guitar book about composing meaningful music on the guitar.
• Getting a higher rank on google search for the keywords “guitar lessons north London“
• Release another guitar album 🙂

I’ve also made this tutorial about this article: