Ever found yourself bursting with motivation, ready to dive into your next track, only to end up scrolling through endless tutorials, stuck in the loop of “I’ll do it tomorrow”? Sound familiar?
We’ve all been there.
That frustrating cycle of procrastination can keep you from finishing your projects, learning new techniques, and ultimately reaching your full potential as a music producer. You know it’s holding you back, but for some reason, it feels like a force beyond your control.
Let’s dive into why this happens and, more importantly, how you can break free from procrastination to produce better music, faster.
Why Do You Procrastinate?
Understanding the reasons behind your procrastination is the first step to overcoming it. Here are some key reasons that might be stopping you from finishing that next beat or track.
- Lack of Clarity in Your Music Goals
One major reason music producers procrastinate is that their goals aren’t clearly defined. You might want to "become a successful producer" or "make better tracks," but those are vague goals. Without specific direction, your brain doesn’t know where to focus.
The problem isn’t that you don’t want to succeed—it’s that you’re not clear on what that success looks like for you. Are you aiming to finish an EP? Grow your following on Spotify? Improve your mixing skills? What’s the time frame? What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals? Without clarity, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and push things to the next day, the next month and… the next year..? Don’t let that happen!
- Overwhelmed by Distractions
Distractions are everywhere, especially in today’s world. Whether it’s the constant pull of social media, new production techniques, or the latest DAW update, it’s easy to lose focus.
One minute, you’re working on a track, and the next, you’re deep into a YouTube rabbit hole, learning about sidechain compression for the tenth time. The endless flow of information can make it hard to stay on track and get things done.
- Fear of Your Music Not Being Good Enough
Perfectionism can be a major culprit behind procrastination. You might hold back on finishing a song because you fear it’s not good enough, or it won’t sound as polished as other tracks out there.
"What if people don’t like it?"
"What if it’s not as good as my last track?"
These thoughts can keep you stuck in a loop of endless tweaks and revisions, preventing you from releasing anything at all.
- Unrealistic Expectations
If you’re new to music production, it’s easy to set huge, unrealistic goals. You might watch an interview with your favorite producer and expect to replicate their level of success in a matter of months.
When you set goals that don’t match your current skill level, your brain gives up before you even start. Instead of chipping away at smaller, more manageable goals, you end up doing nothing at all.
- Self-Sabotage
It might sound strange, but sometimes you’re the one holding yourself back. Self-sabotage is when you unconsciously stop yourself from succeeding. Whether it’s fear of change, low self-esteem, or fear of what success might bring, these internal blockers can make it hard to move forward.
If you’ve noticed a pattern of starting projects but never finishing them, or hesitating to put your music out there, self-sabotage might be at play.
How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Producing
Now that you know why you might be procrastinating, let’s talk about how to overcome it. Here’s a step-by-step guide to break the cycle.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Music Goals
The first step to stopping procrastination is clarity. Sit down and define exactly what you want to achieve in your music career. Write it down. Don’t just say, “I want to be a successful producer”—get specific.
Maybe your goal is to release a 5-track EP in the next 6 months, grow your YouTube channel to 10,000 subscribers, or improve your mixing skills to a professional level. The more specific you are, the more your brain will know where to focus its energy.
Step 2: Break Your Goals into Manageable Steps
Once you have a clear goal, break it down into smaller, actionable steps. If your goal is to release an EP, your smaller tasks could include writing one song a month, collaborating with a certain artist, recording your songs or experimenting with new genres.
By focusing on one small task at a time, you’ll avoid the overwhelm that leads to procrastination. Small wins add up over time.
Step 3: Embrace Imperfection
Aiming for perfection shouldn’t stop you from finishing and releasing your work.
Perfectionism can be paralyzing. It can even be a nuisance to your success. How? The reality is, no track will ever be “perfect”. An imperfect track that is released is infinitely better than an unfinished track which you can never finish and never release in the pursuit of perfection.
Don’t let those unfinished tracks lie around in hard drives. Sometimes, the best way to improve is to put something out there, get feedback, and move on to the next project. If you value your music, it deserves to be released. It deserves to be heard.
Your skills will improve with each track you release, but only if you’re willing to take the leap and share your work with the world.
Step 4: Focus on Consistency
Instead of focusing on massive, unrealistic goals, aim to get 1% better every day by virtue of being consistent.
Maybe you dedicate an hour a day to learning new production techniques or finish one track every two weeks. These small, consistent actions will lead to noticeable improvements over time.
Step 5: Set Up a Distraction-Free Workflow
Procrastination often creeps in when distractions are pulling you in every direction. Create a workflow that minimizes distractions, whether that means putting your phone in another room, blocking social media for a few hours, or setting dedicated "studio time" where your only focus is making music.
A smooth, efficient workflow also means having everything ready at your fingertips. Whether it’s organizing your sample library, streamlining your presets, or setting up templates in your DAW, reducing friction in your process will make it easier to dive into work without hesitation.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination doesn’t have to define your journey as a music producer. By understanding why it happens and taking steps to overcome it, you can start making real progress toward your goals. Remember, the key to success is not bursts of motivation, but consistent, focused action.
Break your goals into manageable tasks, embrace the imperfections, and set up a distraction-free workflow. Your music—and your progress—will thank you.
Now, it’s time to get to work and unleash your potential!
You’ve got this.
Cheers and have a great day!