Piano Practice: Capacity vs Discipline

**This article applies the work of Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD to developing a piano practice routine.

It’s the beginning of the school year and almost all of us - even those of us who don't attend school - have had a schedule shake-up. For a pianist, a schedule shake-up means a practice shake-up: the old times and habits don’t work as well and it’s time to pick a new routine.

There are so many benefits to turning your daily piano practice into a predictable routine, but my favorite is a lack of decision fatigue. No matter how young or old we are, we have to make a zillion decisions every single day. Big ones and small ones, decisions we angst over and decisions we don’t even notice. Not having to choose when to practice piano is a gift.

I recently watched a video from my favorite internet therapist, Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD, and the subject was Capacity vs. Discipline. She succinctly defined and gave tips for something that I’ve been vaguely talking about with students for years. -something that's important to consider as you develop new routines and live them.

The video is 2:54 and I highly recommend it to all teens and adults. Younger kiddos may benefit from it as well!  Here's the link!

Don’t have 2:54? I got you!
Some key takeaways from Dr. Martin’s video:

Q: “What’s the difference between discipline and capacity?”
A: “Discipline is about structure, and your ability to stay consistent with a choice. Capacity is about whether your nervous system and energy can actually handle what you’re asking of yourself. 

…Discipline is a muscle. Capacity is whether you’ve eaten, slept, grieved, rested or recovered enough to lift the weight. 

…Capacity means checking in: Do I have the energy, focus and support to do this today without abandoning myself? 

…and when the task is still within your ability but you still avoid it, procrastinate or resist it because it brings up discomfort like it’s hard or awkward or boring - that’s the sign of a discipline challenge, not a capacity issue.”

Q: “Okay, but how do I fix this in real life?”
A: “Capacity gets addressed with care: more rest, less pressure, nervous system support, rebuilding from burnout.

Discipline gets addressed with support, clear goals, accountability, reduced decision fatigue.”

Q: “What does this look like in the day to day?”
A: “So for capacity:eat lunch without multitasking
cancel one thing that drains you but isn’t urgent
sit for 10 minutes in quiet before your day starts
say “I need more time” and mean it.”

Q: “Okay, and what about for discipline?”
A: “For discipline:set a time for five minutes and start
choose three tasks not 12
use visual cues and routines to reduce decisions and
hold yourself accountable with compassion not shame.”

“One preserves your energy (capacity) the other guides your effort (discipline).
…Care first, structure second.”

“Capacity = fuel
Discipline = structure
You need both, but not in the same way” 

She's brilliant, right?

A big reason I think it’s important to consider capacity as we build a disciplined piano practice is that we often underestimate the amount of energy it takes to learn piano. Now that all lessons are online, I frequently work with kids who’ve been home sick from school but attend their piano lesson, and they typically struggle with learning in that state. So do folks who are stressed or grieving or - the number one cause of a distracted piano student - hungry.

Another reason to consider capacity? In the United States, we live in a culture that encourages us to ignore our capacity and focus on productivity. We often get more badges of honor when we we're productive while our capacity is low. So listening to yourself and what you're truly up for can be an act of rebellion. -one that I'll always encourage. 

As you work to build your new practice routine, consider adding a habit to your piano practice habit that increases your capacity. This is called habit stacking. You could add something like:

• making a cup of tea before practice that's ready for you when you finish playing
• eating a snack just before practice
• talking a walk before/after practice
• taking a nap before/after practice

Any one of these ideas would give you more energy and likely add joy as well!

I'm wishing you all the best as you create your own sweet practice routine! 

Warmly,

Sarah Collins