Creating A Practice Routine You'll Stick With
Have you ever found yourself saying, "I'll practise tomorrow," only to realize that tomorrow turned into next week?
Many singers don't struggle because they don't know how to practise. They struggle because they don't always want to practise. If you've been skipping practice sessions, it may be worth asking yourself an important question: Why? Once you understand what's getting in the way, it becomes much easier to address it and create a routine that you'll genuinely enjoy and stick with.
Find Out Why You Don't Feel Like Practising
Before creating a practice routine, take a few moments to honestly reflect on what might be holding you back. Sometimes it has very little to do with laziness.
Perhaps you came across an incredible singer on social media and immediately started comparing yourself, convincing yourself that you'll never sound that good. Maybe someone reacted negatively to your singing in the past, and that experience stayed with you, leaving you feeling discouraged every time you think about practising.
Two other very common reasons are perfectionism and feeling overwhelmed. You may feel that if you can't practise perfectly or notice significant improvement every time you sing, then there's no point in trying. Or perhaps you simply don't know what to work on first, making practice sessions feel confusing instead of enjoyable.
Whatever the reason may be, identifying it is the first step toward overcoming it. Once you understand what's stopping you, you can begin replacing those obstacles with healthier ways of thinking and practising.
Make Singing Something You Look Forward To
Practice shouldn't feel like another chore that you have to cross off your to-do list. It should become something that brings you enjoyment, curiosity, and satisfaction. After all, most of us started singing because we loved music, not because we wanted another obligation in our lives.
Here are a few ways you can make practising more enjoyable:
• Sing songs that you genuinely love, not just songs that you think you should sing.
• Celebrate small improvements instead of focusing only on what still needs work.
• Approach each practice session with curiosity rather than criticism. Instead of asking yourself, "How bad do I sound?" ask yourself, "What can I learn about my voice today?"
• Change things up once in a while by trying a different genre, learning a new artist's song, or experimenting with a fun vocal exercise to keep your practice sessions fresh. The mind loves variety, so adding spice to your practice sessions will help you want to continue them.
The more enjoyable you make your practice sessions, the more likely you'll be to return to them tomorrow.
Keep It Simple, but Keep Challenging Yourself
A good practice routine shouldn't be so easy that nothing changes, nor should it be so difficult that you leave every session feeling defeated.
Try to find that middle ground where you're challenging yourself just enough to make progress while still allowing yourself to experience success. Those small victories build confidence, and confidence makes you want to keep practising.
Remember, improvement rarely happens by making giant leaps. More often, it comes from taking many small steps in the right direction.
Don't Be Discouraged by Your Vocal Limits
One simple exercise you can do is practise singing scales up and down your range.
As you move through the scales, sing as high and as low as your voice comfortably allows. Once you reach the point where your voice no longer wants to continue comfortably, simply take a mental note of where you stopped.
But don't view that point as a failure. Instead, see it as valuable information about where your voice is today.
Your vocal range isn't fixed. As your technique improves and your voice becomes stronger and more coordinated, those comfortable notes may gradually expand. The purpose of this exercise isn't to force your voice beyond its limits. It's to become familiar with your current abilities while allowing your voice to develop naturally over time.
The next day, try again.
Some days you'll reach the same note. Some days you might go a little farther. Other days you may not reach quite as far because your voice is affected by things like sleep, hydration, stress, allergies, or fatigue. That's completely normal.
The important thing isn't how high or low you sing on any particular day. The important thing is that you continue showing up and allowing your voice to grow at its own pace.
Short Practice Sessions Still Count
Many singers believe they need to practise for an hour every single day in order to improve.
The truth is that ten or fifteen focused minutes can often be far more productive than an hour of distracted singing once a week.
Consistency is usually much more important than the length of your practice sessions.
Even if you're busy, spending just a few minutes working on your voice keeps you connected to your goals and helps establish a habit that becomes easier to maintain over time.
Give Yourself Small Goals
Rather than trying to improve everything at once, choose one or two goals for each practice session.
Perhaps today you'll work on breath control. Tomorrow you may focus on one challenging phrase in a song. The following day you might spend time improving your diction or learning the lyrics to a new verse. Or, if you have more time in a day, spend five minutes on each thing during one practice session. Do what works for you. What makes you feel comfortable and happy to do.
Breaking your practice into smaller goals makes improvement feel much more achievable. Every little success builds confidence, and those successes eventually add up to significant progress.
Turn Practice Into an Enjoyable Study
One of the healthiest ways to approach singing is to think of it as an enjoyable study rather than a test that you have to pass.
Become curious about your own voice. Pay attention to what exercises help you the most, what songs challenge you, and what techniques make singing feel easier. Every practice session gives you another opportunity to learn something new.
The more curious you become, the less pressure you'll place on yourself to be perfect.
Track Your Progress
Keeping track of what you practised, what improved, and what you'd like to work on next turns singing into a purposeful journey instead of a guessing game. I would recommend doing so with a vocal journal.
Looking back over your notes after a while can also be incredibly motivating. You'll begin noticing improvements that may have gone completely unnoticed from one day to the next. Progress often happens so gradually that we don't realize how far we've come until we compare where we are now with where we started.
Don't Let One Missed Day Become a Missed Week
Life happens.
There will be days when you're tired, busy, or simply don't have the energy to practise. That's okay.
Missing one practice session doesn't erase your progress. What matters is that you return to it as soon as you can.
Be kind to yourself, then simply pick up where you left off.
Enjoy the Journey
Learning to sing isn't simply about building a better voice. It's also about building a healthier relationship with that voice.
When you begin enjoying the process instead of constantly worrying about the destination, practice becomes something you look forward to instead of something you feel obligated to do.
Be patient with yourself. Stay curious. Celebrate your small victories. Keep learning.
Little by little, you'll not only become a better singer, but you'll also begin enjoying the journey a whole lot more.
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Want More Help From Me?
If this blog resonated with you and you'd like to build a healthier relationship with your voice while continuing to improve it, you may enjoy my e-book, Not Loving Your Voice? Learn How to Make It Better.
I wrote it specifically for singers who struggle with confidence, self-doubt, comparison, and learning to appreciate their voice as it grows. Inside, you'll find practical guidance and encouragement to help you move past those mental barriers so you can enjoy singing more and believe in your own potential.
My name is Stella Jasmin, and I am a motivational singing coach, writer, and founder of The Singing Journey. Through my website, I create resources designed to help singers develop confidence, overcome self-doubt, and enjoy the process of becoming better singers. If you're looking for more encouragement and practical tools to support your journey, I'd love for you to explore what I've created. See what you want to work on with your voice and mindset, and check out what I have for you on my shop, The Singing Journey.
Happy singing!
💜 Stella Jasmin
Motivational Singing Coach and Founder of The Singing Journey
Https://thesingingjourney.com