Why is it that practicing guitar is a constant source of joy for some…
And others find it so damn frustrating all the time?
Maybe you’ve never found practicing frustrating...
But I know I’ve lost count of the number of times practicing made my blood boil.
That’s why this “Hemingway” approach to practicing is so brilliant.
In case you don’t know, Ernest Hemingway was a famous writer in the early 1900’s. He wrote countless books. (Some of which you may or may not know.)
But he had a very specific writing-ritual...
And it helped him to write every single day without fail. (And to enjoy his work.)

Here’s the Hemingway approach:
“Write until you come to a place where you still have your ‘juice.’”
But what does this mean exactly?
It means do something to the point where you still enjoy it.
When something stops becoming fun… it becomes a chore.
Your goal each day you practice is to find ways to make it fun.
That might mean you practice a song you’re working on… (scroll to the bottom to check out Darryl's video with a fun song to learn)...
Or if you’re in the mood for some hardcore theory studying then that’s fine too.

Whatever you do it’s important to stop when practicing stops feeling fun.
Take a break.. do something else for a while. Come back to the guitar later if you have to.
When you do this… your brain becomes conditioned to receive joy from practicing. When you receive joy from something… you’re more likely to do it more often.
That’s the Hemingway secret.
There are of course more ways to keep practicing fun. I’ll probably share more of them in later articles.
Try out this little ritual and see what happens!
P.S. If you're not sure where to start with your guitar playing, just get in touch via the button below and we can help you get started.