Imagine a fine restaurant that had no menus. There would simply be no balanced or nutritious suggestions ever offered. You just pull up a seat and start ordering any food that comes to mind. Who needs menus anyway?Welcome to the Whatever Restaurant. Nibble a little here, chug a little there, and then proceed to bite off way more than is chewable for a couple of hours at a setting. Sounds like a nasty gorge fest and a recipe for some unanticipated ailments.
The thought is disturbing and absurd of course. Yet is that not how we often approach our daily practice sessions? You just pull up a seat and start in on huge helpings of chop-busting gorge fest goodies. You try a little of this and then a bit of that. But quickly your session turns into a whole lot of unwise blasting as you shower the air with a multitude of unusable notes. Soon the chops cry "UNCLE!" and any cringing listeners gasp "NAUSEATING!"
Suggestion: Don't ever eat at the Whatever Restaurant! Plan your practice agenda for the day in advance so that your mind rules your session rather than your appetite at the moment. Do what is needed, not what is fun. Rest between courses. Sow where there are deficiencies, so you will enjoy the reaping later. Plan your daily menu as well as your weekly menu. Don't cram a whole bunch of asparagus down in one session. You get the benefits when it is taken over time. Don't shun it either. Include the unpleasantries along with the pleasantries so that you don't gag when they appear on your plate.
Oh yes, there can be ice cream! But it tastes best when it has been earned and is guilt-free. PLAN AHEAD!
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