This week, we're on a little family vacation, so we thought we'd focus on a topic that is near and dear to our hearts: SLEEEEEEEEEP. Yes, glorious sleep. Oddly, this was a huge point of contention between us when we started working together. Blair needed to get stuff done during the day (and needed me to be involved)... and let's just say, I wasn't into that idea.
Most of the time, musicians work at night. It comes with the territory. Other people go to work during the day, then they get done and they come to watch you do your job. It’s a good system. When we’re out on the road, my schedule gets pretty upside down. On tour, I sleep much later than I normally would, because I have to stay up much later than I would at home. It’s a vicious cycle.
After a few months on tour, living with that upside down schedule, I used to come home and try to maintain that same schedule in the real world. I’d stay awake until the sun came up then sleep until the afternoon. Turns out that doesn’t really play out well in the real world. Like I said at the beginning, most work happens during the day. You’ll live your real life during civilian hours.
Promoting your music will probably be done during normal hours and as an independent artist, that’s just a big a part of your job as writing songs, making records, and playing shows.
You’ll interact with your friends and family during normal hours; real things happen during those hours. When you’re at home, very little of value will happen at three am. I struggled to accept that. I’d sleep late, stay up late, and miss out on all kinds of real life stuff because I was living on my own time. Over time, I realized that I could accomplish much more if I lived like everyone else, so I started getting up early in the morning and then going to bed at a normal hour.
This is when my business really started to shift. I handled stuff like a real person during the day. I realized that if we didn't get it done, no one would.
It’s not 1977, and you’re not Robert Plant. Get out of bed and promote your music. Go see your mother. Do real stuff. It’ll make your life at home function better and in turn, it’ll make you better on the road. You’ll recharge your batteries at home, live your life, handle that real stuff, keep your relationships solid. I sound like your mother, right? Sorry!
Reason To Ignore This Advice: You actually are Robert Plant and it really is 1977. That’s rad; good for you. Go back to bed, Bob! Also, where do you get your kimonos?