Be honest with yourself. What do you want your music career to look like?
Step 1: Set your three main goals. Choose big, meaningful goals that excite you. For example: play major festivals, release an album, build a dedicated fanbase. Don't worry about the "how" yet. Just focus on what you truly want.
Step 2: Work backward and break them down. For each main goal, ask yourself: what would need to be in place to make this happen? If you want to start playing festivals, you’ll probably need a booking agent. To get one, you'll need a solid band and a strong live set. List all the smaller, actionable steps that need to happen first. Add as many as you want. Challenge yourself to include at least one task per goal that will help you recharge, like learning a new skill or gathering inspiration (reading a poetry book, seeing a concert, taking a day trip).
Step 3: Categorize and schedule them. In the "Cycle" column, organize each task based on whether it focuses on creation, promotion or rest. Then assign a due date to each task. The idea is to work in four-month cycles to avoid burnout. Don't worry, we'll explain this more below.
(Example) Start playing festivals
We've gone ahead and mapped out each cycle for 2026: two months of creation, followed by one month of promotion and one month to recharge. Schedule your main goals first, then fit your tasks into the cycles where they naturally belong. Be mindful not to overload any single cycle with too many tasks! Check back here frequently to track your progress and adjust as needed.
Have questions? Email us at [email protected].