I know I know, a totally, blatantly, shamelessly personal post but, you know, I usually don’t participate in contests just because I get lost in them: I can’t find time (even though I would have time!), and I generally lose focus after a while.
Timed contests though, well that’s another beast: 24 hours to create a song using samples from M83, Junior Boys, and Nosaj Thing. That sounds like fun! So I spend my last sunday making the song you can find at the bottom of this page.
Is There a Lesson in All This?
I like to think so! Apart from the reason itself, like, you know, winning the contest, what I really learnt is that focusing on specific tasks really makes you work efficiently. If this was any other kind of contest, I know I would just procrastinate and keep telling myself I don’t have time, but sunday I happened to have a full day free and I decided to get things done. And since I had just 24 hours, there’s no excuse like “I’ll never finish this” or “this will take me ages”.
Thinking well about it, giving yourself a strict (even fake) timeline for anything you do and, most of all, believing in it, makes you work efficiently most of the times. Things kept in a sort of suspended state, something like “yeah sure I’ll do that, sooner or later, maybe” are what screws you up: it doesn’t work, no matter what. Plus it’s a lot more engaging to have a time-frame, it’s a sort of challenge, through the whole day I was wondering if I’d get it done, and although it probably isn’t my best work I am quite happy with it (and I’d love to know what you think as well).
All in all, a great chance to really know my capabilities and something fun to do as well.
Back to The Point
So, how can you help me? Very simple:
1. Click here -> http://contest.ableton.com/tracks/919
2. Click on “Login to vote” on the top right corner
3. Login with your Facebook or Soundcloud account (no spam guaranteed, Soundcloud is a very respectable service)
4. When you get brought back to the track’s page, click on “Like” on the top right corner
That’s it!
The contest is kinda smart, you can vote as many songs as you like, but just once per song, so don’t feel limited if you like other songs too. And of course, if you REALLY hate my song, hah, you don’t have to vote, but I still hope you’ll like it
If you liked this post, why don't you 
Yes, we must do our work best in every thing we do.Have focus and at the end you learn something.
Cindy E. Girard recently posted..growth hormones in food
Twitter: maidoesimple
says:
It’s better to work 1 hour focused than a full day unmotivated.
Focusing is an art of disciplining one’s mind.
Yes, I do agree with that. You will never be successful on something if you’ll not invest time and energy into it. Since the contest ended last May 28, how was it? Thanks for sharing.
Shane recently posted..How To Pick Up Girls
Hello Shane,
Well said that to be successful on what you do, you have to work hard and invest time and money. It is also important to have interest in something you do or want to start do.
Sarah recently posted..Deprenyl To Get Over Depression And Celebrate Life
Twitter: maidoesimple
says:
It didn’t end on 28th, voting is going on ’til june 15th.
That’s so true! However, it’s really difficult to keep your mindset for you to concentrate on your tasks and sticking on your timeline for you to finish.
Sara recently posted..”Herbie” Rice
Twitter: maidoesimple
says:
It’s not that hard if you like what you’re doing.
You did an awesome job. Getting a song ready in 24 hours is very big accomplishment. Focusing is one thing that ultimately brings the best results, but it requires a lot of discipline of the mind.
Gilbert Rollins recently posted..kimkardashiantapes.org
Twitter: maidoesimple
says:
Yeah now I hope it pays off!
Twitter: Elena__Anne
says:
I agree with giving yourself a deadline. Holding yourself up to a time constraint is very helpful. When you are against the clock, this forces you to get a certain among of work done only in that time. If you were not given a time restraint, your work might not even be as focused. We need to stop leeting distractions dictate our work ethic.
Twitter: maidoesimple
says:
Yeah when you have too much time on your hands to complete a task, and you “relax” a little bit too much, yeah, that’s never good.