I have a first band practice comming up in a week or so, and need to practice a bit more.

Unfortunately its a really busy time at work so im working longer days, getting home later and after i get a bite to eat its 9 or 10 pm and if i dont want to be shattered at work the next day I need to get some rest.

I know as a teenager it was easy to find time to play, id just play instead of homework, or play after bedtime (plugged out), play in the morning before school etc. I never had a problem going to school in an overtired state!

With responsibilities of adulthood now though ( work, bills etc etc) its not so easy, and the fact that i need to be on the ball at work, I cant just play when i want.

Think i need to be better at time management, and i will simply have to draw up a strict schedule that allows me time to practice and get all the other day to day stuff done.

Im sure some younger folks will read this and laugh, as they are still in the stage where all that matters is guitar, but do any of you guys have the same problem finding practice time, and how do you work around it?

It is a hard thing to balance the "real" world and the "fun" one of music, etc.

One small thing I did was now that my youngest is old enough to clearly understand that don't touch=don't touch, I have my acoustic on a stand in the living room. It's much easier to grab so even on the days when I can't find the time to do some serious playing, it's easy enough to grab it for even a few minutes of play time.

Just a small thing. Good luck finding the time in your schedule.

I find it difficult aswell although to be honest I don't get to practice for the hours I'd like, but even if its for five minutes to run through some scales I do occasionally I do get the time I want to practice and its well worth the wait

I seems the struggles with life and work, seem to get in the way of a lot of things. I have had to try to "make" time in order just to keep up with my skill level, let alone try to progress. I guess I just need to hit the lottery

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Thats pretty much what i do, except for the tired thing, im always tired when i get bored.

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riley

+1 to 2 very good suggestions so far (one of them yours). Have the guitar easily available and plan time to practise. It's too easy to let it slide for a day or 2 (or 3) otherwise.

I'm up at 4am every day so as soon as I have coffee beside me I grab a guitar and play. Nothing gets in the way for the next 45 minutes or so (longer on weekends thankfully). If I wait until later, too many things need doing

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Steve

Here is what I do:

I have a guitar hanging in my living room and another in my bedroom. I get up, go to work, come home, eat, watch maybe an hour of TV, then I pull a guitar off the wall and play. I usually play for about an hour a day (sometimes more). On the weekend, I get up, take care of Honey-do's, then lock myself in my room for 2 hours.

I am lucky though. I have a 9 hour work day and have some time when home to practice. When I was going back to college, forget it. I was lucky to play once a week. That was a long two years.

I hope you can find time to play. Like I said, I have a guitar in every room I sit in, for those moments where there is nothing to do but get some quick licks in.

im 13 and i still have trouble finding time to play ... my homework has kept me from my guitar for a week.... i REEEEEEAAAAAALLY hate my school

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if i may offer a few suggestions.

if your working a song list and its covers, record them to the
ipod or cd and jam them to and from work.
mentally see yourself playing along. say the chords as they go
to yourself. say the key and which scale/mode is being played.

do the same if your working on originals.
if your doing study work, find a book/cd that covers the area your
in study on. again listen to it on the way to and from work.
absorb what you can from it all.
theres not always time to put a guitar in your hand but theres always ways to keep learning.

"time" is a funny kind of thing... everybody;s got the same amount every day. it's a matter of priority.
are you joining the band for income or hobby?
if it's income, then something has to be cut from whatever schedule you have in order to fit it in. it's work, not play.
if it's hobby... don't worry about it. just enjoy it when you can.

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Schmintan,

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I work about 15 hours a day and have 3 children so "free time" is at a premium. The only thing that helps a little is to keep the guitar accessible. Get a stand or a hanger and just grab and play even for just a few mins. I don't plug in or get music out, I just play. Fortunately, I have the luxury of keeping a guitar at work and play a little before I open up. I know, like most players, I would be more proficient if I could practice more, but I am enjoying playing none the less.

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of course i'd say family and work comes 1st. like others have said, i keep my acoustic by the couch. much to wife's delight, i keep my tascam guitar trainer plugged in on the dining table. sunday is usually the day i get to play for hours after my chores are done. the wife reads and i watch sports and go over tunes i'm struggling with.

Wake up earlier and play before you go to work.
Eat a small lunch and play during the remaining lunch break.
Turn off the TV and play instead.
Stay up a little later and play.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

good reply voodoo. theres always a
few minutes here and there that can
be cut and used for practice time.

Everything posted thus far is good advice. One important thing I would add - make every minute that you have count. Which is to say, if you have 10 minutes, focus on something specific and really work on it, rather than noodling around (nah, we don't do that) for five minutes and then trying something for a few minutes and then shifting to another thing for a few.
I hear you; I barely have time to practice. But I try to work with whatever time I have. Sometimes after I drop my daughter off for school, I run home and grab the guitar before I have to leave for work. On the way back home, I think about exactly what I want to work on, and when I get in the house I immediately grab the guitar and whatever else I need (instruction book, lesson in a magazine, etc) and go to work. Sometimes it's only five minutes, but it's a productive five minutes.