Would've took me a few guesses to get you are a conductor. Don't think I can offer much advice regarding time management, but, FWIW I found making short & long term targets (something which I don't ordinarily do) helps clear the mind and allows me to focus.
Not sure if it's been asked before, what music do you listen to when playing?
Either Avicii or Kygo. As with any genre, the vast majority in that genre is just churned out drivel but those two in particular for me seem to just 'get it'. Maybe it's because they actually play (or played in Avicii's case) the piano too, rather than being a button clicker in a studio who's never picked up an instrument in their life.
That's actually the kind of music I'm working on when I say music production things. I'm a lonnnnng way behind when it comes to technical knowledge/skill with the programmes but I'm hoping that being a trained musician first will give me an edge in the long run. Electronic dance music/orchestral hybrid crossover sounds like a fun idea to me Beethoven etc is really fantastic music, but playing it over and over again for the billionth time isn't really how I want to spend my life.
Sometimes if it's a bigger final table where 1st would be a huge boost to my roll I'll throw on some Taylor Swift to chill out I remember I was at the FT of a UKOPS 55r and asked if anyone else was listening to Taylor Swift and got one reply...
Regarding the time management thing, I'd suggest the GTO approach would be to split your time across at least 2 of your 3 focal point over the course of a day, with small manageable goals in place for each session. This way you're likely to use your time more effectively.
For example, say you wanted to get 6 hours of poker study under your belt. If you elected to do this all in one day, your focus levels will likely be far lower at hour 5 than they are at hour 2, so the benefit gained from the later hours of your study session will probably be significantly less. Break those 6 hours down into 3x 2 hour sessions over 3 different days and you'll likely get through more content and retain more of what you've studied.
Don't be too militant either though. If your really feeling 'in the zone' then ride that wave of focus/enthusiasm out. At the same time, If you start a poker study or music session and 30 mins in you're mentally wading through treacle, fill your time with something else.
In short, prepare bite-size chunks but let yourself feast (or fast) when the appetite calls for it.
For what it's worth, with regards to the above, I'm well aware that I preach far better than I practise!
This is actually a really good suggestion, thanks! And yeah, how's actually following your own advice going? I feel we should have some sort of productivity prop bet - I'll give you good odds Imagine if you put in several hours each day to improving/growing your Twitch thing (or whatever else). After a year imagine what you could get done!
Hi Angmar Fascinating stuff re your ‘day job’ I never got into the musical stuff at school,I wish I had, my daughter learned to play the flute ( pushy parents 😉) and it was wonderful to see her perform at school concerts.
What’s your thoughts on the recent Viola player who sued for loss of hearing ( I think) I wonder how going forward in this day of “ No win no fee” mentality how the orchestra players can “protect” themselves against these things? Health and safety gone mad, or a fact of the modern musical instrument getting “ better” similar to golf balls, footballs , etc etc?
Hi Tom, It's never too late to start learning - I've seen people start successfully playing instruments at literally any age!
Interesting that you mention the viola case as I thought that was relatively niche news confined mostly to orchestral types. Since then management people have been round with decibel reader things in rehearsals, sound screens are more common, and people try to keep more of a gap between the brass and the violas (not always possible depending on the venue).
I guess on the one hand loud noises is sort of par for the course, but on the other hand it really is pretty brutal for the poor viola players more so than anyone else. Almost always, the orchestral layout has the violas right in front of the brass and if you're a professional violist you're going to be exposed to damaging noise levels again and again for years. I think rotating who sits at the back of the section (closest to the brass) should be mandatory and orchestras should experiment more with the standard layout so it's not the same people getting an earful every day.
Word vomit incoming! Probably drivel to read, but ah well, it's really useful for me to just type out as it helps me think more clearly. Plus people in real life don't understand poker stuff
Just listened to the Joe Ingram/Bencb podcast and one of the points that really hit home was Ben saying that he knows so many people who don't study/don't study enough because 'they used to' or 'they've already put in the work'. I definitely fall into that category. He makes the point that top athletes at the top of their game don't suddenly stop training because they've reached the top, if anything they push themselves harder.
In 2018 I worked really really hard on my game and must have put in 200 hours at least into the study grind and talking hands. Obviously it's no coincidence that 2018 was my most profitable year by a long long way. Since then I've been more of the mindset that 'meh I've put in the work in the past, I've definitely worked way harder than the other people in the games I'm playing in, I don't need to work'. Not only is this counterproductive to progressing, it actually causes me entitlement tilt when I have a session where I get smashed by people clicking buttons. I feel like I 'deserve' to win more than them, which just isn't true.
Furthermore, I've decided to change my approach, also in line with the feedback/suggestions from this thread. My overall 20k goal is still the same but so much of that is out my hands. I'm going to stop posting BR updates after every session and also stop looking at my results/sharkscope graph constantly. It really doesn't help; in fact it does the opposite of helping. Instead, I have 3 weekly goals that I want to stick to every week this year, inspired by @NoEa5yCa5h diary:
3 MTT sessions per week 5 hours poker study per week 10 hours music production per week
This is minimum. I hope to do more, and if I do it doesn't carry over into the next week, each week starts from zero. In the reading I've been doing on investing, it seems one of the most common mistakes with long term investing is trying to time the market and constantly watching the results rather than looking at much longer term trends. Same should apply to poker/other things in life surely. So new plan is to just put in the repetitions and grind away without constantly needing daily signs of improvement and results. This is going to start from Monday by the way, as the current week looks like this...
MTT sessions: 2 (will play 3rd this weekend) Poker study: 20mins... Music production: 1hr 45mins...
May also think of some kind of forfeit or charity donation for failing to meet targets from next week. Numbers may also need to be revised over time, but for the next month at least, these are the goals! Let's get it!
glgl with the goals. I’ll follow with interest to see how this works for you. It has surprised me how much clearer and focused my mind is having short- & long-term goals set, something I possibly should’ve done earlier.
It is a good point Ben makes regarding athletes pushing themselves harder each day. What type of studying do you prefer and plan to do?
glgl with the goals. I’ll follow with interest to see how this works for you. It has surprised me how much clearer and focused my mind is having short- & long-term goals set, something I possibly should’ve done earlier.
It is a good point Ben makes regarding athletes pushing themselves harder each day. What type of studying do you prefer and plan to do?
Equilab, HRC, training videos, asking people who are better than me about spots.
Never say never, I guess, but I don't plan on ever grinding PIO myself. I do really like watching videos that explain some of the outputs though. Even if a lot of it isn't applicable/optimal for the games I play, it's useful to have a vague rough idea of some of the baseline ideas.
I've done a lot of ICM calcs in my time. I honestly think ICM and ICM adjustments/abuse is my strongest area.
Yourself?
The problem with ICM knowledge is you actually have to run deep before you can use it Atm I'm just getting absolutely destroyed haha; mostly losing with KK all in pre. Over the last 5 sessions I'm losing at something like -90% ROI lol. One thing that's always comforting in these patches though is to remember that losing at -90% ROI isn't really a thing and it's just variance, however bad you are. The worst worst player you've ever seen is probably only actually -30% ROI long term. I once found a -40% over a massive sample but that is the absolute rock bottom really.
One thing I will say though is that over the last 5 sessions I'm down around 50 average buy-ins at ABI £6 in what are relatively small fields! Proper BRM is important!!!
That’s a rough run. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can drop your stakes any lower to ride it out
Years ago, I watched a lot of training videos, which is where I learned the basics. For the most part I consciously avoid studying now. However, if I have been in a tricky situation and I want to know what I should’ve done, I’ll use the free calculation Icmizer allows each day.
Just a quick hungover post as I promised in the OP I'd update every calendar week. Will do a proper update in the week
First week of the new plan and it was tougher than I expected to be honest! Think the hardest one was not looking at results/sharkscope and trying to just put in some sessions and play well regardless of the outcome. That's going to be a much more long-term thing to overcome than I think, rather than something to instantly cure in one week! Anyhow, I hit all target numbers and feel good for it:
MTT sessions: 3 Poker study: 5hrs (more than the rest of the year combined ha!) Music production: 12.5hrs
Well done on hitting the targets. I tried not looking at my balance for a month or so when playing on 'stars a while back. I would just check the chip-ev feature in PokerTracker after a session. I thought it helped me focus on playing well, and took away some of the emotion attached to running bad. Must be more difficult to do playing on here though.
Just a quick hungover post as I promised in the OP I'd update every calendar week. Will do a proper update in the week
First week of the new plan and it was tougher than I expected to be honest! Think the hardest one was not looking at results/sharkscope and trying to just put in some sessions and play well regardless of the outcome. That's going to be a much more long-term thing to overcome than I think, rather than something to instantly cure in one week! Anyhow, I hit all target numbers and feel good for it:
MTT sessions: 3 Poker study: 5hrs (more than the rest of the year combined ha!) Music production: 12.5hrs
Think it is really hard to not check how you have done. I do try not to but its hard and I think lots of people keep an eye on the breakeven position during a session. Also, if you have poker friends (insert imbetweeners friends gif) then its always a question that pops up when chatting. I guess its being able to make good decisions and not act differently because a ladder may mean you hit a target or make you in profit for a session. With MTTs the outlay is at the start of the session so its always a case of clawing back at that outlay. With cash you can win your first hand and always be in profit.
Well done on hitting the targets. I tried not looking at my balance for a month or so when playing on 'stars a while back. I would just check the chip-ev feature in PokerTracker after a session. I thought it helped me focus on playing well, and took away some of the emotion attached to running bad. Must be more difficult to do playing on here though.
Tyty, yeah it's so difficult when your balance display is literally everywhere constantly haha!
Just a quick hungover post as I promised in the OP I'd update every calendar week. Will do a proper update in the week
First week of the new plan and it was tougher than I expected to be honest! Think the hardest one was not looking at results/sharkscope and trying to just put in some sessions and play well regardless of the outcome. That's going to be a much more long-term thing to overcome than I think, rather than something to instantly cure in one week! Anyhow, I hit all target numbers and feel good for it:
MTT sessions: 3 Poker study: 5hrs (more than the rest of the year combined ha!) Music production: 12.5hrs
Think it is really hard to not check how you have done. I do try not to but its hard and I think lots of people keep an eye on the breakeven position during a session. Also, if you have poker friends (insert imbetweeners friends gif) then its always a question that pops up when chatting. I guess its being able to make good decisions and not act differently because a ladder may mean you hit a target or make you in profit for a session. With MTTs the outlay is at the start of the session so its always a case of clawing back at that outlay. With cash you can win your first hand and always be in profit.
Thanks Matt, yeah the one that is getting me at the moment is every time I come within touching distance of the 2k mark! Every standard suckout is 10x more annoying haha
Comments
Edit: I don't 3bet bluff
That's actually the kind of music I'm working on when I say music production things. I'm a lonnnnng way behind when it comes to technical knowledge/skill with the programmes but I'm hoping that being a trained musician first will give me an edge in the long run. Electronic dance music/orchestral hybrid crossover sounds like a fun idea to me
Sometimes if it's a bigger final table where 1st would be a huge boost to my roll I'll throw on some Taylor Swift to chill out
Neil Channing: "No"
Fascinating stuff re your ‘day job’
I never got into the musical stuff at school,I wish I had, my daughter learned to play the flute ( pushy parents 😉) and it was wonderful to see her perform at school concerts.
What’s your thoughts on the recent Viola player who sued for loss of hearing ( I think)
I wonder how going forward in this day of “ No win no fee” mentality how the orchestra players can “protect” themselves against these things?
Health and safety gone mad, or a fact of the modern musical instrument getting “ better” similar to golf balls, footballs , etc etc?
It's never too late to start learning - I've seen people start successfully playing instruments at literally any age!
Interesting that you mention the viola case as I thought that was relatively niche news confined mostly to orchestral types. Since then management people have been round with decibel reader things in rehearsals, sound screens are more common, and people try to keep more of a gap between the brass and the violas (not always possible depending on the venue).
I guess on the one hand loud noises is sort of par for the course, but on the other hand it really is pretty brutal for the poor viola players more so than anyone else. Almost always, the orchestral layout has the violas right in front of the brass and if you're a professional violist you're going to be exposed to damaging noise levels again and again for years. I think rotating who sits at the back of the section (closest to the brass) should be mandatory and orchestras should experiment more with the standard layout so it's not the same people getting an earful every day.
Just listened to the Joe Ingram/Bencb podcast and one of the points that really hit home was Ben saying that he knows so many people who don't study/don't study enough because 'they used to' or 'they've already put in the work'. I definitely fall into that category. He makes the point that top athletes at the top of their game don't suddenly stop training because they've reached the top, if anything they push themselves harder.
In 2018 I worked really really hard on my game and must have put in 200 hours at least into the study grind and talking hands. Obviously it's no coincidence that 2018 was my most profitable year by a long long way. Since then I've been more of the mindset that 'meh I've put in the work in the past, I've definitely worked way harder than the other people in the games I'm playing in, I don't need to work'. Not only is this counterproductive to progressing, it actually causes me entitlement tilt when I have a session where I get smashed by people clicking buttons. I feel like I 'deserve' to win more than them, which just isn't true.
Furthermore, I've decided to change my approach, also in line with the feedback/suggestions from this thread. My overall 20k goal is still the same but so much of that is out my hands. I'm going to stop posting BR updates after every session and also stop looking at my results/sharkscope graph constantly. It really doesn't help; in fact it does the opposite of helping. Instead, I have 3 weekly goals that I want to stick to every week this year, inspired by @NoEa5yCa5h diary:
3 MTT sessions per week
5 hours poker study per week
10 hours music production per week
This is minimum. I hope to do more, and if I do it doesn't carry over into the next week, each week starts from zero. In the reading I've been doing on investing, it seems one of the most common mistakes with long term investing is trying to time the market and constantly watching the results rather than looking at much longer term trends. Same should apply to poker/other things in life surely. So new plan is to just put in the repetitions and grind away without constantly needing daily signs of improvement and results. This is going to start from Monday by the way, as the current week looks like this...
MTT sessions: 2 (will play 3rd this weekend)
Poker study: 20mins...
Music production: 1hr 45mins...
May also think of some kind of forfeit or charity donation for failing to meet targets from next week. Numbers may also need to be revised over time, but for the next month at least, these are the goals! Let's get it!
long term results > short term results (obviously)
constantly working hard >>>>>> 'I used to work hard'
By chance, I got lucky today, & found a You Tube vid of @Angmar2626 doing his conductering.
Think that was @Allan23 singing in the first clip too
It is a good point Ben makes regarding athletes pushing themselves harder each day. What type of studying do you prefer and plan to do?
Never say never, I guess, but I don't plan on ever grinding PIO myself. I do really like watching videos that explain some of the outputs though. Even if a lot of it isn't applicable/optimal for the games I play, it's useful to have a vague rough idea of some of the baseline ideas.
I've done a lot of ICM calcs in my time. I honestly think ICM and ICM adjustments/abuse is my strongest area.
Yourself?
The problem with ICM knowledge is you actually have to run deep before you can use it
One thing I will say though is that over the last 5 sessions I'm down around 50 average buy-ins at ABI £6 in what are relatively small fields! Proper BRM is important!!!
Years ago, I watched a lot of training videos, which is where I learned the basics. For the most part I consciously avoid studying now. However, if I have been in a tricky situation and I want to know what I should’ve done, I’ll use the free calculation Icmizer allows each day.
First week of the new plan and it was tougher than I expected to be honest! Think the hardest one was not looking at results/sharkscope and trying to just put in some sessions and play well regardless of the outcome. That's going to be a much more long-term thing to overcome than I think, rather than something to instantly cure in one week! Anyhow, I hit all target numbers and feel good for it:
MTT sessions: 3
Poker study: 5hrs (more than the rest of the year combined ha!)
Music production: 12.5hrs
Good work with the study!