As a professional music producer and audio engineer time management has played a big role in keeping work flowing in the door, maintaining mental health and creating a general feeling of stability. I will share 7 tips that have really helped me out over the past year starting with tip number 1.

1. To improve your day, improve your sleep and hydration.

Mornings can be a rough time for many creative professionals. Gigs, parties, exhibitions, album launches, networking events, conferences and travel often result in late nights, alcohol consumption and poor food choices that can cause your body and mind to have that general out-of-whack feeling. Mornings have always been a struggle for me. After 15 years touring with bands and performing 6 nights a week my adrenaline system was shot and I was exhausted all the time.

The biggest key to help in this area is being kind to yourself, if you need to have a 40 min nap in the afternoon – do it and don’t feel guilty (even if it has to be a 2-3 hours for those without kids). If your body is asking you for sleep, it probably needs it. Also remember that being de-hydrated can make you very fatigued and you can mistakenly think you need sleep when actually, you don’t. Soda water works for me and I always have a few 1.25 litre bottles in the fridge or at my desk at all times.