Ok I went back through my notes and tallied up my piano practice days (even though this year isn’t over yet, I’ll adjust these numbers after Dec 31).
I’m not going to try to subtract days when I was traveling for work and didn’t have access to a piano, or other reasons (legitimate or otherwise) for not practicing, it’s too complicated and I’m not worried about “forgiving myself” for missing practice etc. Interestingly enough, I was in Japan for almost a month (IIRC) but I rented time in a practice studio a few times while there, and when I got back, I put those days on the calendar as well. Anyway…
As of yesterday, I had 313 piano practice days in 2025. That averages out to 26 practice days a month.
For comparison, in 2024, I had 270 practice days, which averages out to 22.5 practice days a month.
In 2023, I changed institutions in the middle of the year, so starting in January 2023, between prep for on-campus interviews, then packing, moving across several states, not having a piano for almost two months because of the move, starting the new job etc. etc., I only had 102 practices for the whole year, which, even excluding the months when I didn’t have a piano, is still only about 10 practice days a month.
I have to say, I’m very proud of myself for being able to make piano part of my daily life. I remember how frustrated I was in 2023, really missing my piano time and feeling like I was working non-stop from the moment I got up to the moment I went to bed. 2024 was sort of a course correction, partly just about getting settled into my new job and also about figuring out how to manage my time so I have time for things that are important.
2025 then maybe has been the year for settling into this way of living. I still work hard (and far too much) but I’ve been able to consistently make time for piano and that matters a great deal to me. And it shows, maybe not in terms of upward/vertical progress as in getting better as a pianist, but it definitely shows in outward/horizontal progress, in terms of how much music I’ve learned and in my comfort level with just sitting down to play.
So how about for 2026? I think I just want more of the same. 😃
Play every day.
That’s it, very simple. That will be my goal, and maybe as a sub-goal or refined articulation of this core goal, I will aim to have at least as many piano days in 2026 as I had in 2025.