Zachary Schultz

I found that treating rhythm like its own little puzzle helped a ton. I’d tap out patterns on my leg or a table before touching my instrument, which made the notes way less scary. Color-coding stuff is great too if your brain likes visual anchors. And yeah, mixing in songs you actually enjoy keeps your practice from feeling like chewing dry toast.

I’ve caught myself turning fun stuff into side hustles too, and it kind of sucked the spark out of it. What helped was having one hobby I refuse to monetize, even if I'm good at it. It feels like a little pressure-free corner of my week. I also try hanging around people who do things just for the fun of it, since that vibe rubs off in a good way.