Keeping a journal for....useful hints and tips

I read a lot about people keeping logs/excel spreadsheets/ goals lists (in fact I think I had one of those at one time) but it seems to have gone by the wayside in recent months.   I do keep an online progress journal on another site, but even that has developed into an informal soundcloud documentation of where I am with various pieces.  So that's not really a 'system' either.  What I have been doing of late is writing down (in a little book, longhand, with an actual writing implement) things I discover during my practice sessions. Useful, because my short term memory doesn't seem to translate into long term memory at all well, and scanning it before I start reminds me what specifically I need to be working on as opposed to just practicing a particular piece or exercise...

What do I write?  Often there are themes.  Currently the theme is relaxation.   Everything from building in "relaxation reminders" when playing a piece (to avoid getting more and more tense),  to  practicing slurs and remembering to relax the 'other' finger.   There's a whole chapter on this in  the natural classical guitar  by Lee Ryan including some interesting exercises to learn to 'actively' relax.  Which reminds me: I need to write one or 2 down to remind me to practice them.

Another thing I'm finding useful is to play pieces or parts of pieces with the iphone recording - and then writing down areas to work on after listening -  it helps to focus if I write it down.   I just started practicing the De Visee Prelude again and this was what I heard on the first run through...
- need to relax on initial phrase - otherwise it's hard to move
- fingers on same fret need to be closer to avoid buzz
- Following section is too loud too soon...
- Check score -  G is an 8th and can be released, which will help avoid the stretch
- Shift to G chord more consistent if hand is parallel
- Try ponticello instead of loud to contrast voices
 -Chord sequence is too abrupt - give it more space and legato
- Start decrescendo later (on A)
- First trill should be quieter
- Slur section needs to be quieter and even tempo
- Last note is too loud and need to hear the top note...

Another use for the book - I'm woefully inconsistent in practicing technical exercises, so I'm using them to warm up with.  Today I wrote
- Boardwalk - practice placement of 4 which is always too flat.
- Use the Brouwer piece to warm up.
- Learn required artificial harmonic tunes

It might be time to get a bullet tracker (see pic)....

Self defeating practice. Yikes!

I was hoping I could post an improved soundclip this week but it is not to be.  I’ve had worse weeks, guitar wise. Just can’t remember when. Not helped by having not one but two messed up nails...So I’m going to remind myself of all the things I do on a regular basis that thwart progress🤔

- Working on something else instead of  things I want to improve. 

- Trying to fix a phrase instead of a measure, or a measure instead of a single shift

- Trying to fix a problem without identifying exactly what the problem is

- Trying to fix a problem without figuring out a workable solution...

- Trying to fix a problem with a method thats not working, instead of looking for alternatives 

- And the perennial ...

          Ignoring the music

-        Confusing working on a piece with running it

- And of course ignoring my guitar teacher’s advice!  

Aaaaagh! Patience! So what if I spent an entire week working on damping and made it sound worse? At least now I know the extremes: everything ringing over vs. overly aggressive damping. And if the work on phrasing didn’t quite work? At least I am more aware of what I’m aiming for. So although it’s disappointing to start over, I could compare it to being back at the start of a journey, but now I have a more detailed map to guide the second attempt....