Hey Reader,

You know that feeling when an exam is coming up… but you still have weeks to prepare?

You tell yourself, “I’ll start early this time.” But somehow, you don’t.

Instead, you do a little bit here and there—review a few notes, highlight a textbook—but nothing that really matters. Suddenly, there’s only one week left.

Then? You go all in. Full focus, no distractions. And somehow, you actually get it done.

That’s exactly what happened with my music this quarter.

The Track-Finishing Struggle

At the start of this year, I set a goal: finish 6 tracks in Q1.

Now, with two weeks left, I’m at… 3. Whups.

The problem? It’s not that I wasn’t producing. I was.

However, I was working on tracks without clear, achievable deadlines. It’s easy to feel productive without actually making progress, just like studying without an exam date.

That’s why I believe deadlines don’t kill creativity. They force action.

And I like that pressure.

My Plan to Finish 3 Tracks in 2 Weeks

To pull this off, I need a clear system. Here’s what I’m doing:

✅ Strict 1.5h Sessions Per Day → No aimless tweaking. Each session has ONE goal. For example: Full Arrangement, Mixing, or Mastering.

✅ No Endless Fixing → If a track is 90% done, it’s done. Perfection kills momentum.

✅ No Wasted Time → No searching for new samples. No side projects. Everything that’s not music production? Pushed to April.

I know some producers would say this limits creativity.

I disagree.

It forces you to get creative with the things you have.

And the more I finish, the more creative I feel.

How I Keep Track of Everything

I have 2 weeks left to finish 3 tracks. And if I’ve learned one thing, it’s this:

Without a clear system, I get lost in details. When I have structure, I actually finish.

If you want to keep track of your projects, deadlines, and submissions—this might help:

​Check out my Notion system here.​

At the end of the day, deadlines aren’t the problem. Not having a system is.

Have a great week!

Stay Productive,
- LEMAN

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