Monday 15 March 2010

James never waits!...

I really can't wait to go see Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical "Love Never Dies" (a sequel to his international sensation "The Phantom of the Opera")

I usually prefer to be surprised when it come to birthdays, but I just had to ask my wife Francesca to get me tickets so we could make sure there were any to get!
I'm sure it'll be a great show from what I've seen and one particular song (the Phantom's main ballad for this show) really got me. "Til I Hear You Sing" is a song which tells us of the Phantom's longing to see Christine again and to hear her sing (of course!)

It's a beautiful song and I just couldn't resist recording it. Play the video below or visit my YouTube Channel. Hope you enjoy!


Monday 8 March 2010

How can I keep from Smiling!

Last month had a little surprise for me!... On 28th February, mine and Sally DeFord's arrangement of "How Can I Keep From Singing?" (the title track of my latest CD), was performed by a 300-voice choir at the tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah!
It really is a beautiful hymn, which I hadn't heard until Sally introduced me to it. I was so pleased that our arrangement was chosen for the event, I only wish aeroplane tickets weren't so bloomin' expensive, otherwise I'd have loved to have seen them perform it... Here's hoping they recorded it and send us a copy! 

Keep checking back at www.jamesloynes.com  &  www.defordmusic.com for more new songs and arrangements.


Tuesday 2 March 2010

Time Management

Well it's been a couple of months since my last blog entry and a busy couple months at that. Between performing, recording, the choir, church responsibilities and DIY jobs around the home (amongst other things), I've certainly had my plate full! It's funny how when I have so much to do, I find it hard to get started on anything! In fact I enjoy my singing so much that I could wander around the house aimlessly all day and sing 'til I'm hoarse and get nothing done!
A word to the wise... "To Do" lists are all well and good, but when absolutely everything in your life that needs doing ends up on the same list, you can guarantee it's gonna be a horribly long one that you won't want to even start. Make separate lists for each area of your life, so you don't just focus on one thing and get nothing else done in any other area. Works a treat for me, I'm getting so much more done in a day! Can't you just tell I'm a bit excited about my lists?!

In fact, if you're anything like me and struggle to manage your time sometimes, you might find an article I read in the Natwest bank free magazine quite helpful. It's fairly long, but well worth a read I think!:

GET MORE DONE

Always put off important tasks until the last minute? Perhaps you never get to the end of your "to-do" list? "There's one problem with to-do lists," says life coach and time-management guru Mark Forster, "they don't work." His theory is that you end up with a long list of things to do and pick the easy things, while the difficult tasks remain unfinished, which simply breeds a sense of failure. His time-rotation method means you put concentrated effort into everything, so you get lots more done.

Time rotation
This is also a way to break down your inner resistance to a task you can't get started on, whether it's your tax return or sitting down to write that novel.
You learn by practice, so grab a pen and write down a three-item will-do list for today. It works better with a timer - a kitchen timer is ideal but your watch will do.
Choose the thing you dread the most and call it Task A, the others are B and C. Next to each, write 5, 10, 15, 20. These refer to the minutes you'll spend on each task, working in strict rotation. Start with five minutes on Task A. You don't want to do it, but you can do anything for five minutes. Set your timer and get suck in. When the time is up, stop! Cross out figure 5 next to Task A and move on to Task B, then Task C. Keep moving in rotation, working on each task for 10, 15, 20 minutes. If you finish one task you can add another or just concentrate on the unfinished tasks.

Staying focused
You may find you're happy to return to a task you previously dreaded. Why? Once you've got started, you'll want to get back to it. It's the same as when you get more done in the two days before a holiday than you would usually achieve in two weeks. Building deadlines into your day means you stay really focussed - you don't have very long, so you become more productive.

Once you've got started, 
you'll want to get back to it

This method can be adapted to help you complete tasks you usually avoid because you don't have time. You could work in 30-minute blocks and make one of them exercising. Or, if your finances need reviewing, one five-minute task could be calling your local [bank] branch to make an appointment for Personal Review.
The rotation means you don't question whether you have time - you just get on with it because it's next on your list.

This has really helped me. Hope you can benefit from it! Though one bit of extra advice I'd give is to not just put, for example Task A - DIY... Task B - Gardening etc... but to have a little think about what specific things need doing in those areas before you start, otherwise you'll waste time sat there trying to come up with specifics 

:)