Course curriculum

  • 1

    [Welcome] The How to Focus Course

    • Preface

    • Intro

    • The Mountain of Distractions

    • It's Not Your Fault

    • The Focus Formula

    • Think Clearly

    • Direct Your Attention

    • What Could Happen

    • How to Focus "Concentrate" Playbook
  • 2

    [Welcome] Advanced Focus

    • Why am I including these optional "missions"?

    • The Doom Diet (use this to create more mental space & reduce generalised anxiety)

    • Focus Havens (use this to clear your physical & digital areas)

    • Multiply Your Time (reduce time dividers & increase time multipliers)

    • 2 Apps To Destroy Online Distractions
  • 3

    [Welcome] Setup Mastery

    • Setup Mastery Action (FOR YOU if you're anywhere near a gear addict!)

    • Gary Tracey "Setup Mastery" Case Study
  • 4

    [Welcome] Build Bulletproof Creative Habits

    • Why Habits First?

    • What Is A Habit?

    • The Anatomy Of A Habit

    • How to Change or Create a Habit

    • M.V.C. MOTIVATION!
  • 5

    [Week 0] A.M.M. Motivation

    • Claude VonStroke on Using the AMM to Make His Next Album...
  • 6

    [Week 0] The Making of "The Begin" Docu-series

    • "The Challenge"

    • "Creation vs Consumption"

    • "Systems Set You Free"

    • "A Detective Game"

    • "The Trial of The Century"
  • 7

    [Week 0] Creating SPACE in Your Music

    • How to Listen Masterclass 6 "Colour & Contrast: Mixing to Perfection"

    • Why Space Now? (from Simple Secrets of Masterful Music: Module 2)

    • Principles of Space (from Simple Secrets of Masterful Music: module 2)
  • 8

    [Week 1] Mike's Demonstration Music Machine

    • What's This?

    • Chimp Splurge (Recording the Audio)

    • The Chimp Hook Splurge

    • The MVS Splurge
  • 9

    [Week 1] How to Make Hooks Using Answering Phrases (Question & Answer)

    • About the next 2 extra videos...

    • What Is Music?

    • Why Is a Great Musical Hook?

    • Masterclass 1 - What Makes Great Music Great?

    • Masterclass 2 - How Simple Ideas Make Great Music
  • 10

    [Week 1] Direct Listening Missions

    • Why am I including these "missions"?

    • Direct Listening 1

    • How to Focus Course Direct Listening Demo (again)

    • Direct Listening 2

    • Direct Listening Review

    • Wide & Direct Listening 1

    • How to Focus Course Direct Listening Demo

    • Wide & Direct Listening 2
  • 11

    [ Week 2 ] Make Great Decisions Fast (from Start Now Finish Fast)

    • 01 Intro

    • 02 An Outcome Focus

    • 03 Analysis or Insight

    • 04 How to Make Great Decisions using Analysis

    • 05 How to Create Ideal Conditions for Insight

    • 06 Wrap Up

    • Make Great Decisions Fast Playbook

    • The Well Formed Outcome (exercise 1 in the playbook)

    • The GROW session (exercise 2 in the playbook)

    • “An Outcome Focus” case study (appendix 2 in the playbook)
  • 12

    [Week 2] The "Thing" (from Make Music Your Life Monthly)

    • 3 Examples of a "Thing" (the idea which means "you know what it wants to be")
  • 13

    [Week 2] The Power of Metaphor (from Make Unique Music)

    • 01 Intro

    • 02 What is Metaphor in Music

    • 03 What do You do with Metaphor

    • 04 How a Metaphor Works

    • 05 Week 8 Games

    • 06 Outro

    • Playbook

    • Images
  • 14

    [Week 2] Song Exploder - Relevant Episodes

    • Wilco: DISCOVERY (not design)

    • Nine Inch Nails: The Dreamer & The Editor
  • 15

    [Week 3] Overwhelmed? Try This...

    • The Coathook
  • 16

    [Week 3] Mike's Demonstration Music Machine

    • DRAFTING FOCUS Demo: "ERDog"

    • DRAFTING LIST Demo: "ERDog"

    • DRAFTING SESSION Demo: "ERDog"

    • DRAFTING FOCUS Demo: "Be Onde"

    • DRAFTING LIST Demo: "Be Onde"

    • DRAFTING SESSION Demo: "Be Onde"
  • 17

    [Week 3] Struggle With Arrangement? (Part 1)

    • Step 1: Archetype Analysis

    • Step 2: Simple Secrets of Masterful Music - "Contrast" module

    • Contrast Is a BIG Deal

    • A "Broad Brushstroke Overview" of the "Nitty Gritty Details"

    • How I Created Contrast

    • The Opposite Game (SSMM Version)
  • 18

    [Week 3] Struggle With Arrangement? (Part 2)

    • Why Tell A Story?

    • The Arc (from "Make an Album With Mike - In Search Of Flow")

    • How to Develop Your Musical Story

    • POP Quiz!

    • The Hero's Journey Game ("next week" game from this module)

    • What is a Metaphor in Music? (from "Make Unique Music" program)

    • The Instant Loopitis Cure
  • 19

    [Week 3] How to Listen Like An Oxford Trained Musician Masterclasses

    • Masterclass 1 - What Makes Great Music Great

    • Masterclass 2 - How Simple Ideas Make Great Music?

    • Masterclass 3 - It's All In The Groove Baby

    • Masterclass 4 - Harmony, Melody, Bass! Make Em Sing!

    • Masterclass 5 - Repetitive Music? Exciting Arrangement.

    • Masterclass 6 - Colour & Contrast: Mixing To Perfection
  • 20

    [Week 4] Mike's Demo Music Machine: Deploying the HIT!!!

    • Identifying My Musical History Elements

    • Deploying the History HIT

    • Creating the HIT Splurge Template

    • The History HIT Splurge

    • Deploying the History HIT in Discovery

    • The History HIT Discovery Splurge (Part 1)

    • The History HIT Discovery Splurge (Part 2)
  • 21

    [Week 4] Genre & Categories

    • I Am Plankton Analysis

    • What Is "Genre"?

    • Dr Jeremy Mayall Interview (Style vs Genre)

    • Categories Introduction

    • Why "Categories"?

    • Category Levels

    • Category Cues

    • The Sliding Scale
  • 22

    [Weeks 5 & 6] What ARE you doing?

    • Alternative Perspectives?

    • Do You Make Decisions? (from Make Unique Music)

    • The Fear / Option Equation (from Mission: Make Music Your Life)

    • Perfection vs Mastery (from Make an Album With Mike)
  • 23

    [Weeks 5 & 6] Your Perception of TIME...How It Holds You Back!

    • The End of "Make an Album With Mike - In Search of Flow"

    • Listen As A Listener

    • Is It "Time Dilation"?

    • Week 11 Games

    • What Is Your Past?

    • Week 12 Games

    • "Past" Recap

    • Future SHOCK!

    • Week 13 Games

    • How About NOW?

    • Week 14 Games
  • 24

    [Week 7] Come and Join Me in My Studio

    • Let's Hang Out...
  • 25

    [Week 7] The Pitfalls of Feedback

    • Where Feedback? (Part 1)

    • Where Feedback (Part 2)
  • 26

    [Week 7] What You...Want? Got? Need?

    • Want? Got? Need?

    • Playbook With All The Steps (Follow Along With The Videos & Do The Steps In Your Journal)

    • Editable RTF Document With The Steps (In Case You Prefer Electronic Brainstorming!)

    • Step 1 - The P.A.D. Again?!

    • The Perfect Average Day Instructions (taken from One Mission Program)

    • Step 2 - What Do / Don't You Want?

    • Step 3 - Take Inventory

    • Step 4 - Find Your Freedom Number

    • Step 5 - Ahhhh...RELAX!
  • 27

    [Week 8] Why I Believe Live Streaming is HUGE for Musicians

    • What Is Music?

    • The Music Industry Is Dead - Long Live The Music Industry

    • The 3 Problems

    • The Attention Solution

    • The Engagement & Patronage Solutions
  • 28

    [Week 8] Final Bits & Pieces

    • Embarrassing Video (I first shared this in my "Grow Your Tribe" program)

    • A Few Examples of Masterminders Who Are Already Doing It!

    • Reading List