What are routines & how do they make you money?

It’s like working out. You have to find a way to build a routine & stay consistent doing the things you want to do to keep you motivated to do the things you don’t. Once you establish your needs and goals for your business, you’ll be able to reverse engineer what’s needed and figure out how to accomplish it all.

So what is a routine anyways?

rou· tine | \ rü-ˈtēn \ – Noun 

1a: a regular course of procedure 

if resort to legal action becomes a campus routine 

— J. A. Perkins 

b: habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure 

the routine of factory work 

2: a reiterated speech or formula 

the old “After you” routine 

— Ray Russell 

3: a worked-out part (as of an entertainment or sports contest) that may be often repeated 

a dance routine 

especially : a theatrical number 

4: a sequence of computer instructions for performing a particular task 

rou· tine | \ rü-ˈtēn , ˈrü-ˌtēn \ – adjective 

1: of a commonplace or repetitious character : ORDINARY 

routine problems 

2: of, relating to, or being in accordance with established procedure 

routine business 

Beyond identifying how your routine could look to be successful – it’s important to understand what’s possible. Most people create a list or routine and right away get discouraged – of which limits their actual progress. For me, it’s easier to accomplish that extra task, go that extra mile, do that slight amount of extra research if I’ve already worked out for the day. Or if I’ve already eaten a healthy couple meals, or remembered my vitamins, or made my bed, etc. since that’s important to me, or done some of the things that are priorities to me as a person, before starting to tackle the family needs, or business needs, or extracurricular activities. You’ll find that once you start feeling accomplished with yourself, you’ll start to have more energy to tackle the business stuff even if it’s after the rest of your day’s activities with self-preservation and family. Start with you and once you’re optimized, you’ll find a lot of extra potential you never knew you had.

Want a great statistic? 90% of people never start.

Want another one? According to Forbes, 90% of American Billionaires are self-made. They reported 491 people made it to that stage in 2021 alone.

People have a hard time starting all kinds of things, but we’ll apply it to business. For us, that’s an opportunity to decide to start on our dreams of making our hobbies or ideas for side income a reality. This means there is less competition, and the time is now. Not tomorrow, now. Tomorrow, there will be more people (the other 10%) starting their ideas. Maybe they will have one similar to yours. Let’s not wait to find out. Get the self-preservation out of the way (you, your spouse, your kids & friends & family will thank you) and get to work deciding what skills you already possess that might be able to bring you an income in some way.

So you’re probably asking yourself, “How the hell do I do all of this?” Well, there’s a ton of approaches – but I’ll elaborate on the teachings and theories I’ve used & what has & has not worked for me & ultimately, Tone Vault.

Since I believe it’s incredibly important since you need to truly be at the top of your game as a human to bring the financial freedom you most likely desire – we’ll start here. If this wasn’t important, everyone and their brother would have all the energy and focus and determination to create these side income streams that make them money as they slept.

According to QuickBooks, an incredible accounting software I like to use for Tone Vault – 15 million Americans are self-employed full time.

Unfortunately however, 10% of the world lives on less than $2 a day. Just over 10% of the US is at or below the poverty level. Typically, the middle class sees 2-5% raises per year, with inflation around 7%. It’s becoming more and more un-sustainable. We must take it upon ourselves to achieve more learned skills so we can leverage our already established abilities. Well, I don’t know about you – but if I can learn skills to make more money, they better be interesting and leverage skills that are fun. I’d hate to have two “jobs” or in other words “more work.” It’s easiest to create routines and stick to them, to stay consistent to achieve the desired side income/benefit if it’s fun to do, and interesting enough to keep you going. So, self-preservation first. For me, eating healthy, working out and having my body optimized is where I start. If I achieve these things I’ll be a better father, spouse, employee to my main day job, and then also be more capable to play the instruments I play better with my peers that are relying on me, understand and achieve better results with my business which keeps my clients happier, and keeps the money flowing in as a side income, hopefully replacing my main income sooner rather than later.

For me, juggling sleep, fatherhood of two little boys, keeping up a house & marriage, working a supervisory role of multiple people, having too many hobbies within the music space & for some reason as of recent the incredibly difficult endeavor of learning how to keep up with friends of mine in better shape than me mountain biking….social content, multiple facets of a business including ecommerce products on Amazon, Walmart, eBay as well as on my website(s), service from my companies’ original effort being a recording studio, building that studio, finishing the house around the studio, and now educational services teaching everything from the ground up to make money from all things musically inclined – is a lot. So, since I can’t create more days in the week or hours in the day – simplification is the key! I’ll provide some examples:

• I used to make daily vitamin packs (fish oil, multivitamin, allergy, brain aid/cognitive function, etc.) and I learned that the Brain Aid “Alpha Brain” by Onnit makes vita packs split between AM/PM. Well, for me this is perfect as I had just learned certain supplements are better taken during certain times in the day more increased optimization. So, this achieves that for me without me having to do anything extra and, gathers all the other stuff for me without me having to source it all. Best part, the fish (Krill) oil pill in this packet doesn’t make me burp up fish taste and I can take these without food if I must. Which leads me to my next point….
• I just simply don’t have time during the week. What does breakfast do for most people? Curb the hunger so we can focus. Many argue it’s to give the brain the food it needs to start the day & it’s tasks. Coffee is always part of this discussion and is off the table for ruling out.

No way, no how.

So, how can I have at least my coffee in the AM and make it keep me till I have time for a meal? (Hopefully lunch) For me, to get the nutrients and to feel satiated, I just add MTC oil to my coffee.

Learning & Homework:

Who’s got time for reading books, taking classes, or doing homework?!? I don’t. I replaced books with audio books. Whenever I drive or workout or go ride the mountain bike, mow the lawn, fold laundry or when I’m putting my son to bed since he still requires my presence to fall asleep… .. …..I’m generally listening to an audio book, course or YouTube for how to tackle my next task. If you spend some time writing a to-do list of what you need to do next, and what you need to learn to accomplish it you’ll know what your homework is and what you should be trying to learn. This can turn into a rabbit hole and I will definitely advise tools I use to stay organized…..

As you can see, there is a lot you can do to create perceivably impossible routines and the time it takes to accomplish them. I’ve spent years now determining the shortcuts and tricks I use. I’ve tried most things and cut out a lot of fluff, redundant items and over promising products, tasks, and processes. I’ve paid others to do the work for me, but not necessarily at the right time to make the money spent the most effective. I’ve found things that I’m naturally good at that I enjoy doing less than some things I’m not that I enjoy spending the time on more. I’ve paid others to do things I’m good at, and worried its wasted money since I can do it…. but it turned out it just made me more effective to manage that particular project and get the result I needed faster than I could have ever done myself.

Ultimately, we at Tone Vault now help eliminate the years I’ve spent finding my way, to take a service-based business doing label work through a pandemic to pivot toward on online audio product centered business model. We believe musicians & artists alike have the ability to earn more from their traditional skills bring. Most often people don’t realize the opportunities right in front of them. They’re too distracted by the ever more-stimulating world surrounding us. If they’re lucky enough to realize their opportunity, then taking action is limited by the understanding on how to do so. Finally, if one is able to get past the first two huddles, then the final is risk once it’s time to take the leap.