Find Time, Even If It's Only A Few Minutes

John Erskine, the well-known author, professor, and lecturer, once wrote that he learned the most valuable lesson of his life when he was fourteen.  His piano teacher asked him how much he practiced and how long at a stretch.  The boy replied that he practiced for an hour or more at a time.

"Don't do that," warned the teacher.  "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches.  Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them--five or ten minutes before school, after lunch, between chores.  Spread the practice throughout the day, and music will become part of your life."

Erskine stated that the observance of this advice enabled him to live a comparatively complete life as a creative writer, outside his regular duties as an instructor.  He wrote most of Helen of Troy, his most famous work, on streetcars while commuting between his home and the university.

- Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)