Finding time to get to the woodshed

I'm beginning to realize that it's consistency, not raw volume, that matters when it comes to honing your proficiency with an instrument. Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries notwithstanding, it's still far better to practice for 20 minutes five times in one week, rather than practice for 2 hours straight once a week. I've tried both, and it's easier to keep your momentum if you do something often.

I imagine it's much the same as working out at the gym. Overdoing it once in a blue moon doesn't condition anything; It just burns you out and hurts your motivation. In particular, if you use 18-gauge and 22-gauge strings respectively on the two unwound high strings of your axe, this will end up shredding your fretting fingers unless you've been building those calluses up for quite some time or you play using so-called "pure slide" technique, which doesn't employ any fretting whatsoever. ..

Just like the tortoise, slow and steady wins this thing.