If you’ve ever ended a lengthy rehearsal or practice session feeling like you worked hard but didn’t actually get anywhere, you are not alone. Musicians (perhaps more than many people) can often be guilty of mistaking effort for progress. That’s where the today’s concept of the LNO Framework comes in. It’s a simple yet powerful way to decide which tasks actually matter and which are just busywork disguised as “hustle.”
The LNO Framework stands for Leverage, Neutral, and Overhead—three categories that help you prioritize your efforts based on their actual impact. This framework comes from the world of productivity and business (as is the case with many that we discuss here), but it’s incredibly applicable to musicians trying to balance creative output, practice routines, recording projects, and general career building.
Let’s dig into how it works, as well as how you can use it to make the effort you put in on your music career more focused and effective.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the three components (or types of tasks) within the LNO Framework:
Leverage (High Impact)
These are the high-value, high-return activities. In music, this includes the things that directly contribute to your long-term goals and can generate outsized results for the amount of effort you put forth. Think of this as the “20% of work that generates 80% of your results” (oh, hello again, Pareto Principle).
• Performing live (if building an audience is your goal)
• Recording high-quality music and releasing it consistently
• Developing a signature sound or style
• Networking with industry professionals who can unlock new opportunities
Example: If your goal is to build a fanbase, focusing on writing and recording new music, booking quality gigs, and engaging directly with your audience would all fall into this Leverage category.
Neutral (Maintenance)
These are necessary but not directly impactful tasks. They keep things running but don’t necessarily lead to big breakthroughs. I like to think of these as the tasks that simply constitute “doing your job.”
• Rehearsing songs you already know inside and out
• Answering social media DMs
• Organizing finances and keeping track of whether or not you’ve gotten Venmo’d for that gig yet
• Running errands to replace broken drumsticks or guitar strings
Example: You probably need to keep your gear in working order, but fixing a broken snare head isn’t too likely to push your career forward. It’s really just part of the job.
Overhead (Low Impact)
Overhead is the busywork and all of the low-impact tasks that eat up time without driving much (if any) meaningful progress. These tasks are often distractions disguised as “productivity.”
• Spending an hour tweaking a synth sound instead of writing a song
• Devoting the week to designing the perfect website when you haven’t even booked your first show yet
• Mindlessly scrolling Instagram in the name of “engagement”
Example: If you’ve spent an hour A/B’ing mics on that guitar cabinet but still haven’t hit record, step back and check yourself. You may have accidentally slipped into Overhead mode.
I keep this index card tacked onto the cork board near my desk, as a reminder to regularly stop and consider how the work I’m doing falls into these categories.
Here’s the thing: most musicians default to Neutral and Overhead because those tasks are easier and less risky. It’s easier to rearrange your pedalboard than to call the venue you’ve been meaning to book. Practicing scales feels productive but it might not be the thing that tips the scales in the direction that your career needs right now.
This is where LNO becomes so useful. It helps you:
• Recognize where you’re wasting time.
• Redirect your focus toward more high-leverage tasks.
• Cut down on unnecessary work and decision fatigue.
We just recently talked about the guided meditation in which Jeff Warren asked: “Is there anything in your life where, on the one hand, you value and care about it so much . . . yet, on the other hand, you somehow have trouble committing to it, or being with it, or acting on it the way you want to? No judgement here. It’s just an exploration. Where is one place in your life that’s full of contradictions?”
As musicians, we often care so much about our craft that we get stuck in Neutral or Overhead because we’re scared to mess up the things that really matter. But remember, perfection isn’t the goal here. Progress is.
How to Apply the LNO Framework to Your Music Career
1. Track your time:
For one week, track how you spend your time related to music. Every task (practice, recording, marketing, rehearsal) write it down. At the end of the week, sort them into Leverage, Neutral, and Overhead.
Which tasks directly moved you closer to your goal? Which just filled time?
2. Cut back on Overhead:
This is the easiest win; the low-hanging fruit. Look at your newly made list of Overhead tasks and start eliminating or automating them.
Spending too much time editing videos? Try hiring a freelancer or creating/using a template. Tweaking settings endlessly? Set up a “good enough” default for yourself and stick with it.
Identify one task this week you can either automate or stop doing entirely.
3. Shift Neutral tasks toward Leverage:
You can’t completely eliminate all Neutral tasks (gah, I only wish!) but you can make at least some of them more effective.
If social media engagement is Neutral, shift it toward Leverage by doing strategic outreach or collaborations.
Something I personally do often with a given day’s tasks is to “batch” them. I write a list (often on my iPad) and then color code or add a small symbol next to each, identifying where it needs to be done. Everything that requires me to be at the desktop computer gets a Ⓒ by it. Things I have to do on my phone (calls, texts, social post, etc.) get a Ⓟ. I do similar for chores that have to be done out and about (errands requiring driving somewhere), as well as for any other tasks that I can find ways to group accordingly.
I can make far better use of my day by blasting through all tasks in one of these groups in one fell swoop. It can be a bummer to just arrive back home from shipping out some merch at the post office and suddenly see that a bullet point further down your to-do list reads: hit the music store for more strings.
Take one neutral task and ask yourself: How can I tweak this to increase its impact? Or how can I cut down the investment required of me to complete it?
4. Double down on your Leverage work:
Once you’ve cleared out some Overhead and streamlined your Neutral work, it’s time to focus on Leverage. And focus you should! This is the area that brings the biggest bang for your buck. Spend as much time here as you are able and are inspired to.
Write the songs. Book the gigs. Build the relationships.
Pick one Leverage task and schedule it into your calendar this week. Commit 100% to making it happen, no matter what.
All Work Is NOT Created Equal
Musicians are conditioned to believe that grinding away all day is the path to success. But the truth is, not all tasks are created equal. The LNO Framework helps you stop mistaking effort for progress and redirect your energy toward the things that actually matter.
Progress comes not from doing MORE, but from doing BETTER.
The next time you sit down to work on your music, ask yourself: “Is what I’m about to dive into Leverage, Neutral, or Overhead?” Then adjust accordingly.
Share about an Overhead task, a Neutral task, and a Leverage task of your own in a comment below!
Happy music making–
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