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Last week on the podcast I shared 8 things that had impacted my teaching the most of this past school year. In today’s episode we’re going to lean into the other side and look at what has impacted me in other ways whether it be business, life, habits, or otherwise.
Because that’s what we do around here – we talk about all things living the life of a studio music teacher and finding practical and sustainable rhythms for your teacher life.
Like last week, to help me compile this list, I literally walked around my studio and looked at my space and the items that were surrounding me, I did a quick scroll through my Instagram feed and Google Photos to see if anything stood out, and briefly scoured blog posts and Friday Finds I shared with you over this past year and I just did a little self reflection.
If you’re new around here, I’m Amy Chaplin and this is The Piano Pantry Podcast. A big thanks as always to my teaching friends on Patreon who support the work of this podcast and to all of you for being here today. Visit pianopantry.com/patreon to join today. Let’s get on with the list.
The first thing that impacted me in general this past lesson year was being more intentional with my project planning. I put together a project management database in Notion and in it dumped all the projects and ideas that had piled up whether it be blog posts, resources, recipes, new presentation sessions to develop – whatever it may be.
I can’t believe how eye opening this was to pull everything that I work on together in one place and see the big picture instead of little pockets of planning every.
I’m sure a lot of you are like me that you have lots of irons in the fire at any give time. Managing and planning ALL my work together in one place really helped me center myself and give myself better perspective. Most importantly, it gave me permission to give myself more grace when I felt I should be cranking out more.
Part of this practice has also been putting out a monthly to-do list on social media. I actually started doing these monthly to-do lists in November 2024 way BEFORE I compiled this big working project database. They are, however, easier to put together now that I have my work database to go from. I don’t always share the entirety of my monthly to-dos in that social media list, but like to highlight some of the biggest ones and especially include a balance of studio, personal, and professional goals.
The second thing that has impacted me over the past year was putting more thought, intention, and effort into getting more tech gear. Specifically, a wireless microphone – I have and love the Rode wireless micro, I got more stands for my devices – like a 72” tall iPhone stand that has a magnet attachment for my mag-safe iPhone, a couple of more light boxes for doing videos and recipe posts, and perhaps my favorite, an electronics travel case – which I may have gotten more than a year ago.
Keeping a permanent electronics travel case though you guys… totally gold for me. Any time I travel for speaking engagements or conferences or when we go out with our camper, I just grab that hardback travel case and everything is already there. It’s stocked with a laptop charter, iPhone chargers, AA and AAA batteries, a charger for my Apple watch, an old set of Apple headphones with a built in microphone if I ever need it, a Logitech presenter clicker and more.
You can find some of my tech recommendations and more on my favorites page at PianoPantry.com/favorites. The link to this and other things mentioned will be in the show notes at pianopantry.com/podcast/episode184.
The third thing that has impacted me over the past year was exhibiting for the first time at a conference and – you guys, I have to tell you… I was in my element. I was like… this is Amy’s personality 100%, casually talking to people and getting to chat with so many of you. I had so much fun hearing from teachers in short 20-30 second interviews where people shared either:
This was just such a special moment for me this year. I just really enjoyed being at the conference and doing my own exhibit table.
I put these together in a whole bunch of reels on social media and also compiled them into an actual podcast episode – #180. Check them out on my Instagram feed or on Facebook. So incredibly fun and touching to do that this year and I’m planning to exhibit again at MTNA 2026 in St. Louis so plan on coming to say hello!
Alright, so before we jump into item number four, I just wanted to mention that registration is now going on for the 2026 Organize Your Digital Life Retreat being held in my home in Indiana this summer on August 12 – 15. In just three days you will walk away finally having tackled that which is so easily put off – that is, your digital file management, your email inbox, your media, and more.
It’s so hard to set aside time to do the work that it takes to really set yourself up right in your digital work world. Things just move so fast these days. This is a chance for a refresh and reset for both you AND your digital workspace. Early bird registration ends June 15. Visit PIanoPantry.com/retreat for more details and to submit your interest. And bring a friend – it’s even more fun with a friend although you’re going to make new friends as well.
The fourth thing that has impacted me over the past year was decking out my workspace with a standing desk and walking pad. Now that I spend a lot more time standing and moving a little while I work, my body notices how hard sitting at that desk for long periods of time can be on the body. I feel so much better when I spend a good 90 minutes every day on that track pad – even when walking at a snail pace of 1.5mph. It makes such a difference
I’ll tell you what, once my husband and I hit our mid 40’s, you start noticing physical things changing. I’ve never been perfect but I have always tried to incorporate some kind of movement into my life. It always changes 3-4 times per year I would say. For example, I may do Pilates every day for 3 months then get bored and switch it up to weigh lifting twice a week with walks in between or something like that.
The walking pad and standing desk were just so nice to have especially on days when I couldn’t do the movement I wanted. Using them just really told my body that it was being cared for. I know that sounds silly but that’s how I feel about it. The link can be found again on my favorites page under the “office tab.” I also how have an Amazon storefront where you can find all my favorites from teaching to office supplies, lifestyle, food, and more. Link in the show notes.
Since we’re talking Amazon here at the moment, the fifth thing that impacted me this past teaching year was the website CamelCamelCamel. It’s a tracking site that will track prices on anything on Amazon for you and alert you when the price drops. It’s so cool and really helpful in not being a knee-jerk reaction buy now shopper that today’s purchasing world encourages. Check it out. It’s really easy to use and you can track anything you have your eye on. It’s called CamelCamelCamel.com
The sixth thing that impacted me was having a designated reading spot in my house. I shared my cozy reading corner with readers in a blog post this past February called “My Cozy Reading Corner (and Favorite Reads).” For years I really struggled with not having a place that I felt comfortable curling up with a good book in. I was just kind of all over the place in our house – one reason why I bought a portable reading light which I still love by the way. Anyway, having a cozy spot in our house that is basically all mine has really given me this joyful and deep satisfaction. If you enjoy reading but struggle to take the time to do so, I highly recommend setting yourself up a designated space.
The seventh thing that impacted me this past teaching year – especially through the winter – was being more intentional with downtime in the evenings. I decided I need something in my face to get me to slow down and chill and not jump on my computer randomly, so I kept an active puzzle at the end of our kitchen table for at least 3 months through the dark winter days. I really enjoyed the welcome invitation the unfinish puzzle gave to me every evening after dinner as I walked by. After I complete it, I always let it sit for a couple of days just to enjoy. I think that’s a little practice I’m going to keep in my life in those winter months each year.
The eighth and final thing that impacted me this past year was having a water bottle I actually enjoyed drinking from. LOL I know that sound silly but man, it makes a difference in how much water I drink. The Owala Freesip 24oz bottle is the perfect size for me. My husband prefers the larger 32oz. Now that we finally have one it’s like when you are looking for a new car – now it seems like they’re everywhere – everyone seems to have an Owala. They good stuff though and totally worth the $30. The unique design allows you to either sip like from a straw or guzzle. I basically only really use the sip to drink.
Believe it or not, I really didn’t plan on having exactly 8 items on last weeks list and this week’s list. I literally just happened that way. Kinda funny.
Anyway….
These past two weeks episodes ended up back to back because I was so busy at the start of May. I got to cater a special dinner for my nephew’s prom group the first weekend of May. There were 12 of them and I did an international tour theme and it was just magical. So perfect. I loved it. He loved it. They loved it. It’s something we will all remember forever.
Episode 183 was supposed to drop that following Tuesday but on Monday I was completely wiped from the weekend and couldn’t bring myself to record on Monday so I pushed it back a week.
I also catered his graduation party last weekend which might seem like a nightmare to many but it was a fun challenge to me. I made 3 kinds of hot sliders – pizza, ham and cheese and pulled pork then we just had coleslaw, raw veggies, chips, watermelon, grapes, and my mom made her famous cookies which I’m going to post on the blog in June. It was all my nephews choice menu.
So it’s been a crazy busy May but so much fun. So that’s my life in a nutshell for the month of May.
Next week my summer schedule starts and I’ll look forward to being back in your ear in June! Thanks for sticking around and if you enjoyed this episode be sure and leave me a rating and review!
