3 Habits That Changed My Year (and Can Change Your Music Career)

As much as I love being practical, no practical tip will help if you don't have the right systems first.

Here are three habit changes that transformed my year, and that can transform yours too.

1. Get everything out of your head

I use Notion to organize my life: goals, business, travel, expenses, journal, everything.

You juggle 101 things every day (it would be easier if we were cats, wouldn't it?). The worst thing you can do is try to keep it all in your head.

There's a great metaphor in Harry Potter. Dumbledore uses his Pensieve to store the memories that cloud his mind, pulling them out as silvery wisps.

If your brain sometimes feels full of fog, clear it by writing down your thoughts and plans. It makes a huge difference and leaves more room for creativity.

2. Share more

Once you're clear on your goals, this changes everything.

Share with your close circle.

Tell friends and family about your music goals. Be proud of what you do. Scream your dreams if you need to, and stop keeping everything to yourself.

Connect with other musicians.

You'll feel less alone and learn more than you think. And teaching others what you know brings so much fulfillment (trust me!).

Find a mentor or coach.

You could waste years on trial and error, or have someone experienced spot your blind spots right away. An outside perspective saves you from mistakes you didn't need to make. If you want that from me, you can book a coaching call.

3. Focus on the 20% that matters

The 80/20 rule says 20% of your actions create 80% of your results.

Keep searching for what moves the needle. Maybe you need to release less music but make it better. Maybe social media exhausts you, but ads bring you fans.

Find your own path, and ignore people who say theirs is the only right way.

How? Write down what you do and what results you get. Share it with others. Patterns will show up, and that's your 20%.

Two small but powerful extras

Stop consuming and start doing.

Instagram tips, YouTube tutorials and TikToks create an illusion of progress. You don't need more information. You need personalized help and action. Save the content for your free time.

Stop being so hard on yourself.

Look at the stars tonight. Notice the ants on the sidewalk. Your chase for a meaningful life is beautiful, but it shouldn't drain you. Be gentler with yourself, because no one else will love you the way you can love yourself.

My year in a few lines

These habits gave me my best year yet. In 2025:

• I went to 4 new countries: Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
• I got my Bulgarian residency.
• I listened to over 15,000 submitted songs in that one year and kept growing my playlists, which have since passed 100,000 followers.
• I doubled my Instagram following.
• I made amazing connections with musicians and people in the industry. Most importantly, David Guetta now follows me on Instagram!

Every year for the past 3 years, I've thought "this is the best year of my life." I always feel like it can't get better, and it always does.

I'm lucky for what I have, and that includes you reading this. Great things are coming.

A content idea to try: things I learned this year

Your year probably had highs, lows and a lot of weird moments in between. Here's how to share them so you get seen.

I saw a carousel that opened with "Things I learned as a 30-year-old small artist this year," followed by short, honest lessons over personal photos. Being specific about age and status ("30-year-old small artist" instead of just "musician") creates an instant connection.

How to make one:

• Start with a specific hook, like "Things I learned as a [age]-year-old artist this year", "What being a musician in [small town] taught me this year", "This year's truths from an artist with [x] monthly listeners" or "This year's expectations vs reality as a musician."
• Choose 5 to 10 photos from your year.
• Add one short lesson per slide.
• Add your song as background audio when you post. Don't skip this part.

Why it works so well:

• Specific details create connection. People think "that's me" and share it with friends in the same boat.
• Carousels with music get pushed to the Reels and TikTok feeds, and they're easier to make than videos.
• Sharing lessons feels helpful instead of needy. You give value while being human.
• Each slide is a chance for someone to comment "this one" or share their own story, and more comments and shares mean more reach.
• Year-end content performs, because people are reflective in December and want to compare their journey with yours.

You can find 308 ideas like this one, each with an example, in the Content Vault.