Bad music production habits creep up on us. They begin rather innocently. You start with a small offense, like nudging up the volume during a production session. Next thing you know, you’re keeping open drinks on your studio desk, your mixer is always running in the red, and you haven’t finished a track since 2012.

In this article, we review seven of the worst behaviors you can have as a music producer, and simple strategies to counter them.

1. Bad posture

We’ll start with a softball. Modern music production requires that you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk in front of your computer. There’s a good chance you’ve left long studio sessions feeling crumpled: your back and neck sore and your shoulders rounded. Desk bod is a real thing and can lead to serious physical and mental issues down the line.

Solution: Keep your posture in check by taking timed breaks to stretch and straighten up. This will give your eyes and ears a needed break too. Prop your screen up so it is at eye level. You’ll avoid neck strain and unnecessary bending of your back. If you have moolah to blow—invest in a comfortable studio chair with proper support.

2. Comparing yourself to others

It’s understandable to want to be like your musical heroes. They’re all kinds of awesome and came up with great ideas before everyone else. But when being a fanboy crosses over to comparison, you can start to seriously chip away at your confidence. There is always someone who will have more experience, training, and access to expensive equipment. There’s no use in holding yourself up to an unfair standard.

Solution: We all have different advantages. Maybe you come up with complex rhythms in your sleep or write memorable melodies on the way to work. If you only compare yourself to other people, you won’t find yours. Follow your creative instincts. What can you work on that separates yourself from others? Build on that skill. It will be much easier and rewarding to track your improvement.

3. Unclear naming conventions

At some point, we’ve all had our desktops littered with files like cool_sound_9.wav. It's a big, ugly mess. But one that is easy to clean up. To start, group samples into folders based on tempo, timbre and instrument, or something that will still make sense to you in a year from now. Organize your tracks in folders by month, so you can easily find them again.

Solution: Apply this same logic to your DAW channels. After you settle from the initial rush that comes with starting a new project, label and color code your instruments so you know where to reach during the arrangement and mixing stage.