Practicing The Guitar - Are You Kidding Yourself?

Practicing the guitar is no different than doing anything else to improve other aspects of you life. For example, if you're an athlete do you improve your endurance by driving you car? No, you do it by running or some other form of exercise that builds muscle and cardio vascular endurance.
So it is with the guitar. Be sure that when you sit down to practice that you practice. Avoid the temptation to kid yourself by saying that you were practicing by just holding your guitar of by just playing some familiar tune or chord.
If you really want to improve your level of skill, play some new, challenging selections. Or, use your time to work on some exercises your instructor has given you, even if its working on basic guitar scales and chords. This will truly build your skill when it's time to learn a new tune.
When practicing, avoid distractions such as TV, phone, food and friends. Select a place and time to practice when you won't be disturbed. Ask your family or friends to respect this time and to not disturb you until you have finished.
Be sure that what you are working on is correct. If you have an instructor, ask him or her to critique your practice techniques. If you don't use an instructor, be sure to read any reference materials you have to be sure that what you are practicing is being done right. Practice may make perfect, but perfect practice definitely makes perfect.
Before each practice session, spend a few minutes to decide what you want and need to work on. If you have a plan and work your plan, you stand a much better chance of improving your skills quickly. Just sitting down and making some sounds because you're not sure what to do is just a waste of time.
Remember, you want to learn to play the guitar. So, work on the things that will get you to that point quickly. And, even if you are an accomplished guitar player, you can still improve. That improvement can only come by using good practicing techniques.