"must do" when practicing

[1 Wah Freak]

Howdy all,
I wanted to get some ideas from eveyone regarding their "must do's" (and why) while practicing. Example: must have complete silence so I don't lose concentration, must use metronome to gain speed, must use no distortion to play cleanly, or whatever.
I don't have any to speak of (which may be some of my problem).

[Los Boleros]

Hand and Wrist stretching excersises are important before a hardcore work-out. This will help you with your speed and reduce the chances of Tendonitis. Believe me, you don't want that to happen.
Stretch each wrist for five seconds in each direction.
Stretch each finger independently of the rest for five seconds in each direction.
Spread your fingers apart and hold for five seconds.
(note all of these require using your other hand to assist the stretch)
Don't stretch so much that you hurt something;)

[Unhorizon]

Must play in a room without a tv, computer, or phone. They WILL distract you eventually.

[rmuscat]

1. sometimes it's better taken 15m out of your time available till you relax and calm down and put your mind into practice mode. Rather than start exactly after a hectice day.

E.g. last time i had a really bad day, till up to 5m before i started practicing. Since the stuff i was doing required a lot of concentration i ruined a practice session because at the back of my mind i was still thinking about the events.

2. Take sometime to prepare your session, practice material etc. Either the week before, or 5m before the session.

hope that helps

[curiousgeorge]

don't practice, just play and let the music come to you! I'm lazy......:P

[Caffeinated Cat]

Must clear the mind of all the distractions of the day and concentrate on playing. This stuff is important (and fun!) - I can't get better at it if I'm thinking about what a jerk so-and-so is or something :D

[phantom]

must do listen to yourself

[/yoda mode off]

or record yourself and listen to it later asking "is that how i want to sound like?" if not, there will be adjustments to make.

[UltimaRage]

Must learn something new everyday, even if it is small, like finding E anywhere on the fretboard, or perhaps a scale shape. Just something new.

[julianj]

Must decide what I'm going to do and why I'm going to do it before I start otherwise I'll just piss all the time away messing about (which is OK too, but not always too productive).

[Matze]

1. Like phantom already stated: listen to what you're really playing - as opposed to what you think your're playing. Record yourself.

2. Sometimes i think it helps to play with a real bad sound, cheap amplifier etc. and try to play so that it sounds good in spite of that. Those desktop modelling /mutlieffects tempt you to use too much gain and delay. Things that sounded very nice at home suddenly don't workl anymore when you show up at rehearsal
where you use a bigger amp

3. If you plan on gigging regularly with a band also practice while standing with a comforable position for your guitar strap, since many playing techniques feel very different when sitting or standing.

[furiousnewf]

All awesome advice