I have been keeping a practice journal the last couple of weeks, it really helps keep me focused on what I am doing and what I need to do next. Rather than write down what I'm "going to do" I write down what I actually did.   I can now look back and see what issues I was having with the pipes, or chanter and read the "mental notes" I used to make but would quickly forget because I didn't write it down!

I think it has made a big difference in respect to getting the most out of my very limited practice time.  I have been averaging about 45 to 60 minutes for each practice session.  Most of that time is on the chanter doing my fingering exercises from Jim McGillivray's excellent book "Rhythmic Fingerwork".  I have once again pulled out my Metronome and have been really working on my timing again, I was slacking off on the metronome and didn't realize that without it things were really starting to fall apart.