#Productivitytips
Like many artists, I have multiple revenue streams. Meaning, I earn income in more ways than just by selling my artwork. And like many artists, I’m also a spouse and a parent, which means there are other people in my life who have claims on my time which I am happy to give them. And like some artists, I’m also a mother, which research has shown puts particular demands on mental energy that non-mothers are less likely to experience. All of these traits mean that I have to cultivate expertise in managing my time and tasks, if I have any hope of protecting my valuable creative space.
The tip I want to share today is the Fine Art of Stopping.
I’m thinking about my various tasks these days less in the sense of “what needs to be completed” and more in the sense of “how much time should I spend on this”. So many tasks related to running a business, keeping the house liveable, keeping the body healthy, and even (especially!) creative work are ongoing. These ongoing tasks might be, for example, writing a blog post for the website (what I’m doing right now), or managing loads of laundry, or getting in a walk, or making the next few moves in the paintings on the easel right now. No matter what progress you make at it today, there will be more to do tomorrow and more the next day, ad infinitum.
As creatives, we know well the feeling of flow — that state of being where we’re absorbed in a task, feeling connected to it, progressing with ease, unaware of time and barely noticing outside distractions. It’s a good feeling and we know that within that state, we are often at our most productive. Because we are familiar with flow, we might even access our flow state more easily than others - finding flow in scheduling of social media posts or in a writing project or in the baskets of laundry that can be folded while enjoying a good binge-worthy series. We all know that flow is a good friend. But like any good friend, it might occasionally overstay its welcome. Flow can sometimes be more like Inertia. Here’s where the Fine Art of Stopping comes in.
Rather than committing to completing a phase of these ongoing tasks, I’ve been commiting to spend a certain amount of my time on them. Perhaps I’ve got many photos to edit. I have a choice between editing for hours or editing for AN hour, and regardless of whatever flow (or inertia) I feel that pulls me to keep working, I go ahead and stop. I put it back on the schedule for the next day, knowing I can pick up where I left off, and I move on. I STOP. I reset my brain, get some water or a snack or chat a little with someone. And I decide what the next thing is that needs my attention. (Specifically, I check my bullet journal which is my day-to-day planner where I track all my various tasks and projects. As long as I am diligent jot down my to-dos and notes, it’s a sure fire guide to all the things that need a little bit of my attention every day.) In this way, I find that I make better progress on more projects in the course of a week, than if I fixate on one or two projects for hours at a time. At the end of a day, I feel as though I’ve had a variety of tasks and experiences - a full day. I’ve kept busy work or admin demands from taking over studio time. Because honestly, at the end of the day, I just want enough time to paint.
What productivity tips keep you running? Share something in the comments that might help all us creatives to keep flourishing!
Close up detail of a painting from a recent work in process.