For years, I struggled with managing my time effectively as a freelance artist. Overwhelmed by endless tasks, I often felt paralysed, leading to unproductive days and constant guilt. This left me feeling unproductive, low in self-worth, and with less time for creating art.
After a session with my psychologist, where we discussed my struggles, she provided me with several tools to improve my decision-making and time management. Using her advice as a starting point, I created a realistic schedule for myself. Ten days in, I’m pleased to report that it’s working well. I’m being kind to myself while also staying firm with my commitments.
Creating a Schedule
I had been yearning for a schedule for years, doubting I could stick to one I created myself. But at some point, you have to take responsibility for your time. Here’s how I worked out where to spend my time.
Categories
- Fun/Growth/Adventure/Fulfilment
- Work
- Health and Self Care
- Finances
Work Elements
- Art: Making, Research and Development, Exhibiting, Documentation, Proposals
- Visibility: Marketing, Advertising, Emails, Newsletters, Blog posts, Photography
- Income Streams: Workshops, Sales, Open Studios, Freelance, Funding Applications, Job/Opportunity Searching
Non-Negotiable Daily Activities
- Morning Meditating
- Day Planning
- Dog Walks
- Food Prep and Eating
Task Environments
- Cafe/Dining Room Table/Sofa: Computer admin, funding, Canva, writing, research, emails
- Studio: Making, reading, book research
- Bedroom: Journaling, reflecting, day planning, meditating
Time Blocking
I grouped tasks into three work categories: Art, Visibility, and Financial, splitting them throughout the week in 3-hour blocks, with the most time allocated to art. This created a schedule that fits everything I can realistically fit into a day. The time blocks are flexible and interchangeable to avoid feelings of guilt, shame, or demand avoidance. Having this structure allows me to know what I need to do when I wake up, making for a quieter brain and allowing flexibility for important, urgent, or joyful things that come up.
I generally try to stick to doing 3 hours on each task, sometimes working later, but I now have a rule that I don’t work after 9:30 PM. There are 2 reasons for visibility and finance being done in the morning, the first is my brain is more productive for this sort of thing in the morning (the motivation for art making doesn't need to be as high as it does for computer work) and secondly my dogs are happy to lounge around the house in the morning, where as, if i took them to the studio in the morning they'd be a barky pain in my butt.
Creating this schedule has transformed my productivity and well-being. For me this has to be a life long tool not another thing I adopt for a few months and put away when i think I'm 'fixed'. I'm sure this schedule will evolve over time, whatever it looks like I intend and acknowlege it as a permentant life fixture. If you’re struggling with time management, remember that it can take trial and error to find the right way for you. Be kind to yourself, you're doing the best you can.
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