5 STEPS TO SUPER PRODUCTIVITY!

[Whitney Simms]

I use my oven timer! It came with my house. Ha. But seriously, the blocks of time have helped when i need to focus and clean. I can’t paint till i get some of my chores done. Putting the phone down while I paint helps too. It’s so hard to break the habit. I remember you mentioning these ideas with a third Thursday or class a while ago. Totally helped! Now, how to not over book those time blocks. It seems like the computer layouts take so much longer than they should. For editing and formatting my cards I just block out the day for it. I don’t usually need breaks from my computer. I loose time when I’m working. I look up and it’s been three hours. Ah!

[Lee White]

@Whitney-Simms Oven timer works great!

[demotlj]

This was, as always, a great video and I have used so many of these techniques over the years to keep me on track. (Another thing I have done is to use a second computer that has no software on it (even email) except the software I absolutely need for that work.)

Honestly, however, when I saw your spreadsheet with four hours of time every morning without distraction, my first thought was, "I would have killed for four hours every day to concentrate on my work when my kids were growing up." As a single parent of three kids, it was just as important for me to learn how to work WITH distraction because getting kids to school, getting calls from them during the day because they forgot their lunch, sports meets, driving them hither and yon, meant that having a fixed schedule for myself was impossible and I had to learn how to work under less than ideal conditions. One life saving technique I learned was to take five minutes before rushing off to write down what I had been working on, where I was, and where I needed to pick it back up when I returned. Finding that balance between maintaining a routine and being flexible enough to cope with the demands of a family is a real challenge.

[Lee White]

@demotlj YEP! That is another reason for me getting up so early. My son is 8 now and once he is up, the distractions are tougher to manage. But at 5 am, it's just me and the work while everyone else is asleep. I love it! : )

When he was younger I split my morning work up into 2 different time blocks (each with 2 hours). So I'd work from 5-7 am, and then again from 9-11 for my illustration work.

[MichaelaH]

@Lee-White Ha ha my son is 10 and now he is waking up at 6 (without alarm), the years before mostly 5:30...but he is doing his stuff...

[Kasey Snow]

I've been doing your 50 minute blocks strategy for a few weeks now and it's been doing wonders for my to-do list! Definitely wish I would've heard about this method earlier in my freelance career.

That first week I was so productive and got so much off of my list that I became almost terrified because I had so little lined up to do for the following week, haha. It was like, "...now what?" After living for so long with a huge to-do list that only ever seemed to grow, I was at a bit of a loss for a minute as to how to move forward without being in its shadow. A strange, but good, problem to have.

Great video!

[ArtofAleksey]

These are some great points.

I think it’s really tough for me because my day job has fluctuating shifts so my day to day is inconsistent which affects where I can fit time in for art which affects my sleep. When you add my anxiety disorder on top of it it’s easy for things to get away from me, and difficult to figure out where to add the padding and setting boundaries with the people in my life I would like to spend time with.

I’m gonna try using clickup, it seems like just the thing I may need in order to organize my schedule outside my day job.

I realllyyy love what you said about planning for less and revising as needed, especially when things change on the fly. Putting more pressure on yourself is definitely not helpful when you gotta juggle all these pieces.

I was planning to sign up for 3 continuing Ed classes at SVA but if I did that I wouldn’t have been able to learn anything! And wouldn’t be able to do inktober which I really want to do. So instead I signed up to 1 class and supplement that class with online stuff like SVS. I gotta admit that I’m retaining more information and able to really focus on my work for this class. AND I can fit in other things like preparing for inktober!

Thanks for doing another video! You’re always super thorough.

[TessaW]

For those of you getting up at 5AM, what time are you going to bed/actually falling asleep?

[TwiggyT]

@TessaW I'm also curious about that.

@Aleksey I hear you about anxiety disorder! Mine has been awful this week, and all I've wanted to do is hide under a blanket and cry. It makes it really difficult to get started.

[MichaelaH]

@TessaW I am getting up at 5:30 and going to bed about 22:30, sometimes 23:00, trying to get 7 hours sleep.

[ArtofAleksey]

@TwiggyT oh no! Yeah i felt that way today and didn’t wanna go into work but then remembered I need money. What strategies do you use to deal with anxiety?

[danielerossi]

Gat video with lots of take ways as per usual (I liked your thumbnails video). I’ve already started using your tips today! Now to build up my ability to get up at 5am.

[TwiggyT]

@Aleksey It depends on the severity. I take an antidepressant anyway, but if the anxiety gets so bad I can't function my husband makes me take a Xanax. (Yes, I have to be told, lol). On most days the anxiety is just sort of like background noise, so I note that it's there and accept it, and for some reason that helps. There's also some tea that makes me feel a little calmer. I think noticing small things that make you happy helps, too. Big life events are great, but there's a lot of good in the little things that can help you through the day when things get rough.

[APHOTICMOTH]

@Aleksey @TwiggyT Anxiety sucks... I don't know if this would help either of you, but I've had a hard time finding things to reduce stress and distract myself. Just bought a 2ds and a few used games; puzzle games, brain teasers, and good ol' mario. I haven't gamed in over 10 years. All I do is work,usually from when I get up until I sleep, which isn't good, and is part of my anxiety. When I get worked up, or loose ability to focus, I take a break and play my 2ds for 3-5 mins, sometimes 10, then put it on sleep mode, when I sit back down to work I feel much more relaxed, and mentally fresher when I go back to work. It's a good distraction, and a way to shift thoughts. Just have to make sure you don't get addicted. Haha. When the 2DS doesn't work as well as I hope, I step outside, get some fresh air, and have a cup of coffee or something. Just stepping back from thoughts, and obligations for a brief moment can help a lot. I'd imagine it's harder if one has children though.

[ArtofAleksey]

@CLCanadyArts yeah I bought a silly game app that’s distracting enough to help but not addicting enough to prevent from putting it down when I need to focus on other things.

@TessaW yeah i find facing the anxiety to be helpful, just gotta make yourself do it which is anxiety inducing on its own! I forget which guest on comic lab podcast spoke about his anxiety issues but getting medication for it made it possible for him to spend more time and energy on comics and resolve a lot of issues. Maybe that’s the next step for me

[demotlj]

You might want to look at a book called “Get Out of Your Head and On With Your Life.” I know some people with anxiety that found the exercises it recommends really helpful.

[ArtofAleksey]

@demotlj thanks!

[Lee White]

One thing I will mention for light anxiety when it relates to illustration is managing expectations. (NOTE: This is not meant as a post for clinical and/or severe anxiety).

Managing expectations can have a huge effect on how it feels to create art (and a lot of other things too!).For example, if I had two students and was able to see what they wanted to get out of an illustration.

Student A wants "an award winning illustration that is better than anything else they have previously done".

Student B wants "to focus on making time for illustration and working on process".

Which one of these students will have more anxiety? Of course student A will! If you have an "outcome" goal, the pressure is huge. If you have a "process" goal, it makes it much more relaxing.

I tell students to make process goals only. For example, "I will do artwork for 2 hours each day". That takes the pressure off if the work isn't what you hoped it would be. As long as you are putting in the 2 hours and giving it your best, you hit your goal! Success is built this way. In small and attainable goals.

Hope that helps in some way.

[Coley]

@TwiggyT I heard a podcast on another illustration podcast where they interviewed Dan Santat and he talked about his wife's anxiety and how they finally conquered it. For her it was meds tho I know not for everyone! I can't remember the podcast but can try to find it later. Led to his writing and illustrating the book "AFter the Fall" which is about anxiety and facing fears! It's a fantastic book!!!!
I have been experiencing more anxiety than usual lately too which is odd for me. Somehow I have been managing to turn it into working longer but I have been having trouble sleeping (hence being awake and drawing lol).
anyhow check out the book by Dan Santat, really great. I haven't seen it in person (yet) but I looked it up and youtube and had it read to me lol!

[TwiggyT]

@Coley @demotlj Those books sound helpful; I'll look them up.

@CLCanadyArts I hear you, games have been a big help. I got a cute 2048 citybuilder on my phone; it's mind-numbing and one game usually only lasts 5 minutes for me. Now if I get out my 3DS and play Pokemon (my perpetual favorite) I will be sucked down a rabbit hole and the whole day will be gone, so I try to save that for weekends.

@Lee-White That's good advice, especially as far as it relates to career growth, although it can easily be applied to other aspects of life, too.