Reply To: Your CG routine – how do you keep up the pace ?
So – As mentioned before I am currently working on my selforganization and I´ve done some research for that. So let me share with you the method that I found myself useful:
- Get your values and priorities straight. Define what you want to achieve and what you want to learn. Write it down. Get from general to more specific. Do that for all areas in your life: “I will learn blender” (specific: “I will improve in modelling.” “I will become a master with color and lightning.”), “I will take care of my relationships” (specific: “I will spare some time of the week for my wife…”) …
Once you know exactly what´s important to you, you will have an overview of your tasks that are important to you and you will stay true to them. Take your time with that and really find out, what´s important to you and what really matters. - Prioritize and sort your tasks. There´s this method. It sorts the tasks we have to accomplish in a matrix of four sectors categorized by “urgent” and “important”.
“important” means all the stuff which has value for yourself. Like investing time in your skills, spending quality time with your family or doing some exercises.
“urgent” contains all task which the daily life is demanding from you. Things that need to be done as an adult 🙂
– The first sector is Important and Urgent. This is the place where all your running deadlines which are coming closer belong. Thing´s that need to be done! And quick! This sector is the most streßfull and many people overload it. They are doing crisis management and are stumbling from one streßfull project into another catastrophy. Don´t overload this sector and plan in advance.
– The second sector is “not important but urgent“. This one contains all the task we need to get done but are not important to our life goals and values like going to the doctor, answering urgent mails and paying the bills. Try not to spend too much time there.– The third sector is “important but not urgent“. This is where CG Cookie belongs and all that stuff that will pay of long term if you invest in it. These are your heart projects and your skill development.
– The last sector is “not important and not urgent“. Put all the unnecessary daily tasks in there. Don´t waste your time with them and throw them away if needed.
I set the goal to spend at least 1/3 of my time in the third sector “important but not urgent” to develop my skills and spend time with my family and friends. I really need to discipline myself not to waste time with the sectors two and four.
- Make a weekly schedule. Plan your time on a weekly basis and set a specific date to think about your week. A weekly schedule has his advantages. I take my time to relax and do stuff for myself on a Sunday. This is the time where I get inspiration and look at some art magazines and other artists. I need to work in a supermarket during the week. So I have created a schedule to get a small amount of exercises and tutorials done each day.
You can and have to adjust your weekly schedule on a daily basis. - Do the unpleasent and biggest tasks first. We all have limited energy throughout the day. At the start of our work day we have the greatest concentration so attack the hardest work at that moment. Don´t waste your time and energy with answering mails or doing phone calls.
- Treat yourself. Doing creative work is a lonely job. If you don´t treat yourself and take breaks, you will loose motivation and your passion.