144: Making Time for Art
Listen now
Description
I recently asked my newsletter subscribers what was the biggest obstacle to their creativity and many people said: time. Nobody has “free time.”  But we all can make time for art.  Even though my job is art-related, it doesn’t mean that I get to make art all day.  I try to set aside at least 10 minutes a day to do some personal work just for me.  Let me help you figure out how to make time for art in your life. There are two stages of this process: identify the problems and make the art habit easier. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS Identify your priorities.   This is where you have to have a real talk with yourself.  Would you rather scroll TikTok in bed or go make some art?  It’s fine to scroll TikTok, but then don’t beat yourself up about it.  Ask yourself what are your priorities?  What would you sacrifice for time to make art? Is making art a goal or an aspiration? Log your time to see what you really do in a day. Keep a detailed log of your activities throughout the day. This can be done manually with a pen and paper or by using time-tracking apps or tools. Be sure to record everything you do, even small tasks or breaks. Pay attention to what distracts you during the day. This could include notifications on your phone, social media, emails, or interruptions from colleagues or family members. Review your time log at the end of the day/week. Based on your analysis, pinpoint specific activities or behaviors that are wasting your time. This could be excessive time spent on social media, unnecessary meetings, procrastination, multitasking, or inefficient processes. Make a Plan. Once you’ve identified your time-wasters, take proactive steps to reclaim that time. Set boundaries around activities that consume too much time or are not essential to your goals. For example, limit your social media usage to specific times of the day or disable notifications. You can also experiment with different time management techniques to improve your productivity and minimize time-wasting habits. Techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique. * Get a to-do list and a timer.* Set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings.* When your session ends, mark off one pomodoro and record what you completed.* Then enjoy a five-minute break.* After four pomodoros, take a longer, more restorative 15-30 minute break. The 25-minute work sprints are the core of the method, but a Pomodoro practice also includes three rules for getting the most out of each interval: * Break down complex projects. If a task requires more than four pomodoros, it needs to be divided into smaller, actionable steps. Sticking to this rule will help ensure you make clear progress on your projects.* Small tasks go together. Any tasks that will take less than one Pomodoro should be combined with other simple tasks. For example, “write rent check,” “set vet appointment,” and “read Pomodoro article” could go together in one session.* Once a pomodoro is set, it must ring. The pomodoro is an indivisible unit of time and can not be broken, especially not to check incoming emails, team chats, or text messages. Any ideas, tasks, or requests that come up should be noted to return to later. I use a variation of this method with a timer and art time.  Just 10 minutes of truly focused time – usuall...
More Episodes
I like to think of the podcast as a conversation — between me and Mom — between me and Mom and a guest — between me and Mom and YOU! Thank you so much to all of you who leave comments and send emails. We read them all and appreciate them all. This Listener Mail episode is packed with so many...
Published 06/20/24
As I mentioned in the previous podcast, Mom and I snuck in the night before the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) here in Boston — The museum’s annual Art in Bloom event at the end of April.  This is always one of my favorite events of the year.  In case you don’t know what Art in Bloom is: It’s a...
Published 06/13/24