Planning to be Creative! #timemanagement

Hi There!

I read this article the other day: "The Pace of Productivity and How to Master your Creative Routine" (thanks to a friend of mine who shared it!). It was interesting and inspiring, and it gave me a big enough nudge to evaluate my daily habits.

I waste SO much time.

I don't really mean to waste time. I have come to the point where I only blog about stuff I truly feel is important, versus blogging because it's "Blogging Monday". I'm pretty good at not constantly nitpicking about housework, because even when the house is clean, there is still something to be done. I don't turn the television on during the day. I don't go out drinking for hours. I do well at only going on Facebook in between customers as I wait on tables, or while I shove cereal down my throat before work, or while in the car (but not driving, of course!). And I hardly ever play silly games on my smart phone. (If you're wondering, yes, I still have time for fun...)

My biggest problem?

The After-Work Time Suck.

That's what I'm naming it, now that I can easily recognize the monster that it is. Being a waitress most nights and a creative person most days, by the end of the day both my body and brains are tired and sore, and I just need to zone out. So my husband and I plop down on the couch and then it goes all down hill from there.

The worst part is that half of the time we aren't even watching our pre-recorded shows. We're mindlessly staring at whatever garbage happens to be on, even re-runs and stuff we don't care about. We're just too tired to go to bed. Go figure!

Normally this sort of thing wouldn't matter, since I am pretty useless at being creative or even receptive to new information at that time of day, but the late nights turn into even later mornings, where I am hitting the snooze button about fifteen times. And THAT is a waste of precious creative time!

Plus, I really do miss being able to sit and read a book for a bit just because I want to.

So I compiled some notes and put together a little schedule for myself. It's strict only during those important morning hours, and then after 11:00 am I am welcome to do whatever my little heart desires. Like chores. (Ha!) But it gives me those few extra morning hours of creative fun, a solid seven hours of sleep, and an enforced bed time... all of which I am in dire need.

Here is what it looks like:

Of course, this can all change at the drop of a hat when the schedule gets all messed up or someone goes on vacation or calls out sick. But this can be useful for the majority of my days. And, here, take one for yourself! Print it up and fill it out, and give this Creative Planning a shot!

I don't know if I will fail or succeed, but I'm certainly going to give it a try to see if these new habits stick! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! Do you schedule your creative time, and how well does it work for you?

As always, thanks for reading! :)
~Melanie

~*UPDATES*~
6/7/13
So far, it has been over a week, and EPIC FAIL.
But I will conquer this.
I will.
I will do it!!!
I will try again, fresh, starting tomorrow, June 8th.
Yes.
YES!
(Plus, I have begun to read "Manage Your Day-to-Day" and it is spurring me on!)

Operation Work Office/Studio Space!

Hello!

Two weeks ago, I talked about making some new goals for organizing my life. One of those goals includes organizing my life when I'm at work, off the clock, but working on other stuff. AKA "Work Studio Time."

Normally, I hide in the smallest dining room in our little restaurant, ear buds full of music, and work on Little Raindrop... whether it be editing, drawing, or researching. But a lot of the time, regular customers will come in and ask for me, or family or friends will stop by, or even co-workers who should know better, and I'm constantly getting interrupted!

Not that I'm being ungrateful for the company, but really... I'm trying to work!

Many ask, "Why are you even THERE at your job when you should be at home in your studio?!" Because, most importantly, I prefer to be sure that Hubs gets to and from work in one piece. When he's really tired, he'll fall asleep at the wheel. The forty five minute drive from home to work is one straight line with a few lights, and at night there are hardly any streetlamps and there are tons of deer and other wildlife that we are constantly swerving around. It's better to have four eyes than two, and we both know this from experience. How many times have one of us not seen the animal, but the other one did, and just in time? Too many.

My other reason is this: when no one bothers me, I actually get a TON of work done! I'm not distracted by laundry or television or napping. The only other thing to do there is more work...but of a different kind. And I'm sure as heck not going to go wait on tables when I could be making a book.

So I got an idea last week. There was a private party coming in, and they were going to use the small room where I usually work, so I needed a quiet spot for myself. I went snooping around and found a cozy spot in the storage room behind the bar...

This room needs some organization!
Follow the chair...

...to my new spot!

Not a lot of working space, and the view's pretty rotten,
but it's SO quiet back here!

It worked like a charm, being in that cozy storage space. Much like a Cupboard Under the Stairs, I could live in my own little bubble, get what I needed done, then step out into the real world and I'm out of my working zone!

Then I realized how dysfunctional my working space was. I needed more space, more boundaries from the alcohol, and holy heck was this room a mess. So I took it upon myself to tidy up, and make my space a nice little nest!

Behind that wall of soda cans is my cardboard barrier...

I covered the splintery shelves with cardboard...
and now there's a cozy little nook!

Just add some books... and...
VOILA!

Close up shop with a cardboard flap!

Now I know it's rough around the edges, but it works for me! And Hubs is going to be making it so I have access to a plug, and some lighting! And little by little, I'll make it feel more at home. :)

I've already worked in here for a few hours, so the space is fully functional for my needs! Finally, a way to check "out" of the real world so I can dive into Little Raindrop's world!

Organization is Key... to Creativity!

Every once in a while, I get too antsy to do anything creative. 

There are too many things on my To-Do list that I can't concentrate even on one of them. I find myself flitting from project to project, opening one book as I remember I should be looking up something in another, starting one blog post while I think about the next blog post idea. 

This is a sure sign that I just need to sit and organize. Or stand and clean. 

So that's what I'm doing today. 

I'm cleaning and organizing my studio, so that when I'm ready to work I'll know where everything is. And yes, I'm nerdy enough to label it all. (I love you, P-Touch label maker!)

The piles on my desk, table, and floor (of papers, clippings and ideas) are being sorted through, tossed and filed. 

There has been a wall of junk clogging up my studio doorway and hallway. So I'm cleaning that up, too. I want creative energy to flow right in! (And it truly is hard for myself to get in right now, much less the creative energy.)

I'm sitting down with my master To-Do List and Goal sheets that I re-write every few months. (When I FIND them.) I keep them in a handy folder, and write them by hand and highlight important things in pretty colors. It is something I find calming, because once that is organized I know I won't forget anything. 

I've also got a lot of cleaning up to do on Chapter One of Little Raindrop. Yes, it's still in the sketchy stage, and I haven't done any final art. But I want to make sure it's clean and neat and ready for the book dummy that will need a good thorough critique prior to finishing. 

Organization is important, because when you're me and you get less than 24 hours a week to work on your current project, you need to streamline your work time. Organization keeps forgetful people like me in line and punctual. And when I know all of these things are being accomplished, that time is not being wasted, and that I'm not forgetting anything, organization makes something magical happen...

...I can sit, relax and create! *sigh*

Also, I get a great excuse to find nifty things at the Container Store online! Alas, if only they would open a shop here in Rhode Island. I LOVE that place. Love it. Looooove. 

Have fun organizing!
~Melanie