Time Management and Productivity for Artists and Moms Part Two
As an artist and mom, I have been trying to figure out how to manage my time and be productive instead of constantly starting and losing traction. In part one I shared about planners, calendars and decluttering/organization. Now we are continuing the conversation talking about forming habits and being open to learning from an expert.
Make Fewer Real Time Decisions
The Best Book I’ve Read About Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear has taught me so much about how habits are formed and what an identity truly means. If you identify yourself as a person who doesn’t smoke or a person who is trying to stop smoking,....that is a big difference. If you make fewer real time decisions, it is easier to stay on track with our time management and productivity.
When we take actions that match the identity and behavior we want, we become that thing and it’s great. Want to be a painter? Then paint. Want to be a runner? Start running at least once a week and increase from there. This is how you change time management and productivity for the better, start making small habits that snowball.
Here are other takeaways from this book:
Rewards - gamification or making something more interesting by giving yourself rewards after you do the thing you are resisting/dreading. Like watching another episode of Grey’s after you write the outline for that blog post. Or reading your favorite book after you schedule your breast exam appointment.
Habit Stacking - once you identify what your habits already look like, stack a new habit on top of an old habit to get even more traction toward your goals. I have been wanting to get more active with my fitness and I wanted to start jump roping again. I looked at my current habit stack of getting ready for the day, getting the kid’s ready, taking them to school, eating breakfast and then starting my work day.
Instead, I keep things the same except for when I take the kids to school, I come back home and do a jump rope routine for 10-30 minutes. Then I wash up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast and start my work. Now I am on week three of having jump roping as a part of my weekly routine 3x a week. Taking a moment to stop and see how you can add the change you want to your life is so powerful!
Changing Environment - there is a study in the book where there was a cafe and people weren’t buying enough water. Customers would rarely buy water over soda. So they wanted to change this without signs and major messaging so they looked at the cafe and decided to add water to other areas besides just at the cash register right next to the soda machine.
They put the water in about 5 other places including by the cash register and the water sales increased around 80%! One of the things I wanted to change for myself was drinking more water so I did the same.
I made it easier to do so now I start my day filling up three water bottles (2 32 oz and one 24 oz). I put them around my office in plain sight and now I can easily drink more water without the friction of preparation, refilling, etc.
Take a Course
It could be time to stop trying to do things on your own and learn from an expert. Look into their process and step by step system so you can see if it works for you!
I absolutely love Skillshare and whenever there is something I would like to learn more about like productivity, watercolor painting techniques, interior design, etc I go to Skillshare first. I wanted to find something specifically for help with being productive as an artist because I tend to keep adding more projects than I complete. (I just get so excited!)
I’m currently taking this Skillshare course and it is incredible! So much insight into this artist’s process and perspective. We hit the same kind of roadblocks so that has been especially refreshing to know I am not alone in trying to keep my creative ideas streamlined. I feel so much more confident that I will be able to reach the goals I have set for myself this year with this amazing course.
These systems have helped me manage my time as a mom and artist and stay productive too. We can easily get stuck, I’ve been there. Taking breaks and just starting again when we stop is the best way to keep moving forward. I truly hope this help you too! In case you missed it, read Time Management and Productivity Part One right here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 4 rules that help with sticking to any habit from the book Atomic Habits?
The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying. Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.
Do you have any tips for taking an online course?
1. Don’t take action at first. Watch the lesson all the way through once and then watch again and take action.
2. Find a time that works for you to take the course and schedule it on your calendar. Commit to the time and do the work during this time.
3. Get an accountability partner. Tell someone else why you value taking the course and why. Then commit to what you want to do and when. Ex. Once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, etc. We are usually more accountable to others than ourselves so this works well. Studies show that you are 90% more likely to hit your goals when you have an accountability partner.