Procrastinating with Purpose
I recently listened to the audio version of the popular book, Atomic Habits, which ended up being something rather different than I had anticipated, yet it started me thinking about a unique aspect of creative jobs. Those of us who work by ourselves, for ourselves, and according to our own schedules experience not only the mystical freedom dreamed of by many an office employee but also the strain of self management. It is easier to grumble about the unreasonable boss or colleague who is 'forcing' you to work until midnight than to force yourself to meet the same deadline. I place very high expectations on myself as a creative yet at the same time no one is more forgiving or compassionate of my laziness than I. And so I thought I would touch on a topic today that is often hinted at but seldom really grappled with. Procrastination.
In art forums on social media the question of inspiration comes up a lot. It is usually couched in such a way as to suggest that the artist is chomping at the bit to get started but cannot for the life of them find any subject worth depicting. Reading further it seems that said author has often been in this predicament for a considerable amount of time, sometimes even months or years.
Imagine this scenario; you have a trip coming up in a few days and three open commissions on which you want to see significant work done before leaving. You have a sketchbook you promised yourself you would work in most days, and of course there are the social media postings, books, podcasts, emails, and a plethera of other tidbits calling for your attention. It is ten in the evening. You have had a full day and although you are not mentally exhausted motivation is low. Wouldnt it be nice to do an hour of one of the aformentioned things before turning in, but which... Do you have the mental energy to decide, to prioritise?
And so you ....do what? Netflix, a call to a friend, mystery novel, sketch, clean the kitchen...
while all the while feeling bad that you aren't working on something worthwhile?
The situation inscribed above is mine, at this moment. And were it not for the system I have come up with I would be watching yet another episode of... rather than writing this post. I suppose it is time to introduce the system (well, idea would actually be a better choice of language). The idea is a simple one. It required only to steps:
-----------------------------------------
1- Simplify
2-Lean in to the Procrastination
-----------------------------------------
Simplify:
In math there is the concept of the lowest common denominator, equations including fractions can be simplified to forms with the lowest common denominator. once this is done a little addition, subraction, multiplication, or division should do the trick. This term, 'the lowest common denominator' is also used in other spheres to describe the thing that a group or sequence has in common. I use it when prioritising my to do list.
Everyone will have different criteria that they use to find the lowest common denominator in their own stusio or home office. Here are mine:
-Time:
What needs to be done right now, what is imminently due to be handed over to a client
- Money:
What am I currently being paid for. It is surprising how often the answer to this question isn't at the place on the priority list you might think it ought to be.
- Others:
Is someone relying on me get something done. Do I need to call a client. Is someone waiting for a piece of information or work.
Do I have a minimal social media posting goal for myself (eg. Post on Instagram every second day).
Going through these criteria will result in a tiny list- eg. I need to work on my three commissions, make a reel, and write one e-mail. Suddenly the list is short and manageable. Everything on it is classified in my mind as 'work'. Don't be fooled, procrastination still looms but indecisive paralysis is gone.
Now that my lowest common denominator has been found I can spend most of the day on it. Everything else is a distraction from the main tasks.
Lean In To Procrastination:
Up until now I haven't said anything different from everyone else, but here is where my unique spin on procrastination and productivity come in.
Make everything else on that long list a procrastination friendly activity. Don't give it any weight in the classification system. Make it an escape for when you begin feeling edgy.
Take this evening as a prime example, I should have, could have, ought to have (?) been working on a painting. The table is clean the supplies laid out, yet here I sit, writing a blog post in the other room to which I escaped, while skulking away from my tasks. Blogging has become a procrastination worthy activity today. I am gladly taking time on this post, not hurrying to get it checked off the list since that would mean a return to 'working'.
Were writing a blog post on the 'work' list I would probably be watching Netflix, or cleaning the kitchen, or doing a crossword. Why? Because we as a species like to be comfortable more than we like to work. So, make most of your 'work' fit into the comfortable category. Let dusting your studio, testing pens to see which ones work, posting on social media, and sketching become procrastination and you might be surprised not only by how much less you have to do, but also on how much more you get done.
I hope this inspires you to embrace procrastinating allowing you to avoid doing things that you ought to be doing while still doing things you want to get done.
(Quick pause in proofreading to post a picture on Instagram before getting back to add photos to this post:D)
To get posts as soon as they are published click on the subscribe button at the top of the page or Follow by clicking on the follow button.
And if you haven't watched my skillshare class have a look at at it:
skillshare class information or go straight to skillshare
Comments
Post a Comment