10 Time Management Tips for Creatives and Online Biz Owners
Feeling overwhelmed? As creatives we have tons of projects. That is what we do, we create! In this post, I’m going to give 10 time management tips for creatives on how to create more time each and every day for you to get your projects done.
The first place to investigate where you can create more time is actually to capitalize on your personal energy. When do you feel like you have the most energy during the day? When do you feel most awake? Most mentally alert?
My peak time is typically in the morning or after a physical activity. Now you may find this to be true for yourself, as well that after exercise, you feel really good and motivated after a walk in nature, after a walk outside, you’re ready to go for it and hit your day.
Maybe morning isn’t your best time. Just figure out when your peak performance period is and schedule your projects that need the most attention during that time. If you know you experience a mid-afternoon slump at three o’clock and struggle to think clearly, don’t schedule tasks that require deep concentration then. Trying to push through when your brain is tired only works against you. It’s better to take a break, do something fun, and come back to it later. This approach is also much better for your health.
Create workflows
Trello is the website I use to create workflows for my projects. I have so many projects going on, and I’m sure you do too. It takes up a lot of brain space to even remember where I left off on one project and where I need to pick up on another.
As a violinist and an online entrepreneur, I have rehearsals or concerts, and during those three or four days, I’m not even in touch with my online world. When I need to get back to it, I often think, “How am I supposed to remember everything?”
That’s why workflows really work for me. I create a workflow for my week and another one for my projects. This way, I always know exactly where I left off on each project.
As online entrepreneurs, we juggle so many different tasks and wear so many hats that it’s hard to keep track. Setting up a workflow for these different activities helps. Trello is great for this—it allows you to see where you left off and what still needs to be done. You can also set deadlines if you have specific dates for tasks. This way, you’ll know what needs to get done by when.
Get organized
To save time, it’s essential to stay organized. You don’t want to waste time searching for a specific file or trying to remember where you put something when you need it immediately. Set up a system that works for you so you can easily access your files.
If you feel like you don’t have time to get organized, that’s actually working against you. Make time to organize, and you’ll gain more time later. Schedule time to organize your files, and you’ll find that your next week will be much easier because you’ll know where everything is.
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Break it down
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed when you think about, “Oh I have to get this whole project done.” What you want to do is to break that project down into little bite-sized pieces and create your own map on how to get that project done. Another way to beat the overwhelm is to start with the smaller tasks. Just take a very, very small task and do that specific task.
Once you get the momentum going, then you’re going to find like, “Oh yeah, this is really, really fun. You get in the flow and you get in the zone and you’re able to actually do more. So just do one little step, one little task.
Use a timer
I love timers. Set your timer for 15 minutes and do something that you’re just not wanting to do. From the first second to the final second. You’ll feel so much better. Once you start it, you get over that first hump of not wanting to do something and actually get in there and do it, it’s like jumping in a pool. Once you jump in, you’re gonna find that you don’t have to be so anxious or have any fear or dread about doing a specific project.
Be realistic
If you know you only have three hours to work in a day, don’t schedule 10 hours of projects and then beat yourself up for not finishing. You’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, set yourself up for success. Estimate how many hours it will take to complete a task and then schedule it into your day.
Prioritize
Prioritize. You might have a huge list of tasks, and everything may seem like it needs to be done at once. Take that list and prioritize which tasks are the most important. Set them into your workflow as high-priority. Label them with a red tag so you know these tasks are crucial. If you have limited time and feel like you need to finish everything, just focus on completing the most important tasks first.
Ask for help
If you find that you’re just not able to get everything done, you have tasks within your business that you know you could delegate to somebody else, hire on a virtual assistant for a specific amount of time, just for specific tasks. So that you can get what you need to have done and feel more at ease and at peace.
Stay focused on the end result
Stay focused on your results. Stay aligned to what you are wanting to achieve and not allow yourself to get distracted by the many things that are around you. Stay focused.
Learn to say no
You don’t have to do everything and you don’t have to be everywhere. It’s okay to say no.
Reward yourself
Give yourself a gift. Don’t wait until you finish your project to give yourself a gift, reward yourself for one day of work where you’re not feeling overwhelmed. Make this reward something that you feel like you don’t have time to do. If you feel like you don’t have time to do yoga, go do yoga as your reward for completing a specific task. That way you can motivate yourself. You can be your own cheerleader and get that task done and then go do what you want to do. Give yourself the gift of time.
Now I’d love to hear from you which of these tips are you going to be implementing to help you have more time in the day to do what you love to do. If you are wanting to naturally attract a high vibe biz in life, the first place to start is with my Raise Your Vibration guide.
Take care and I’ll see you in the next post. Ciao.
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