Ask An Artist — Procrastination vs. Task Management

So let's say you've just had a holiday… You’re all rested, or at least it’s been a nice break in routine. Has it left you with some psychological inertia to overcome? You know you’ve got to get back to work… Reality sets in and with it some things you’d rather put off...

So… we asked an Artist — What is it that you find the most challenging in getting yourself going again?

I actually have no trouble getting going again on my craft work because I love it. Creating is the fun part… It’s the rest that doesn’t come as easy… What I DO have trouble with is doing the filing, and the phoning, and the marketing, and the administrative tasks, that I know I need to do as well, to make my craft a successful business. I have developed a simple strategy over the years….It’s nothing profound, but it works for me…and it may work for you, if you're not already doing something similar.

• I break my tasks down into smaller pieces that feel more manageable. (I even book them into my daytimer or computer calendar.)




• I decide to do them for only 1 hour at a time…and I just do it. (It’s easier to get started if I know I’m only going to do it for 1 hour, rather than looking at the whole daunting task at once.)




• I put some music on in the background to make it more pleasant…




• And…I’ve learned to NOT put the TV on… because I know it will distract me from the task at hand.

You can’t ignore the “not-so-fun” part of running a craft business. I guess I’m saying… “You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do”… So, start small… do it a bit at a time, do it regularly… and before you know it, the whole job gets done.

We thank Loraine Laustsen, Glass Artisan, for this little “nugget of truth”.