Five Productivity tips for Artists

Overlooking the obvious is more common than you might think.

A lot of artists, including myself, have a tendency to ignore few basics even if we know them to have a substantial impact.  Seems too vague? So go ahead and read what I am talking about  :

The 5- minute rule

If it takes less than five minutes to do something then do it straight away. This can save you a lot of trouble/discomfort in the long run. 

Eg –  Have you ever had a wonderful idea and you wrote it down on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper and now you are looking for it but can’t find it? Next time you go fetch your diary and write it down.All ideas in one place. It will take less than 5 minutes and you know how valuable new ideas are, right? 

Fun fact :

This also helps to put an end to procrastination or fear of starting something new.  The 5-minute rule is used as a technique in cognitive behavioural therapy. In this technique, you do whatever you may avoid generally, but try it for five minutes only. If after five minutes you are unable to continue, you can stop. However, studies have shown that most people continue even after five minutes till the task is complete.

Clean your workspace 

Reducing clutter at the end of the day can increase your productivity. If you clean up at night then you walk into your office in the morning with a fresh area. This gives a good feeling at the beginning of the day. 

Cleaning up at the beginning of the day might not be a very good idea as you might lose crucial productive hours of the day doing that. 

Tip:

Find the time slot during your work hours when you are less productive and use that to organize things a little. This will leave you with less mess when you close your shop.

Fix spots for your supplies

Sometimes searching for supplies, that elusive pen or some particular artwork may make you quite irritable.

I have had one such incident when I lost a white pencil and I spent three days looking for it turning everything upside down in the process. 

To avoid this, you can fix a spot for your supplies and follow the first and the second rule to keep it like that. You will be surprised that how efficient his system works out to be. Dumping stuff here and there creates visual clutter and might affect you in the long run. Nobody likes mess, even if it’s them who made it.

Take regular breaks

Blink your eyes, rest your hands and neck regularly. Your physical well-being is very important and small adjustments to your posture or screen time make sure you can always keep on working to your full potential.

Spend time learning new things

For your regular growth as an artist keep attending workshops and classes by your favourite artists. It will help you immensely in improving your skills plus there is always something new to learn in terms of technique, work ethic i.e. how an artist approaches their work. 

You can pick artists from any area of your interest. It is very important to keep growing as an individual .

For example, I attend basic level workshops for medium and artform which pique my curiosity. Most of the time I don’t necessarily pursue them further but they offer a refreshing break. Eg, Calligraphy and bullet journalling are two things I don’t do but I keep exploring around them as they interest me. 

So these are some of the basics that I have to constantly remind myself in my day to day life as an artist. I hope you found this helpful.

Go ahead and find your favourites which you want to be reminded of on a regular basis.