I hate procrastinating, but I am so good at doing it. The way I waste time is by doing things that don’t need to be done. For me to be content, I have to be doing something with my time that is productive. I prioritize my work, but I usually start with the smallest and most insignificant task. For example, last Wednesday I had told myself that I would get caught up on my journalism class. Instead, in the time I had set aside to study, I cleaned my hard drive.
The first step in being productive is identifying what is hindering the work for getting done. I don’t have one thing that is a constant distraction. I am incredibly self-disciplined, so if I feel that something is distracting me, I leave the area or remove the object. The work I am doing also determines what kind of distractions I need to be mindful of. Like if I am writing, I need to be in complete silence to focus on what I want to say. However, if I’m editing photos, it won’t bother me to have someone talking to me.
The way that I pull myself out of a creative rut is to spend time with the people in my life that bring me comfort and joy (and also, dogs). Being with friends and family is a large part of how I stay inspired. I, also, never seem to have a shortage of ideas for work. My artist’s block usually stems from a dip in self-motivation. Eventually after not creating work for so long, I just have to force myself to make work whether I want to do it or not.
Another thing that really helps me is keeping an agenda. Lists help me organize my thoughts and tasks that need to be accomplished. You can find an agenda pretty much any where that sells office supplies. Here is a link to some cheap, but effective ones at Walmart.
