Part 3 of 5: Get things Done Quicker (Without Forgetting Your Canopy)

We’ve talked about a system for organizing your week and all the things in it, along with how to maximize your time to be productive through time blocking.  

We are now going to shift into processes.  

Google told me that process is defined as “a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end”.  I like to define processes as the thing that helps me not to forget things and frees my brain up to focus on other things…like making art. 

Think about all the things in your business that you do regularly.  Send out marketing emails, pack up for art shows,  write blog posts, pay your sales taxes, set up for County Studio Tour. It is likely that you do these things without any type of checklist…and maybe you do them well.  But, I’m guessing there has been a time that something fell through the cracks…especially when you are short on time and have to rush through the process.

I had to drive 3 hours back home from an art show once, in rush hour traffic, because I forgot to pack the canopy to my art show tent.  My canopy!  Hence….checklist. ✅

Making a process is easy…just write down a list of all the steps it takes to complete a task. Include everything…even the very obvious steps.   I use Evernote to keep all of my processes in one place and accessible from any device. 

Here is a sample checklist that I use for documenting completed artwork:

Having this list makes me feel more organized and more in control of my life and my business.  Also, when I’m feeling overwhelm, it helps me to visualize how long things will actually take.  I can quickly browse this list and see that it will take me approx. 40 minutes to properly document the work…and another 30 minutes to properly share it with collectors.  

While it may seem silly at first to write out every little step to something you’ve been doing off the cuff for years, the time you will save and mental energy you’ll conserve will be worth it. And, if I can save one person from having to drive back home to get their art show canopy, my job is done here.  

-Teresa