Lilla here. Today I want to share a time management hack that I came up with when I was an illustrator and that I still use now as an agent.
So here’s the scenario. Maybe you’re getting loads of illustration jobs, which is wonderful, or perhaps you’re juggling some paying gigs with coursework, childcare, your full-time job, keeping your Instagram and your Etsy up to date – I get it. I’ve been there when I was a full-time artist with tons of projects and young children.
Some of my art from my time as an illustrator: a fun commission illustrating a record label’s page in a Grammy Awards program (left) and for the cover of Chronicle Books (right).
Here’s a hack that I came up with that’s great for visual people:
1. Write each item on a small sticky piece of paper like Post-it notes. An item to write down might be:
- sketch animals for bag
- get ideas for pattern
- scan in all line drawings
- color in patterns
and so on. The important thing is to break each item down so that it’s small.
If you have several projects, you could use different color Post-its for each project.
My mailbox. Lots to do!
2. Then, take a large calendar and place your Post-its directly onto the calendar, spreading them out until the due dates.
See how each day looks, and be realistic. Too many Post-its in a single day? Spread them out more. This will also help you decide if you have any time available for any extra projects, because you are making a decision based on facts.
Also: get lots of good healthy food for your refrigerator. Prioritize your life so that you only do what’s really important to you.
I hope that helps!
What are your time management hacks? What systems have you come up with to help you manage your time effectively? I’d love to hear them! Drop us a line at [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.
Yours in art
