Getting Stuff Done

Posted on by LittleFears

Last week I published a post with a free course, How To Start A Successful Blog And Make Money 2019.

My good mate, Phil responded with:

My always sceptic says if it were that easy we’d all be rich and published and wouldn’t need to be motivational speakers in a van down by the river…

I’m kinda with Phil there. If it really was easy, we’d all be doing it.

There’s the rub. I personally feel anyone can ‘do it’. But very few people will. The biggest issues I face are drive and time management.

So, on drive. People see what I do, thinking it takes a few hours a week of doodling and writing. Then they say ‘hey, I can do that’. But then their not willing to put in the hours of promoting to local businesses, local papers, sharing to Buzzfeed and BoredPanda. Standing at car boots and markets, getting drowned in the rain, trying to sell prints. Going to shows trying to find clients to work for. Submitting to magazines and getting turned down over and over and over. The demoralizing graft. A lot of that’s less fun. It takes grit. Self-employment is rarely the happy-go-lucky care-free life people imagine. It sure as heck isn’t what’s on Instagram.

So, yes. Anyone can ‘do it’. But few folks will.

On time management, well, that’s a whole separate issue. In my experience, it can make or break you. If you can’t get your poop together and set out plans for your days and weeks, you just aren’t going to make it.

Personally, I use an A4 diary to make rough plans for what I need to do daily. More checklists than anything. But pen and paper help cement tasks in my head more than digital alternatives.

I use pomodairo type techniques. 50 minutes of work followed by 10 minutes break. Enough time for a pee and a fresh brew of tea. (shameless “Drink Tea” tenuous link to Threadless: https://littlefears.threadless.com/ )

#NoShame

So, I usually run that system from 7 am to 1 pm, break for an hour for lunch. Then work from 2 pm to 6 pm. I often come back in the evening as well. It’s a long day!

This week, I’ve been looking for digital time-management assistance again. Turns out, on Skillshare, there are two free classes from the Todoist team.

Productivity Today: Managing Attention in the Digital Age | Learn with Todoist. Kevin Siskar, Managing Director, Founder Institute.

The first I’ve done before. I really enjoyed this class. It’s not 100% Todoist centric. It’s more about getting into the right mindset managing your time more productively. I can’t stress how important mindset is if you’re hoping to go self-employed as a writer, blogger, artist, poet and music maker.

Productivity Habits That Stick: Using Time Theming. Mike Vardy, Productivity Strategist & Productivityist Founder.

This course is more Todoist-centric. It revolves around building a daily routine and task list. More like habit building, if that makes sense?

I can appreciate habit building courses. The first hour of my day is set in stone. Publish the morning’s story. Reply to comments on LittleFears.co.uk. Check if there are any relevant hashtags during the day I can get into with an old story on Twitter (such as #NationaChocolateDay). Go over everything in my diary for a given day and schedule all the work into 50-minute blocks.

If that first hour goes off without a hitch, I can smash through work like the Hulk punches holes in toilet paper. It gets me into the right mental place and I’m away! If I miss my morning routine, my whole day goes to pot.

For some of us, habits are essential.

So, those links again. These courses are free. Just sign up for a free account, ignore anything that asks you for a subscription option. Go to the course page and give them a whirl.

Productivity Today: Managing Attention in the Digital Age: https://skl.sh/2TeJPCv

Productivity Habits That Stick: Using Time Theming: https://skl.sh/2EvJ1Be

Thanks again to Barb of LetItGoCoach for buying me a cuppa Ko-Fi. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Ko-Fi | Patreon | Etsy | Books | Skillshare | Threadless

97 thoughts on “Getting Stuff Done”

    1. I reckon biology comes into play with the morning thing. For me it’s essential. My missus doesn’t get started until gone lunchtime, but then she hits her stride big time after dinner!

      But yeah, I deffo need my morning routine haha.

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      2. If you listen to Krista Varady, as I do, you won’t be eating breakfast half the time anyway. (See her book ‘The Every-Other-Day Diet’ on Amazon.)

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  3. Spot on. What was it I heard once. Success is ” Consistent Effort, continual improvement. Never quit-attitude. And talent. Well, mostly, talent. ” And if your focus gets interrupted as mine is, most of the time…it means a much longer timeline… Thanks for this post Fears!

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  5. Thank you for sharing these helpful resources. You are the hardest working creative I’ve met. You go at it with passion and consistency. True Grit indeed! You inspire me. Thanks mate. xxx

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  7. Excellent write up! I certainly enjoyed reading it. Time management and a routine are very important for me since I work a day job. It is the only way I can operate. I have been successful practicing the points you described in your article. Thanks for the reinforcement and keep up the good work!

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    1. Cheers, Jerry. Yeah, going freelance while still working a day job still needs a ruddy lot of time management. Bashing out work in the evenings and weekends requires a lot of planning.

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  8. Thanks for sharing the insights into your process. We all need to find what works for us. You clearly have, as I always enjoy Little Fears and the treats you present us. To many, many, many more, mon ami…

    Cheers

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    1. Cheers, man. Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get back into process posts. Love bloggin like this but this is the only site I have now, heh.

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  9. I find that its not motivation that keeps me going but commitment. If I’m not commited to something then no amount of motivation will get me going. I love the 50/10 idea. My morning routine always starts with a blurb. It’s all the head rubbish dumped so that I can do what I have to do on the day. Making Marmalade today. Yum yum, and good morning.

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    1. Like morning pages? Funny thing, spamming words ‘rubbish brain’ out on paper does wonders for my missus. It’s never worked for me.

      Also, marmalade is awesome!

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  10. You’ve given me the slap in the face reminder that I need to get back on the wagon. Too often I say “Oh, I’ll do that later” and then it never gets done. Not today!

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  12. Oh my goodness, great post and so true! Sounds like you are actually very organized and that is not easy for me. If I get one distracting or negative phone call before I start writing it can ruin my entire focus. Many times I just turn my phone off. Also you are totally right about people thinking being self-employed is easy but it is extremely hard and those of us who are artist are also sensitive. Your work is both extremely unusual, incredibly creative and it makes me smile. Do you do custom work as well?

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    1. Cheers for the compliments.

      Honestly, my organising comes from my awareness of how easily distracted I am and how badly my output can go if I get derailed. When you’re aware of your own issues, you only have yourself to blame if you don’t try and combat them, aye?

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  14. Valid points in the article. It often is that “easy” in terms of complexity, but never easy in terms of religiously doing all the “simple” things over and over to get there.

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      1. relevant saying: “The worst mistake you can make is to do nothing, because you can only do a little.”

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  15. Studies consistently show that the most successful people are those who get to work even when they don’t “feel like it.” E.g., on writing fiction, someone once said, “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair.”

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    2. nicely put, and of course it’s been noted before:

      “coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, ‘Well, now it’s writing time and now I’ll write.’ There’s no difference on paper between the two.”
      — Frank Herbert

      “All the trouble in the world is due to the inability of a man to sit quietly in a room.”
      — Blaise Pascal

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  16. Thankyou again for your generosity in sharing information and help. Just listened to your ‘What’s your goal’ vlog and although I have some pipedreams, my blog is mostly about having a creative outlet and saving sanity. I don’t have the wherewithal or ambition when it comes to goals, but I do waste time! I could/should be so much more productive, not just here but in life in general, so I’ve bookmarked the above to peruse. When I get around to it of course 😉

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    1. Arf. You’re welcome, Lockwood. When you get around to it, hit me up on Twitter with any ideas/goals you get and I may be able to offer suggestions.

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  18. I purchased the Drink Tea tee for my daughter for her birthday. I’m not sure she has taken it off since she opened the box. Needless to say, she loves it. I’m fairly certain every member of my family is going to get a tee of some sort throughout the year. We’re in love with your designs. Personally, I love spiders. 😉

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    1. Awww, awesome! So glad ya’ll like it! I too, love Spiders! Haha.

      I always worry about print-on-demand shops, but Threadless seems to be pretty good!

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  19. Good advice, though we all find our own way to get here if the passion is there. The blogging part is less of a problem for me, right now, but the money part, not so much. I will suggest to everyone, don’t give up. I wrote a novel about 17 years ago, got one rejection and didn’t submit it again. I’ve learned it’s the work not me that’s being rejected. I decided to rewrite last year. Met an agent, out of context, and now it’s with a publisher and I’m awaiting word. I don’t know who first said this, but luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

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    1. Oh, man! Those first rejections are crushing. Even submitting cruddy articles to local papers were hard! I guess the modern equivalent is Buzzfeed submissions? I guess at some point we find out we aren’t going to hit the ball every time we swing. occasionally the wicket will take a knock, but we just have to keep on swinging if we want those big hits.

      Good luck with the publisher! Fingers crossed for ya!

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  20. Good article. I thought when I retired that I’d no longer need a clock or calendar. Well now…that didn’t work for me. I plan and schedule my days and weeks as always to feel better organized. I find that writing my blog and reading others works best in the morning when my mind is not cluttered with email and messages. Thank you!

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  21. Both time management and publicity drive are very personal, apart from some general rules and a desire to succeed. Time management in my work meant establishing a list of priorities for the next day at the end of the day, neatly in folders. But when the day came, all priorities changed. That’s where the real ‘time management’ comes in. Actually, in my ‘retirement’ it is not any different. So I muddle through. The beneficial difference is, I don’t have an annoying boss looking critically over my shoulder and my wife couldn’t care less. On the written work, I started writing much too late in my life to be bothered with standing in the rain, peddling my work. I did some, but I don’t want to be a slave of myself. A writer must be hungry and anxious to feed his elk to do all that, but once you are too comfortable, you may not ‘make it’ as you say. Oh, and don’t forget your work must be good enough to have an audience. You have quite a following (I only have about 100 clicks each time I blog and few sign up). Congrats!

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    1. Thanks, man. Yeah, I really think a lot of it comes down to life priorities and creative goals. The one thing I’d say for writing and drawing now is it’s easier than ever before to earn a living from something you’re genuinely passionate about. I do wish we had the Internet of today 30 years ago.

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  22. One of the reasons I’m not competitive and not worried about “competition” is precisely that concept that talk is cheap – as cheap as ideas, in fact. Start something that’s creative, that’s yours and yours alone, then finish it, and you are already a member of a very small coterie of thinkers and doers.

    I’m still quite lackadaisical about scheduling and taks and to-do lists, which fall damply on my spirit, and perhaps this is the reason they passed me over for “Person of the Year” at TIME Magazine. Again! But I’m inspired by your example of structure, albeit entirely against my will, so I’ll try. Really.

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    1. Much like you say in your comment, a lot of it comes down to having the drive to follow through on an idea. If you don’t need or want to, that’s totally fine. If someones hoping to earn a living though, doing what they love, they have to pull on their big girl panties and get on with it, heh.

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  23. It’s Mel here from Pioneer Chicks. You just liked my post so I thought I’d check you out and I’m so glad I did! What adorable little creatures! I love your Instagram account, you’re amazing 🙂 Mel xx

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    1. Oo, hello, Mel! Yup, you’ve popped in my feed a few times. Reminds of Squirrels and Bears but more personal, heh. Thanks for the compliment!

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  26. Very precise instructions on time management and how things can be achieved by doing so. I enjoyed this post. Thank you !

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  27. Hi Little Fears. Many thanks for your support on my “Poet” blog post. I read your post on improving your blogging and I wish you all the very best. I’m in a strange position: I would love more people to read an comment on my posts, but I no longer have any urgency about it. In fact, the two blogs on healing that I have have been written for me, and largely for me. Stre,gth to your arm. From, Will

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    1. Howdy and you’re welcome, Will!

      It’s great that you’re able to write for yourself. It all boils down to what we want to do with our online time, aye? 🙂

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  29. I have a different take on ‘if it’s that easy we’d all be doing it’. It may be easy to create a blog, poem, even a novel, but there has to be a market. We have many brilliant young writers of novels and poetry, but the market is pretty much saturated, so there has to be an acceptance that you may not get published for a long time. 🙂 🙂

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  30. I try to tweet what I’m going to do tomorrow before I go to bed, that way I’m accountable to my followers. I’m a terrible procratinator so I don’t always do what I say but if i do it’s a small win in my book.

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  32. Great post. I agree with all you said. It’s crazy how hard it is to stay on track and make it all happen. For me the third rail is knowing what I have to do, but not knowing how to do it… which happens constantly when you’re blogging. Finding the time to learn new stuff and then execute it well is my largest obstacle.
    Joan Senio
    My Best Friend Adeline
    https://kindness-compassion-and-coaching.com

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    1. Research without going down bunny holes can be tough. I’ll try anything once, as quickly as I can, Keep what sticks and ignore the rest.

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  33. Hi LittleFears! Thanks for your past responses to my blog. In reading this post of yours, I see the hard work involved in successfully marketing one’s product–in my case, music. There is a part of me that wants to live in the fantasy world that, “Someone will discover me.” Your blog gives me the sober realization that that won’t happen until I make myself visible.

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    1. Cheers, David and you’re welcome, man.

      Yeah, you hit the nail on the head there for a lot of people. The chances of being randomly discovered must be smaller than winning the lottery. Gotta get out there and make some noise for yourself.

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  34. This was great! I do jot down my daily to do on paper and have noticed how much more that helps than noting them in my head. I’ve recently started asking myself, “What would make today a successful day?” to further prioritize better and so far that’s worked miracles!

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  35. Do you have ‘drink coffee’ shirts? I’ve been out of touch with Little Fears, which is my fault. Maybe I should make it part of my first hour, eh? Anyway, great, helpful content. I think some of your characters should have a roundtable discussion on time management and mindset. That would be a kick. Thanks again.

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    1. Cheers, TMH. I don’t yet, I can make one. I had a Java Jive shirt I’ve finished but not uploaded yet as well, heh.

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  36. Awesome post! Pen and paper is one of the best ways to keep track of things to do. Its the ‘to do’ part I still have trouble in. But I can say definitively that it is a work in progress!

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  38. I realize I am a bit late in responding…but thought I would share my 2c anyway :). I love this: “Self-employment is rarely the happy-go-lucky care-free life people imagine. It sure as heck isn’t what’s on Instagram.” Yes, yes, and er…yes. A year in to self-employment and we can fully vouch for the grit of it. Thanks for offering some beneficial tips. Love your quirky writing, too.

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  39. Thanks so much for this post. I related to so much! I have almost always used a checklist to organize my day. I tried to stop doing that for awhile and discovered I spent too much time wandering around on the Internet – it’s so much easier to get distracted when you don’t have a clear outline of tasks to complete.
    Joan Senio
    My Best Friend Adeline
    https://kindness-compassion-and-coaching.com

    Like

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