Creative Time Management Part 2: “Creative Organization”

September 10, 2008

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to read several time management resources from a creative perspective and bring back to Timbuktoons some tips and tricks for getting things done even more efficiently.

This is the second article in a four part series where I will be sharing those insights that have turned us from free floating creative types to efficient and organized free-floating creative types! (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt.3, Pt.4)

CREATIVE ORGANIZATION
“Creative Organization” might seem like an oxymoron since the stereotypical creative type lives and works in a clutter of chaos (whether on desktop actual or desktop virtual) only coming up for the occasional snack of hummus. But the truth is organization for the creative can be quite freeing and well…creative!

Keys:

Plan everyday in advance. Whether the night before or right before you dive in- planning out your day and working from that list can help you work on your own time versus being reactive to whatever daily interruptions you endure. When things come up- add it to the list and practice your creative procrastination skills! Also it would be good to work from multiple lists (in Basecamp, HighRise or BackPack) such as: Master List, Monthly List, Weekly List and Daily List.
Create imaginary deadlines. Deadlines are evil! Okay, maybe that is overreacting. But they are often used by creatives to procrastinate in a non-productive and non-creative way. How many times have you waited right up until a deadline is looming to finish something? Sure deadlines can motivate you like nothing else…but at what cost? They often cause unnecessary and self-created stress and mistakes. Try to think of work in this scenario often: “I just won a cruise to the Bahamas but I have to leave next week to claim it.” How would that change your pace and priorities?
Create a “Bucket List.” No not the kind of list made popular by a recent movie! Have a habit of writing all of your commitments in “buckets” or categories and review your them often. It doesn’t matter what kind of bucket it is…computer, paper, audio, video…whatever works for you. Make it fun! Some buckets might be home, work, a specific big project, etc.

Part 3: “Creative Flow”

There is no shortage of time management resources…just do a search on Amazon.com and you will be overwhelmed! These ideas are a mix of things that have worked for us at Timbuktoons, “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy, “Time Management for Creative People” by Mark McGuinness, “Do It Tomorrow” by Mark Forster and a host of other tips and tricks from the world of personal productivity!