Time Management: How do you do it?

[Kimberly Dow]

I promise I'm not trying to hijack the thread....it does tie in.
This is one evening - maybe from 8pm - 2am with plenty of breaks looking up at the TV. I was set up in the livingroom that night to watch some program while I painted....
I dont think it was that much accomplished for the hours...
The first one I dont have a 'before' shot - but the background was in. I just did the first lay-in of skin color and hair.
The second one I have posted the before and then just worked on her face and hair that night. Neither are nearly done. These are the two I worked on that night.

Is this fast?

[Jimmie Arroyo]

My turn, my turn.

Wake up about 7am to get my daughter ready for school. At 8:30, I check my mesages and other online stuff. Then either squeeze a few minutes of painting time, cleaning, or take a half hour nap. Shower at 11am, get to work by 12noon.

Stab and make people bleed until 9 or 10pm. Most of the day, wish I was home painting.

Get back home around 9-11pm, eat, read my daughter a story (she stays up until I get home), make my wife watch cartoons. About 12am, I'm ready to paint. Paint til at least 2am if I'm really tired, 4am if I'm not tired or on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sundays are family days, I paint at 12am to 3am. When I'm done painting or drawing, I have a glass of milk.

[Kimberly Dow]

Jimmie - I can't help but wonder if you and I have matching bags under our eyes?

[Michele Rushworth]

Quite a thread! Seems people have been wanting to talk about this for a long time!

My "time management" tips, if you can call them that, are as follows:

First, get a couple of commissions with hard and fast deadlines. There's nothing like an unveiling that HAS to happen on a certain date to make you paint your little behind off, seven days a week, until the piece is done.

Second, "just say no" to almost everything else. About three years ago I decided I could only do two things if I was going to do a decent job of either one: family stuff and artwork. If anything comes up that's outside those two things, I pretty much don't do it. (That includes just saying no to housecleaning too. I hire a cleaning lady whenever I can.)

I try to keep my internet time to the hours before 7 am and after 7pm. I also need frequent breaks during my painting day (typically 9 am to 5 pm) so I pop online for a few short minutes here and there. Otherwise I make a few phone calls or do other paperwork stuff when I take my breaks out of the studio. Before 9 am and after 5 pm I'm Mom again.

I do keep time sheets, of two different types. I track how much time I work each week, and how much of that time is spent on painting, doing marketing, admin stuff or teaching. I average about 40 working hours a week. I also track, separately, how much time I've spent on each painting.

I've never been a night owl but I keep thinking how much more I'd be able to accomplish if I could work til 2 am. Of course, my family would disown me because I'd be a raving lunatic (more so than I am already).

[Patt Legg]

What a thread and a common one indeed.

I have been asking myself this very question and anyone else who would stop to listen.

Julie, I can relate so much with the "flavor" of your post. Particularly with the part about needing balance in your life and the forgetting bill time. I am at a point in my life when I should be very much in control and have plenty of time but I am busier than ever. Not that I didn't intentionally plan it that way but somehow I have allowed it to get out of control.

My 5 adult kids are all on their own now and my time was better, the last one out and ok over 15 years ago. Unfortunately, my hubby has been ill now and home all of the time for over 10 years. He has been able to take over the meals in the evening that has been a blessing and sometimes the laundry (although it is scary sometimes). Also, within the last 1 1/2 years I have opened my own Gallery and Gift Boutique -Tues- Sat. My intention was to paint on location within my shoppe. Well my left brain has plenty of battles with my right side of the brain -finding it very difficult to concentrate on serious work (commissions)

I proceeded to only paint still life, whatever I could to demo for my incoming customers. Now I have my easel (the Sorg here on the sideline) set up in part of my dining room at home with my serious portrait setting there. Now here is where I thought putting Michele's theory to work was for me. I have 5 commissioned portraits with their deadlines (sort of) . What I have found is that most of my clients will say "whenever" I finish is ok with them. So what do I do-----procrastinate.

Meanwhile I am working on my web pages myself, yes Kimberly I cut my hair myself for over 2 years now, manage my 4 rentals we have had for 10 years as extra income, clean our 10 room 2-story house (sometimes), go to some outside interests for the interest of my in-town business, on occasion sit with or play with one of our 12 grandchildren, do a yard sale, meanwhile my hubby is admitted to the hospital usually 3 times a year for 3-15 days, yadda yadda yadda.

I had better stop now as I feel I am hogging space. I am totally out of control of my life - painting life at least-feeling so distressed that I cannot paint and at the moment, I am flat on my back most of the past 3 days due to stress and problems in my back that I cannot walk.

Help!!!! I do actually accomplish most of all that I set out to do , believe it or not, but my body, my health and my painting is suffering.

I feel sometimes like I am racing against time but not sure why.



I will stop

[Patt Legg]

Oh and I almost forgot, ( I said my memory is failing too) I also do 3 to 5 six day workshops a year in beginner oil painting.

Any suggestions as to how to actually orgainize my time -beginning with organizing my thoughts?

Thanks
Patt

[Michele Rushworth]

I'd suggest one thing: priortize. Sounds like you do a lot of different things and maybe some of them have to fall by the wayside.