Updated: Aug 18, 2023
Ah, the humble to-do list, sitting patiently waiting for you to dump all of your mental clutter onto it before finding something more fun to do instead.
After discovering a slightly more engaging way to use my to-do list, I thought I’d better share it incase you’re suffering from the dread and distraction on your list too.
An ongoing document
Are you the kind of person who feels success from ticking everything off your to-do list? Or maybe even the type who adds the tasks you’ve already done just to get that easy win feeling? (guilty!)
What if I were to suggest that a to-do list could be an ongoing document - would that send you into existential dread or does that excite you a bit?
A while ago, I had the thought that my website is an ongoing document and that by adding ‘finish website’ to my list was pointless, because I’m a changing and developing human being so how would I expect my website to stay the same and for it to one day be ‘completed.’ Looking at it this way took SO MUCH pressure off my need to finish the task. I started to look at my to-do list with these goggles too.
Your definition of 'productive'
A ‘productive day’ to me is to finish all the things I set out to do that day - things that I’ve cherry picked from the huge on-going document to add to my static sticky note. Once everything is ticked off I consider that a productive day. Sometimes the things on my list are ‘to walk in the park’, ‘ to eat well (whatever I fancy)’ and ‘to read’- planning in quiet time or time to look after yourself is a very important task.
I started reading Deep Work by Cal Newport (no, we’re not related), what I took from the book was to separate my to-do list into a Deep work section and a shallow work section. The Deep work bit holds all the big goal tasks and the shallow work holds the smaller but still supportive tasks. I added my own 'personal paraphernalia' section too, these are outside of work time jobs.
I have three big goals in my Deep Work section: to write my blog post for the month, to write my monthly round up newsletter and to complete a page in my daily drawing journal (with the big goals to be to write more, to draw more and to share more interesting content). The shallow goals for me are usually along the lines of: buy a new drawing journal, to read book x or to find that recipe on Pinterest to share on my newsletter.
Basically, keep the big goals and deep work simple and easy to stick to with a good deadline and keep the shallow tasks simple and supportive. Work on the deep and meaningful and get yourself nice and comfy in the flow state.
Are you a digital to-do lister, a glittery gel pen to-do lister or a scruffy scrap paper to-do lister?
I'm planning on reading The Productivity Project next by Chris Bailey, let me know if you have any book recommendations or to-do list hacks! I'd love to hear them
More interesting reads:
Hyper Focus by Chris Bailey
_______________________________________________________________________________
If you have a friend who might enjoy this kind of discussion, feel free to share this with them or if you have any thoughts on this subject please do leave a comment or drop me an email. To keep up with the latest blog posts, join my monthly round up here.
Updated: Mar 17
The Good Old Days of Concentration
I started to think about my school days. I would get home, dig out all of my art materials, make a huge mess on the floor, working away whilst scrunched up in a ball until I couldn’t feel my legs. I’d be up late working on something that I was 100% immersed in. I’d loose all sense of time, not even consider any basic needs (like sitting comfortably) and I’d be lost in my own world. I was hooked and couldn’t get enough of it!
Why do I find it so difficult to achieve this state now?
This set me off on a mission to look at lengthening my attention span, questioning social media addictions and digital distractions. This led me to find out that the state of focus I was looking for is actually known as Flow State.
A Bit More Research into it
Named by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in the1970s and set out into three simple rules by Johan Hari in his book Stolen Focus, I felt like I had more of an understanding of this mystical state.
Hari explains that our task needs to be:
- Something meaningful to us
- Stretching our abilities
- Have A Clear Goal
Starting with outlining the task, removing distraction and as many friction points as possible and then... Go!
Having faith that your idea will work and then just working on it, no shame or input from anyone else.
Applying this to the studio
I've cut out distractions, set my studio up to be more flow-friendly and consider Hari's 3 rules before I set out my task. Flow state is happening in the studio again!
What projects do you get lost in?
If you have a friend who might enjoy this kind of discussion, feel free to share this with them or if you have any thoughts on this subject please do leave a comment or drop me an email. To keep up with the latest blog posts, join my monthly round up here.
______________________________________________________________________
Interesting reads:
Edited extract from Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention by Johann Hari, published by Bloomsbury. The Guardian
Stolen Focus book by Johan Hari
How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy book by Jenny Odell
Losing Yourself in Flow State TED talk by Diane Allen
Updated: Mar 17
Our time, energy and attention are so important to us, so why are we so happy to simply waste them?
When I took a year off from my studio and work, I was told about the 'spoons theory' created by Christine Miserandino. This idea was told in terms of chronic fatigue and illness, I think it's applicable for everyone too.
On a good day, a person starts off with 12 spoons of energy. Each task throughout the day takes up 1 spoonful. Getting dressed, eating breakfast, washing up... For a person with fatigue and low energy, these spoons aren't replaced, they're simply used up for the day.
Keeping it in mind that once your spoons are used up, that's it. You can start to look at tasks in a very different light. What are the things you want to do, what are the things you need to do and what can you either leave behind or ask someone to help you with.
In terms of work and studio practice, what tasks can you prioritise and get done and what can you either delegate or leave behind.
When was the last time you stopped the busy work and had a closer look at what you're peddling along with? Have you found any processes, analogies or methods that remind you to reduce or change your work load?
If you have a friend who might enjoy this kind of discussion, feel free to share this with them or if you have any thoughts on this subject please do leave a comment or drop me an email. To keep up with the latest blog posts, join my monthly round up here.
________________________________________________________________________________
More interesting finds:
Burn out & Drawing as Salvation blog by Emma Carlisle
The Spoon Theory article by Christine Miserandino. Energy levels when you have a chronic illness or suffer from Fatigue.
Kate Spencer's Life With Soul podcast - more about the tin bucket analogy
Benefits Of Creating Slower blog by Elin Loow
