Thoughtful Thursdays: Managing Time
This week's Thoughtful Thursday post is about (maybe you guessed already) time management.
Sounds pretty dry, but I know many people see the quote to the left here and think "Yeah... but I'm just not as motivated." or "Ugh, it's because she has people!" or "I mean... she's Beyoncé."
Blah, blah, blah!
Well, I ALSO have as many hours in the day as Beyoncé. People always ask me how I fit so many things into one day, week or even month and live to tell the tale, so I am going to give you a glimpse into how I time manage and maybe it will help you! Especially those future or fellow producers out there.
Some people say you can't do it all - and I agree - but I also think you CAN do all the things you want in a day if you plan it right. Here are 4 simple things I follow that make my days move much smoother:
Item 1: HAVE A DAY PLANNER!
I know this is pretty basic, but most discard this as too academic, but it seriously is great to have your schedule physically in your hand. Sure, an iPhone can track your goings on, but if that craps out, this paper planner will always have your back!
Here is mine (a gift from my La-Ti-Do cofounder Regie made by Shinola Detroit):
Item 2: Take time to lay out your schedule.
For me, it helps to have an outline of the day ahead. Because I'm crazy, I usually do this on a Sunday night and plan the week ahead, but this is a simple task you can do before you go to bed at night. Below is an example of one of my days this week. I always try to arrive a little early because I hate being LATE!
NOTE: If you're a chronically late person, then manually put travel time into your schedule and reminders to leave on time.
7:00am - Wake Up/Get Ready for Work
8:45am - Catch the 96 Bus (Yes, I have a day job too)
9:00am - 12:00pm - Work Day Pt. 1/Check La-Ti-Do emails intermittently
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Mid-day Work Out/Lunch
1:00pm - 3:00pm - Work Day Pt. 2 /Check La-Ti-Do emails intermittently
3:00pm - Leave for Friendship Heights for a 4pm meeting
4:00pm - 5:00pm - Meeting with Sundance Travel about my trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands
5:30pm - Catch up with a former colleague at CityCenter DC
6:45pm - Meet friend Elizabeth for Ford's Theatre first run-through of 110 in the Shade
7:00pm - 9:30pm - Ford's Theatre's 110 in the Shade
10:30pm - Arrive home
11:30pm - Bed time
So as you can see here my day is pretty packed, BUT having an outline always helps me ferry myself from place to place and of course I always anticipate this not going the way it's set. However, I am pretty good at staying on task, which is always good when you're trying to achieve a goal by the end of the day.
Item 3: COMMUNICATE
Again, basic, but some people get so trapped in their heads about their routine, that they forget to tell the people involved if there are any changes.
Item 4: Enjoy What You're Doing.
When you are putting your tasks ahead together ask yourself: "Am I doing this because I want or need to?"
I absolutely know there are things we haaaave to do, but you can even find ways to enjoy what you're doing in those situations as well.
Overall though, try to find joy and purpose in the tasks you've planned for yourself because let's be honest and say that you do more than half of what you do because of choices you've made prior.
SO... on that note. How do you structure your day?
DISCLAIMER: This is part of a series of weekly posts where I give my opinion on hot-button issues in the production world. They will always be my opinion and are always meant to spark conversation!
