The next Business Basics for Freelancers class is here! I'm trying out a new venue: Caffeine Underground in Bushwick! Having it at a cafe is great because you can also get caffeine and food during the session. Please sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-basics-for-freelancers-tickets-48501544425

So I've been wanting to do a blog post about the evolution of my "to do" wall for awhile, and I have a free post about part of it on my Patreon. Since the business class is approaching there's no time like the present to delve a little more into it! Part of the class focuses on productivity and organizational skills, which is at the heart of succeeding at any project. I don't get into THIS much detail about the "to do wall" in the class but this is my blog and I do what I want :) The main takeaway from this is to try new and different things with managing tasks and projects to see what work, and what DOESN'T work.

I read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen and started a "to do wall" like this. I'm not going to go into the whole GTD method here, but I realized the need to divide tasks into "paid" (teaching, weekly comic) and "unpaid" (cleaning, figuring out computer problems, etc). I also made a huge category for "unpaid but could possibly lead to $" which as an artist, a lot of things fell under. There's no guarantee that I'll make a killing at comic conventions, so every task associated with those fell under that category. Also personal art projects. In any case, I realized the need to organize this further.

There, that's a bit more organized. I divided tasks into time categories, like ones that may only take 15 minutes vs a half hour. However, you'll see the "career" portion of the wall has a TON of stuff. Part of GTD is a "brain dump" which means getting everything out of your head onto paper, but the method lacks how to prioritize. So I ended up having a lot of "good ideas" on my "to do wall" that were very low priority ideas, and they became overwhelming.

TADAA!! Much better! Those previous "to do walls" were also from the time I was teaching comics part time, but when I switched to full time freelancing, I had to make a major change. I got to control how I spent every hour of my day, so what would my ideal day look like? I go over more of this in the Business Basics for Freelancers class on Tuesday August 21st, from 2-5p at Caffeine Underground, 447 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11221. Early Bird tickets are $50 online and walk-ins are $55 at the door. Hope to see you there!

PS: Hope these "to do walls" weren't too overwhelming. This method works for me, but you may find a better method that works for you to keep track of tasks.

I've been wanting to do a blog about podcasts for awhile now. I've been listening to productivity podcasts for about half a year, and I feel more people should know about them, because they've helped me a lot. There are podcasts for everything these days for improving any kind of skill. There are lots for cartooning, and maybe I'll do a separate post on those, but productivity/time management is something that everyone can improve, and that artists in particular have a hard time with. I always listen to podcasts in the "in between" times, like cooking, eating, or doing dishes. It's great because I'm learning at the same time I'm doing something else = multitasking!

Time Hackers www.imjulie.com Julie Sheranosher has become one of my favorite people. She shares short bite-sized 10 min segments on time management tips. Never say you don't HAVE time. There are always ways to MAKE time and she's great at explaining things in a clear way with a bit of spunkiness. She also has a "Super Hero Edition" each week where she interviews other entrepreneurs in a hero-themed way. One time I emailed Julie and she made a whole episode about my question! Not saying she'll do this for everyone, but if you find a mentor-like person you admire online, go ahead and reach out to them - you never know what could happen!

Beyond The To-Do List www.beyondthetodolist.com Erik Fisher has hour long interviews with productive people, showing you how to complete a good work/life balance. I found the Time Hackers podcast from this site. He hosts a lot of interesting entrepreneurs as guests! Not all guest situations may apply to you, but you can still gain useful knowledge no matter what area of expertise the entrepreneur specializes in.

The Unmistakable Creative Podcast www.unmistakablecreative.com Srini Rao has hour long (sometimes longer) interviews with leaders from all walks of life. The word "creative" has a broader meaning than just artists in this and other podcasts, and applies to all kinds of entrepreneurs. This one can get pretty deep and philosophical. Most of the people interviewed (that I've listened to so far) have been writers, artists, and "performance psychologists." I love the cartoony drawings throughout the site!

Hope you find some of these helpful! As Julie says "Keep calm and hack time."

The days are getting shorter and colder, so why not stay in and brush up on some skillz?

The Evolution of my TO DO wall + Next Business Class!

Productivity Podcasts