Thoughts on Illustration

10 Productivity Tips for Illustrators

Episode Summary

In this episode, I'm going to give you 10 tips for being more productive as an illustrator. These are tips that I personally use and NEED to stay on top of my game. Along the way, I'll share my own challenges in being productive, which will help you understand why I've chosen these particular tips for you. In the intro, I share some updates from my family situation.

Episode Notes

In this episode, I'm going to give you 10 tips for being more productive as an illustrator. These are tips that I personally use and NEED to stay on top of my game. Find out why my advice is quite contrary to what all the Productivity Gurus are saying. Along the way, I'll share my own challenges in being productive, which will help you understand why I've chosen these particular tips for you. In the intro, I share some updates from my family situation.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Intro and personal thoughts

• (0:00:00) Intro
• (0:01:27) Thank you / How to Support
• (0:02:38) Some personal updates

The Main Content

• (0:11:01) Opening story: Monsieur Malbec's New Tractor Hobby
• (0:16:43) What is productivity and why is it important to you?
• (0:17:44) The Cult of Productivity
• (0:19:42) Five productivity challenges
• (0:19:50) False Productivity
• (0:21:18) Decision Paralysis
• (0:22:08) Disorganization
• (0:23:17) Distractedness
• (0:24:33) Inertia

The Productivity Tips

• (0:25:46) Tip 1: Do Morning Pages
• (0:28:33) Tip 2: Keep a to-do list
• (0:31:10) Tip 3: Prioritize paid work
• (0:32:56) Tip 4: Don't try to do it all
• (0:34:45) Tip 5: Disable notifications
• (0:36:52) Tip 6: Keep regular work hours
• (0:39:24) Tip 7: Have a dedicated work zone
• (0:42:18) Tip 8: Track your time
• (0:46:56) Tip 9: Use a calendar app
• (0:49:39) Tip 10: Have a consistent creative practice
  • Link: The Six Stages of Illustration (Skillshare class) https://skl.sh/3LxzI4I

Final Thoughts

• (0:54:08) Contextualizing these tips
• (0:56:10) Staying productive is hard
• (0:56:50) The Lie of Productivity
• (0:57:49) Focus = Sacrifice = Doing Less
• (1:00:12) Homework question: What is your job identity? Use the answer to help you better understand what you need to be prioritizing each day and ultimately why you need to stay productive.
• (1:02:28) Outro

PODCAST TEAM/CREDITS 

All Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk.

FIND ME ELSEWHERE 

http://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese