How to Become a More Organized, Productive Creative

Happy Monday friends! The beginning of the week feels like a good time to discuss this subject. Monday is always the day I get organized and plan out my week.

I used to go about my weeks flying by the seat of my pants, just hoping I would get all the things done. As you can imagine, this didn’t make for a very productive (or enjoyable) week. The problem was that I was only tackling client tasks, but I wasn’t making any progress in my own business. I also wasn’t staying very organized in my personal life. It felt like I was simply putting out fires all day.

I realized this approach wasn’t sustainable, so I developed a weekly productivity sheet for myself. This sheet changed the way I approach my day. I’m often asked how I get so much done, and this is how. I’ve created a free version for you all to download here.

I’m providing this sheet for you, but you can also create one of your own. I realize I’m approaching this exercise from a niche perspective as a self-employed artist/designer. Some of you may have 9-5 jobs, or may work in a completely different field. I do think we can all use a productivity sheet in our lives, but keep in mind that yours may look different than mine.

While it may look different, here are some things I believe every productivity sheet should have:

• A simple morning routine: Mine consists of 30 minutes of yoga, and 2 pages of journaling.

• Space for internal and external priorities: You need to make sure you are moving your business forward, while also staying on top of your projects.

• Weekly organization tasks: I love getting our home organized on Friday, before the weekend. I also like incorporating time to run errands on Monday.

• Designated social media time: I try to do a daily Instagram post, as well as several Instagram stories per day to share my process and work. Besides these items, I try to stay off social media.

• Hours breakdown: Even if you aren’t billing a client for hours, it’s so important to have a general idea of how you are spending your time. This will tell you if you are charging enough for projects, or if you are spending too much time on things that aren’t priorities.

• Focus on finances: This is the one thing most of us creatives fall behind on. After running my errands on Monday, I try to go to a coffee shop and my business finances in order. This is when I send invoices and check bank accounts.