How I Get it All Done with My Daily Habits

I have to give a shoutout to my friend Staci (@thevelvetvine) for this post idea! She asked me how I make time for all the things, and what kind of daily habits I have when it comes to blogging, learning, client work, Etsy, and painting.

I’m humbled it appears I’m doing all the things from the outside, because this is something I’ve always struggled with. I’m a dreamer. I have so many goals and projects I want to accomplish. Because of that, I have a natural tendency to be scatter-brained and take on too much. In the past few years, I’ve become very aware of this tendency, which has been essential to solving the problem. I’ve realized that I need more structure than most people, and that habits and systems are where the magic happens for me.

Before we tackle daily habits, I think it’s important to think about your larger vision for your career (and life). Imagine what your dream life would be. For me, success is loving what I do, being able to work when/where I want, and having an impact on others.

Here are some questions I ask myself on a regular basis:

1. What would my life look like if I achieved ultimate success? And if I had that success, what would change?

2. What are the best and worst parts of my day? What does my dream day look like?

3. What aspects of my business are making the most money? Which do I actually enjoy (or at least not mind)?

Answering these questions helps me figure out what work is most important to me. Once I defined my version of success, I came to realize that the most important aspects of my business are:

• Making & Selling My Art - This is my passion. I could paint all day, every day. If I’m not making art regularly, I’m not much fun to be around.

• Client Design Work - This is what pays the big bucks, and I actually enjoy the work. It’s the perfect “yang” to my art.

• Teaching - This makes me feel like I’m making an impact. While I don’t currently see money from this, it’s really important to me.

• Learning - Learning new skills lights me up. I don’t directly see money from this either, but I like to think it’s an investment in my future.

I know that if I spend my time in these areas, it’s time well spent. Now, I’ll go through my habits. My habits ensure that each of these areas gets some love. They don’t always happen, but as long as they usually happen, I’m moving the needle forward. For example, this blog post was supposed to come out last week and it just didn’t happen. That’s okay, because I’m usually really good about blogging. I think it’s important for us to not be too hard on ourselves.

My Daily Habits:

1. Make a list of 3 professional and 3 personal things to do daily (This habit is a game changer, and it’s best to do first thing. Anything I don’t accomplish rolls over to the next day.)

2. Paint at least one brushstroke in my sketchbook

3. Clear desktop and inbox

4. Read before bed every night

My Weekly Habits:

1. Post one blog post

2. Illustrate and add one new art print to Etsy

3. Send any outstanding client invoices

My Monthly Habits:

1. Set 3 goals for the month (I accomplish these goals in bite size tasks on my daily to-do list)

2. Send newsletter

3. Take at least one online class

Just as important as adding habits, are eliminating things that don’t fit your larger vision. I used to want a lot of things for the wrong reasons. I thought having an office space and hiring people would make me successful, and I’ve come to realize (the hard way!) that these things actually make me miserable.

Oddly enough, I attribute more of my productivity to the things I don’t do. For fun, I’ve listed out things I don’t do below in order to make time for what matters:

1. I don’t typically make social plans more than two nights a week (usually one friends night and one family night). I also don’t hang out with people who are negative or drain my energy.

2. I don’t spend a lot of time working out. I go on several walks per day, and do 20 minutes of yoga every day. I could probably do more, but to me this is good enough.

3. I don’t watch more than 1-2 hours of TV per day. I love TV. It’s one of my favorite things to do, but this is as much as I can fit in with my current habits.

4. I’m not big on cooking. We Door Dash a lot, and make a lot of quick meals. I try to eat really healthy, while not spending too much time on preparation. Making my art is more important to me.

5. I work at home, saving time on the commute. That means I also don’t have an office space or employees, so I can maintain very little overhead and work on the things I love.

6. I don’t take any meetings that don’t think align with my larger vision. I won’t meet up with someone just because they ask. Maybe my networking skills can improve, but this approach works for me.

7. I mostly shop online. Stores are a real time suck for me, so I try not to waste time going out, unless it’s shopping with a friend for pleasure. I order all of our groceries through Instacart. I find I actually spend less doing this, because my purchases are well thought out.

8. I don’t cut my lawn or clean my house. I’ve hired people to do that for me, because what I pay them is less than what I make per hour.

9. I don’t spend time on social media. I only have Instagram, and I typically post and log out. I’m sure I would have more followers if I didn’t do this, but that doesn’t really fit into my larger life vision.

10. I try not to text or make social calls while I’m working. It cuts into my productivity. I usually respond to people on my lunch break. I have any messaging apps disabled on my desktop, and I’m a huge fan of airplane mode on my phone.

Just as I was writing that list, I could hear some judging voices saying I’m crazy, or not normal. And that’s true. I’m not normal. Most people don’t have their own business, or create full-time. This is what works for me, and me alone. Some people might think I’m snobby for not cleaning my own house or buying my own groceries. That’s okay, because I can see how much money the time saved has made me. I get paid hourly for client work, so to me it’s a no brainer.

What I’m able to accomplish in a day may look very different from what you’re able to accomplish, depending on your family dynamics and lifestyle. Go easy on yourself and start with small habits- even if it’s just a brushstroke per day. After you’ve set some realistic habits, decide what you don’t need to do, and tune out the negative voices that might judge you for your choices.

What would you stop doing if no one was watching?

The older I get, the more I’ve realized that you have to clear space for new, better things to come in. It might sound a little woo woo, but I really believe this to be true. Any time I’ve done something nice for myself to free up time in my schedule, great opportunities flow in to fill the space. If you seek more (or better) clients, I would try this out. Make space for them. Hire someone to do something for you. Say no to something you really don’t want to do. I’ve become a local legend for saying no. Fire a bad client. I’m famous for firing bad clients too, and much better clients always flow in to fill the space. I think money works the same way, but that’s a whole other topic :)

Lastly - I’m a big reader, so there are a few books I’ll leave you with that really changed the way I look at my habits and my schedule:

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg