"And the beat goes on......................"
Arts Administrators have an increasingly heavy workload. Due dates, reports, meetings, program launches and management, fundraising. Every day it seems like there is more on our plates than time in the day.
We often end up taking work home, because we just couldn't get it all done at work. Part of the problem is that there are growing distractions, things that take us away from our focus, disrupt our work flow, and get us off track. And then there is the natural proclivity to procrastinate, and to postpone. We all do it. The net result is a higher level of anxiety and a work product we often feel isn't as good as we are capable of producing. And falling behind makes us feel more pressure, and that pressure makes us feel we're losing control.
How then can you hunker down and get real work done - on a regular basis? How can you recognize when you're off track and falling behind?
Here is a simple hack that might help: Ask yourself this simple question twice a day
Is what I am doing right now, the best use of my time?
Ask yourself that one question once in the mid-morning, and once, in the early afternoon. If the answer is yes, then, no problem - you're in control and on point. If the answer is anything but an unqualified "yes", then you might want to stop doing what you're doing and refocus your energies on whatever you intuitively know would be a better use of your time.
Asking this simple question can help you focus on your time management and priorities. It can help you to keep control of your environment and situation. By asking yourself this question twice a day - morning and afternoon, you leave yourself some room to refocus and reprioritize. It can help you gain - and keep - control of external forces that interfere with your productivity. And by so doing, it can help you feel better about what you are doing. It's a way to consciously remind yourself what you want to accomplish.
It's not always easy to tune out, to resist and avoid the distractions, to keep your mind on the tasks at hand, and so taking stock on a regular basis can help you stay focused and understand whether or not you are in control of the time, or it is in control of you.
Try it for a week. What do you have to lose? If it helps, make it a habit.
Have a great week.
Don't Quit
Barry
