I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but I am aware of a profound shift available to me as the old year walks off into the sunset, leaving me with all the green newness of the new year before me. So, what to create in this brand new year? What seeds to plant?
The two major seeds, this January 1? A day job, and licensing contracts. So, it's time to get practical. Since we can all use a little bit of organizational butt-kicking once in a while - and particularly after a holiday season, I'm thinking - I want to share with you my plans, beginning January 3rd (I'm still on vacation, so it'll wait, but only until 6:00AM, 1/3/12! I'm locked and loaded!).
I am going to start by using (1) A Daily Schedule, and (2) An Intentions List.
The Daily Schedule
The daily schedule is going to look like this (in theory, anyway, until the practice portion of our program shows me what adjustments need to be made):
6:00AM - Meditation
7:00AM - Food
8:00AM-Noon - Le Job Hunt! And email check (personal and business).
Noon-1:00PM - Food (see the repetitive pattern here? I do like to eat.). And a walk.
1:00-2:00 - Gather information on two, and only two, places to submit my work for that day,
2:00-3:00 - Do what I can to put my work into proper submission format for those two places.
3:00-4:00 - Submit! Mail! Email! Whatever it takes to make my new daily goal of 2 submissions.
4:00-5:00 - Draw
5:00-6:00 - Food (Yay!)
6:00-8:00 - Draw, Draw, Draw, and work on my business and marketing (Somewhere in there I'm supposed to be blogging, etc..., which brings up The Intentions List).
The Intentions List
Here's where the Daily Schedule takes a shot to the head, I'm afraid, because as I become more invested in growing my business, these intentions are going to impinge on and irrevocably alter my Daily Schedule! Here we go:
(1) Setting up webinars.
(2) Doing some marketing in regards to my blog, and looking into video and audio blogging.
(3) Communicating on a daily basis with my fellow artists - through LinkedIn, email, Skype, whatever it takes.
(4) Continuing to learn about licensing from Tara Reed, Joan Beiriger and others. And continuing to apply what I'm learning!
(5) Preparing art for Valentine's Day projects I've been invited to participate in.
(6) Continuing to work on my art collections so that I have 12 pieces for each collection; this is supposed to be the magic number.
(7) Continuing to create other artistic marketing tools that are not yet completed.
This is more organizational thinking than I've ever done in my life - at least for my own business. I've been an administrative type for too many years to count, and I've done the organizational bit for others' businesses. But for my own? Different! And now that I'm looking at the daily schedule and the intentions -uh - I'm gonna have to do my daily schedule over again. D'oh!
I will be having a talk with my cat, Thomas, to let him know that if my head explodes, he should just prop me up against my desk until I come to.
Oh yes...I forgot about the recording session I'm going to be doing on the 6th for my singing. Where does that fit in, exactly?
Crikey.
If anyone has any better organizational ideas, I am all ears!
Tally Ho!