February 2009 Projects
I have been focusing more on my short-term goals for glademade. Choice pieces of wisdom from Ryan Lauderdale and Jerry Hensel have helped me get focused.
Ryan’s wisdom: Create goals for yourself, they really work. Ryan has been using “the 4-1-1” at work and for his art. The 411 is an easy way to remember to create weekly goals and those 4 weekly goals will add up to your one monthly goal, which will help to attain your 1 yearly goal. Even if you do not complete the goals you set for yourself, they may help you create future and more realistic goals. The trick is to make the weekly goals attainable. When Ryan first told me about this, I wrote down my my weekly goals and they were not attainable (Finish a large piece of art that I started on, and others). I am coming to terms with reality, and my current goal for the week is to have a college graduation announcement designed.
Jerry’s wisdom: If you’re trying to get things done, its good to get all the little things out of the way first, so they don’t bounce around in your head and distract you. If you get those things done right away, it might also benefit your mental health. I have learned similar lessons from my day job. Rule of thumb: When checking emails in the morning, if the email requires action that can be completed in 5 minutes or less do it before going to the next email. If it will take longer than 5 minutes, move the email to a folder labeled “to do today”. Currently I am trying to tie up loose ends.