it's just my opinion

by Lon Levin

time

/tīm/

a point of time as measured in hours and minutes.

Ever thought that there’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done? Wouldn’t it be great to have 5-10 more hours of time? Let me walk you through some ways you can save time in your week.

Say "no" more often! If you’re a people pleaser like me it may be really hard to say no or to end a phone call conversation that has gone on far too long..

Years ago I never gave a lot of thought to how much time I was wasting talking to people well beyond the amount of time I should have. Especially when I was talking to someone about a job or a project.

I wanted them to like me as well as my work. And most of the time they did…like me. The art….well not as much. It’s hard to excuse yourself from a conversation but it is necessary and the person you’re talking to will most of the time have more respect for you and your time. So yes, say no more often and free up some time for yourself.

Batch your work. This requires thoughtful organization and a plan to stick to. You might think that this will stifle your creativity. But in fact it’ll help you to become totally professional and save you hours of time. I learned this lesson the hard way as a creative director in the entertainment industry. Frequently I had to work on and oversee 10-20 projects at a time. By moving forward forcefully and batching types of activities together we were able to discover solutions that were not apparent when we started Use your waiting time well.

Use your waiting time well. Instead of cruising the internet and following inane stories down a rabbit hole of wasted time, you can watch a webinar, read a chapter in a book or organize your supplies. Important discoveries for solving creative problems are frequently found in useful down time.

Lay off TV and social media. I don’t mean to never watch them but endless watching of either is counterproductive and it eats up time you can use for other more significant endeavors. The discipline this brings will resonate throughout your work.

And finally, schedule your priorities. First tackle the projects that are due first, even if others seem more interesting or excite you more. If you have the choice work on the most intense projects first. That way you will be able to control the pressure of deadlines better. As my dad used to say, “Your reputation is everything” and earning a reputation as a talented, trustworthy and easy to deal with illustrator is truly a great achievement.

The bottom line is everyone has 24 hours in a day. How you use them is up to you entirely.

Illustration by Lon Levin