Creativity demands focus.
But we artists often find ourselves lost in a sea of tasks, deadlines, and half-formed ideas. It’s in our nature! For many creatives, the traditional to-do list falls short, making us feel like we’re overwhelmed and uninspired.
But all you might need is a reimagined process that aligns with your creative flow — a to-do list upgrade.
Instead of having rigid schedules or trying to find the hundredth productivity hack that doesn’t work for you, why not create your own way of being productive while also being inspired, creative, and mindful at the same time?
📝 Why Traditional To-Do Lists Don’t (Always) Work For Artists
Before we dive into the juicy details of our to-do list upgrade, let’s chat about why the old-school methods we’re using might be falling short for us.
💭 It’s Not Following a Clear SMART Goal
If you’ve ever tried to write down “finish project” on your Apple Notes app and found yourself staring at it, wondering why it’s so hard to get it done, you’re not alone.
This is what we call, simply, a vague task. Vague tasks don’t give us a clear direction or endpoint. It makes us overwhelmed to start, but then disappointed when we look back and realize we still haven’t gotten it done.
Then, we think to ourselves — should I really be an artist if I can’t even get myself to finish a project I love? Yes, you are a true artist. You just need SMART goals.
These are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives that can transform your artistic process.
Let’s use “finish project” as an example — specifically, a painting project.
Instead of saying “finish X,” try to write “spend 2 hours working on the background of my seaside landscape.” See the difference? It’s more actionable and less daunting.
Plus, you know exactly when you’re going to achieve and check off this goal — in 2 hours!
🤗 You’re Not Complementing it with Manifestations (Speaking/Thinking Affirmations and Having a Vision Board)
Our to-do lists often lack the power of positive thinking and visualization. As artists, we’re visual and spiritual creatures — and you’ll need to tap into that inner strength.
Having a vision board helps bring all of your tasks and goals together. What are you really working towards for the next, say, 6 months?
Creating a vision board alongside your to-do list can be incredibly motivating. Imagine pinning images of your dream art studio, successful gallery openings, or even that fancy new set of brushes you’ve been eyeing. Unlike a SMART goal, there should be no limits to this vision board. Everything you want, put it. You’ll figure out the practicalities later.
Visuals are an important part of this, but make sure you also have some affirmations either on the vision board or on your phone lock screen, said in the present state. Watch the video below for more detail on that 👇
🧩 It’s Not Breaking Down Tasks Into Small Enough Pieces
We artists tend to think big – it’s part of our charm. 🤭
But when it comes to to-do lists, thinking too big can be our downfall. This goes back to those SMART goals – creating a task called “create new portfolio website” can feel so daunting!
So, it’s all about breaking down our projects into smaller, manageable chunks to maintaining momentum and avoid feeling that “I’m not doing enough” feeling.
So, instead of tackling that whole entire portfolio website in one go, try listing smaller tasks like “choose color scheme,” “gather artwork images,” or “write artist bio.” This bite-sized task prioritization is much less intimidating and easier to fit into our often unpredictable schedules.
You can do this in productivity apps like Asana, or this app I love using called Blitzit where you can time track and see time passed while working on your tasks!
✍️ The Mindful Artist’s Action Plan: To-Do List Upgrade Ideas
1. Turn Your Chores Into Rituals and Add Delight
Who says to-do lists have to be all work and no play? Let’s inject some joy into our daily tasks along with strategic time management techniques. Here’s what I mean:
Instead of dreading your morning email check, why not turn it into a cozy ritual? Brew your favorite tea, light a scented candle, and put on some inspiring background music. Suddenly, tackling your inbox becomes a delightful start to your day.
This approach works wonders for artistic tasks too. Need to organize your art supplies? Make it a fun decluttering party with your favorite podcast or audiobook playing in the background. By associating positive experiences with our tasks, we’re more likely to tackle them with enthusiasm.
I also get little delighters in apps like Asana — when I complete a task, it turns rainbow and sometimes a little character flies across the screen! 🦄 With Blitzit, I’ll get a little notification ding and a funny GIF on the side of my screen whenever I finish a task.
👋 2. Join Body Doubling Communities (or Cowork with a Friend!)
Body doubling is an amazing productivity technique that STATiC uses and loves where you work alongside someone else, either in person or virtually.
There are amazing online communities dedicated to body doubling for artists and creatives. You can join virtual coworking sessions where everyone works silently on their own projects. Or, if you don’t want to pay for a subscription, you can do this with friends on Facetime — which I do all the time!
Some great body-doubling apps:
🧶 3. Look for a Cozy Girl Job
A Cozy Girl Job (some call it a Lazy Girl Job, but I like cozy a little better!) is our little term for a low-stress, often remote job that allows you to pursue your passions (like art!) while maintaining financial stability.
If you feel like you’re struggling with productivity, ask yourself: are you constantly exhausted by your work or your job? Transitioning into a Cozy Girl Job into your to-do list upgrade strategy can help you actually enjoy your day-to-day work! It can provide structure to your day and a steady income, allowing you to approach your artistic pursuits with less financial stress.
Plus, many of these jobs offer flexible schedules, perfect for accommodating your creative flow!
Some Cozy Girl Job ideas for artists might include:
- Virtual assistant work
- Social media management
- Blog writing
- Content creation
- A remote full-time job that doesn’t require many meetings
🍪 4. Theme Your Days and Batch Work
One of my favorite to-do list upgrade techniques is theming my days and batching similar tasks together!
It’s honestly as easy as it sounds — assign a theme to different days of the week. (This is especially helpful if you work remotely and have a little more control over your work — that’s why I’m so enthusiastic about you getting one!).
For example, Mondays could be for admin tasks, Tuesdays for sketching and ideation, Wednesdays for painting, and so on. This structure helps reduce decision fatigue and allows you to dive deep into specific types of work.
Batching similar tasks is an amazing productivity technique. Think about the repetitive tasks you do and how you can batch them together. For example, you might spend a morning answering emails and updating your social media, then dedicate the afternoon to uninterrupted studio time.
Note: when it comes to creativity, batching can be a little foggy, and that’s okay. Creativity is spiritual. If you don’t feel like you can batch your work, I wouldn’t sweat it. This is where you’re working with a higher power and literally creating magic. Productivity and digital organization tools aren’t always the most welcome in those scenarios, and that’s kind of what makes being creative so special.
🎯 5. Have Goals and Systems For Your Artist Career and Lifestyle
Last but certainly not least in our to-do list upgrade is the importance of having both goals and systems for your artistic career and lifestyle.
Goals give us direction and motivation, while systems provide the day-to-day structure to achieve those goals.
When it comes to goals, I believe you should have goals no longer than 6 months in advance. For me, anything more than that can get foggy — because who knows what’s really going to happen more than 6 months in advance?! I feel planning too much in advance could create unrealistic expectations and doesn’t allow for a higher power to work with you to realize your goals.
When it comes to goals, create systems to support these goals.
This might include a daily sketching habit, weekly time for researching exhibition opportunities, or monthly check-ins with your art business finances. Habit-stacking is a great way to get more productivity to consistently move towards your bigger artistic dreams.
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The perfect to-do list upgrade is the one that works for you. It might take some experimenting to find your ideal setup, but that’s all part of the creative process! Embrace the journey, have fun with it, and don’t be afraid to add your own artistic flair to your productivity apps and tools. 💖
