Dec 30, 20217 min read

Time Management

Throughout this project time management is essential as without correct management the artists will run out of time. They need to plan their time wisely and make sure that keep scheduling.

This year due to BA being self-managed the artists cannot rely on their tutor to manage what they do week by week. This means they need to plan to achieve maximum usage of their time.

Time management is the process of the artist planning and controlling their time and how long they spend on specific tasks. Having good time management enables the artist to complete more tasks in a shorter timeframe. It’s about working smarter and not harder. Getting it right can relieve stress even when time is tight.

The artist's ability to manage their time more effectively is important during their major project. It means they will use their time more productively and achieve more.

First, the artists must look at how they currently manage their time. Do they have good management or is this something they need to work on? How good is the artist currently with organising their time and workload? When they do start something, are they able to focus and get it done or do they get distracted easily?

Figure 2, How good is your time management Quiz

The artist took a test online called ‘How good is your time management from this they can begin putting a plan together to build better time management.

The artists took the test to determine if there was anything else they could do to improve their time management during the major project and in the future.

The findings from the test showed that the artist got a 44. This was good and showed they are already good at some things but need improvement in other areas. The test advised 5 sections that broke down how the artist could best use their time and how to maximise their time in the future.

Goal Setting scored a 5 out of 10

The test stated the artist required better goal setting to manage their time more effetely. Without proper goals, the artist will waste their time on meaningless tasks which are less important than others.

Prioritization scored a 21 out of 30

They had good prioritising skills and were able to put some tasks above others but needed to focus more on this using the goal required to complete set tasks and not just randomly. They need to work on the highest priority tasks first and work their way down to the least priority tasks last.

Managing Interruptions they scared a 7 out of 20

One main area of concern for the artist was an interruption. They have a lot of interruptions throughout their working day due to other commitments such as school runs, drop off and pick-ups for older children, phone calls and notifications. They need to look at what interruptions can be reduced to help run a more productive day. This could be little things such as turning notifications off for emails and social media only allowing important notifications to come through.

Procrastination they scored a 3 out of 5

This was an area that they were good at. They tended not to put off too much work until later which allowed them to keep on top of some tasks. There was still some improvement to be made to get better at putting things off.

Scheduling they got an 8 out of 10

For scheduling they got a good score this was down to how they set out their working day. They have taken advantage of time blocking which has made scheduling workloads a lot better for them and will only improve with time.

Time management requires a good amount of concentration and restraint. The artist needs to shift their focus from the activity and focus on the results.

The artist can begin working on their time management by setting goals. When setting goal’s, the artist will need to keep the bigger goal in mind. For them, this is the Major project completion date! However, with that in mind what do they need to get done today? They should consider the low-level tasks and jobs which need to be completed to move forward with the project and keep it running smoothly. Starting with what needs to be done overall on the project then break these down into smaller categories.

What can be done in college?

What can be done from home?

What is written and what is practical?

Once they know the answers to this and have a structure for what takes priority over another task, they can look at time blocking.

Time blocking is where the artist will set specific times for set tasks. That way if they say they are working on a task for 2 hours then they only work on the task for 2 hours. By doing this they are accounting for all their time and what it is used for, leaving no room for confusion on what they are doing and certainly not spending longer than necessary on smaller tasks than needed. The artist should overextend the time she expects to complete a task, as, without a realistic view on how long a task will take to complete, they are setting themselves up to fail.

Overestimating how long a task will take to complete will allow the artist additional time which may be required. If the task takes less time to complete then the artist has additional time to either put towards another task or can add in an extra task for the day.

When time blocking the artist will also need to remember to incorporate their regular daily errands and task, such as school runs, work etc. They can also have an extra task list which will be where they can pull tasks from if they complete the daily tasks for the current day. They may not necessarily dip into the list daily, but it allows them to complete additional tasks without disturbing the following day's list. At the end of each week, the tasks left can then be transferred to the following week and a new set of additional tasks can be created. This process can continue each week until the artist has completed the project.

Figure 5, Time Blocking Calendar, K.Ellison 2021

To begin time blocking the artist can use apps such as the calendar app or software they can set out timed slots for completing set tasks each day.

Figure 5 shows the artists have set out all the tasks for each day over the course of an entire week. This allows them to plan for what they require completing while also keeping track of the time they spend on each task. Allowing them to prioritise certain tasks over others.

They can also break down bigger tasks into smaller more manageable tasks and split them across several days while keeping track of the time spent on each one.

Figure 6, Time Management in 20 seconds a day

According to Holly Reisem Hanna (2019) in her book 'Time Management in 20 minutes a day' says “For maximum effectiveness plan the entire week out so you have each day’s tasks set out at the start of the week. This will allow you to use your week more efficiently and you will know how much you are getting done ahead of time.”

Setting boundaries will also help with time management. Making sure the artist does not work herself too thin is extremely important. To achieve this, they need to set themselves boundaries. These could be things such as during task time, whether this is written or practical that they will not access social media, their phone or watch tv.

For example, if the artist chooses to spend 2 hours working on blog posts, they do not require access to their mobile phone so turn it onto silent and/or silence notifications. This will prevent them from getting distracted unnecessarily by pointless notifications. This will also help with productivity, allowing them to complete the tasks required fully and in the time frame allocated. They may even be lucky enough and get additional tasks completed which will reduce their overall workload.

When the artist begins setting their tasks, they must remember to determine which tasks are more important and need completing that day. Having all the important tasks at the beginning of the week will allow for more productivity as the artist has realised through investigation that they are more productive at the beginning of the week compared to the end. Therefore, any important tasks should be completed at the start of the week allowing for more menial tasks to be completed as the week progresses. The artist has allocated set days for practical tasks to be carried out making it easier to allocate tasks daily. This means they are using their time more wisely and thinking smart not hard.

One important task which a lot of people tend to forget about which allows for better time management is delegation! Delegating tasks to others can free up time that would have otherwise been used unwisely.

The artist has a team of creatives working with her on this project and she will have to remember to delegate tasks to them that she does not need to complete. This can be tasks such as

· Allowing the costume department to source costumes for the looks based on a design brief.

· Asking the photographer to source locations again based on a design brief of the final image views.

· Asking others to source items required and sending the artist information to purchase them or rent them

Doing this will allow the artist to free up valuable time within their day to focus on other tasks which only they can complete. They can then set time aside each week for a team meeting to brief everyone on updates and collect information from each member.

There is a mountain of other things the artist can do to help better manage their time such as keeping an organised workspace. This will alleviate any unnecessary distractions and allow her to focus on the task at hand.

Do you think the artist can start to use her time more wisely?

Keep reading to find out…………

Reference List

Corporate Finance Institute, A brief guide to time management, Accessed at: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/time-management-list-tips/ [Online] Accessed on: December 30th, 2021.
Mindtools, What is time management, Working smarter to enhance productivity, The Mind Tools Content Team (n,d). Accessed at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm [Online] Accessed on: December 30th, 2021
Holly Reisem Hanna(2019), Time Management in 20 minutes a day, Emeryville, California, Athena Press