Having tried hyper organization for the first time I must admit it is not the sign of a sick mind but a mastermind. The right brain life is not orderly but the provocative right brain branding lifestyle demands that you be better, do more, and become more. So preserve your right to live creatively but stay open minded to change that can improve your life and provide a happier ride.
If you had to evacuate from your house what treasured valuables would you take? What would you risk leaving behind? I was far more fortunate than many who suffered from Hurricane Irene but the act of having to walk away from where I live, uncertain of the destruction I’d find upon returning was enough to make me appreciate the time I had recently invested in getting organized. It made it easier to be able to scoop up the most crucial business material that would keep me functioning if the worse case scenario had happened.
It’s funny to find myself searching for a piece of paper. Only now, it’s because it’s tucked safely away in a labeled folder rather than in a pile on the desk.
Organization is not a frequently used word in an artist’s vocabulary. Being inundated with an endless stream of ideas the creative process depends on a certain amount of helter skelter. But I decided I wanted to begin each day with a clear desk and after two months I can still see all of one out of two desks in my office.
If you think of it as saying goodbye to the past so you can see your future it becomes more than just the act of details and structure, a left brain task, and takes on a cleansing of the soul aspect so the universe can send in the new. Focus, discipline, and consistency is a struggle for the predominantly creative mind. It takes a daily diligence that comes natural for others.
Here are 5 tactics you may find helpful to gain a little balance between crazy chaotic and smoothly structured:
1. Don’t Chase Information. Choose Carefully – There’s an overload of info in cyberspace. Don’t feel like you have to gobble up each offer that streams across your consciousness. Be selective and choose only programs that apply to what you’re working on now. Think of it as reverse target marketing. Much like your products and services aren’t right for everyone you need to determine what niche will provide you with the knowledge necessary to accomplish your mission. Participate in only what you have the capacity to handle now, no matter how good the program or price is.
2. Learn 1 thing at a time – I’m a big proponent of multi-tasking but with blogs, ebooks, article marketing, social media, and emarketing what’s a techno procrastinating artist to do? You must decide what you enjoy not what the “experts” tell you to do. Internet strategies are a process that is never complete, a challenge that is never mastered. So if you’re forcing yourself to do what others are you’ll be unhappy and not see it through. Figure out what you can complete the fastest and what will lead to profitablility.
Make as many lists and sublists as it takes and work through each item. The pride of accomplishment will keep you forging onward.
3. Narrow Your Niche: Widen Your Wealth – This isn’t a new idea but it’s one I’m doing better than ever before. I know the artistic mindset, challenges, and desires. Find the audience that you relate to, understand, and empathize with. Your message, and mission sharpen and becomes incredibly clear when you see through your market’s vision.
4. Resolve To File Or Toss - Sit in private with the biggest pile of papers, notes, articles that are taking up residence on your desk. Gather a stack of empty folders and markers. You can use colored file folders or different shades of pens. I chose an uncharacteristically plain and primitive style with makeshift cardboard tabs, cream folders, and black ink.
I have a folder for each of my blogs with notes for future posts and strategies, one for article ideas, current book projects, poetry, social media, and video. All are divided into sub categories. I also have a multitude of other business files.
The purpose is to avoid having miscellaneous papers lying around and to know, as you read and collect information, which part of your business it applies to. For example, it’s time to write a blog post. You take out that folder filled with ideas and pick one. When it’s complete file it away until next time. Then you move onto he next task. Wouldn’t that feel great?
Resist putting any piece of paper into a folder just because you don’t know what to do with it. Resolve to devise a plan for each item you pick up or toss it. Then you’re able to pull out only the folders you’re working on and return them when finished.
Part of an artist’s creativity may feed on disorder but the entrepreneur in you requires a healthy dose of productivity. Give it a try. Organization helps you keep the creative channels open so ideas can smoothly travel from the right brain and out to decorate your artistic canvas.
How do you find balance between right and left-brain tasks? What method do you use to organize the continuous flow of ideas for future projects?
Join the provocative right brain branding culture as we help each other be better than we thought we could by implementing strategies that we never thought we would.
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