As I start this new module 2 weeks late and read through the work that has to be created over a 12 week period I am made aware of my age old issues with time management. Of course I have good reasons for not starting on time: day job, freelance work, pressing tasks that can not be ignored any longer. These pressures will not go away no matter how hard I try and get ahead of them. This I know. In previous capacities as art director and animator time is always the enemy. My work has always had strict and punishing deadlines. The difference with the list of activities of my MA is that many of items on this list require me to reflect on my methodology. The pace of commercial productions has meant that any kind of reflective practice would be deemed an unnecessary luxury. In hindsight looking back on my experiences within these kind of studio systems time for thoughtful reflection was exactly what they did need. The Spanish saying “ Dress me slowly, I’m in a hurry.” has been attributed to many different people from Colombian Liberator Simon Bolivar to Napoleon Bonaparte. It was something someone said to me in my last months completing my film and it has stuck with me every since. Our natural impulse when under pressure is to run. As someone who lives in close contact with black bears and cougars I know this is the last thing in the world you should do. I feel like we/I need to embrace the same logic when feeling under the gun with work. The very existence of this blog gives me the opportunity to do that. I will make a conscious effort to ‘dress slowly’ through this process so that I can be fully and mindfully engaged in the work I am creating. The tutorial feedback I just received today on my time table below was reminding me of this-
Figure 1 Hilary Moses (2018)
“The timetable looks fine, as long as you have plenty of time built in for reflection and contingency and can refer to it with clarity that is the most important thing.”
Ella Goodwin (2018)
The fact is I haven’t. I never allow time for reflection or plan a time contingency. I do with budgets but not with time. I keep saying I will double what I think my time estimates will be but I never do. I always have too many things on my plate. So how do I change this? Reading through part of the module on time management gave me helpful tools. I reminded myself of personality traits with the Myers Briggs test-
Figure 2 Myers Briggs Test (2018)
I re-evaluated my usual long list of ‘to do’s’ with this Eisenhower Box format
Figure 3 Eisenhower Box (2018)
This effort matrix kind of quashes the notion of the ‘journey not the destination’ but as I fall prey to time consuming thankless tasks that I somehow seem incapable of avoiding I am posting it so that I can remind myself to stay focused.
Figure 4 Impact Effort Matrix (2018)
I also created a SWOT analysis for myself. I am very good at spending time on colour coded time tables that are often unrealistic and often ignored. My propensity for over filling my plate will not change over night but my ability to pause and reflect can…and I can chill on the Netflix.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Dress me slowly, I’m in a hurry” (date and author unknown) Available at: https://www.quora.com/ [Accessed November 4 2018]
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 2. MBTI Infographic – Test Result [interactive vector graphic] Available at: https://www.myersbriggs.org [Accessed November 3 2108]
Fig. 3. Eisenerhower Box [vector graphic] Available at: https://jamesclear.com/eisenhower-box [Accessed November 3 2108]
Fig. 4. Impact Effort Matrix [vector graphic] Source unknown [Accessed November 3 2018]