As a Virtual Assistant, I often come across young creatives and artists feeling overwhelmed with juggling their time across projects and creative pursuits. As a young creative or artist, it can be challenging to balance the demands of your personal life with your creative pursuits. Between school, work, family, and friends, finding time to focus on your craft can feel like an impossible task.

The common problem that I have identified is the lack of proper calendar and time management that leaves creatives feeling overwhelmed and falling behind on their projects and interests. However, with effective calendar and time management techniques, you can maximize your creativity and achieve your artistic goals.

Here are some tips and techniques for young creatives and artists to maximize their creativity through effective calendar and time management:

1. Identify your priorities

Take a moment to identify your most important tasks and goals. What are the things that are most important to you? What are your top creative projects or endeavors? Once you have a clear idea of your priorities, you can begin to schedule your time accordingly. There are multiple tools that can assist you with creating a clear picture of your priorities and projects; such as Google Sheets, Canva, PowerPoint, Monday.com and tons of other systems that are available online dedicated to helping you prioritize your projects/endeavors.

2. Schedule your time

Use a calendar or planner to schedule your time. Make sure to block out time for your top priorities, including your creative pursuits. Set specific times each day or week to work on your projects, and stick to your schedule as much as possible. Tools that you could use to achieve this involve Google Calendar, Reminders, schedule templates on Canva and Calendly.

3. Outsourcing Tasks – Hire a Virtual Assistant (VA)

A virtual assistant is an individual trained to make sure the lives of busy people are easier and there is a number of ways that hiring a virtual assistant can benefit you as an artist/creative. Firstly, a VA saves you a lot of time in terms of implementing the systems that will help you stay more organized. Secondly, they provide dynamic help, as they are able to organize your calendar, assist with your bookkeeping and a range of general administrative duties.

Thirdly, you do not need to have an office space, as a virtual assistant works from the comfort of their home office set-up – this saves on costs. Lastly, they offer a personalized service. A good virtual assistant takes the time to study you and your creative interests in order to give you a bespoke service that speaks directly to your specific time needs and wants.

If you would like more information on how a virtual assistant can help you, feel free to fill out the contact form on “www.afikileassists.com” and I will reach out to find out how best I can help you according to who you are and what your priorities are.

4. Say “No” to distractions

It’s easy to get distracted by social media, friends, or other demands on your time. Learn to say no to distractions and focus on your priorities. Turn off your phone or use an app to block social media during your scheduled creative time.

5. Make time for breaks

Creativity requires mental energy, so it’s important to take breaks and recharge your brain. Take short breaks during your creative time to rest and rejuvenate.

6. Adjust your schedule as needed

Life is unpredictable, so be prepared to adjust your schedule as needed. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have to shift your priorities or reschedule your creative time. The important thing is to keep going and stay focused on your goals.

By implementing effective calendar and time management techniques, young creatives and artists can maximize their creativity and achieve their artistic goals. With discipline, focus, a clear sense of priorities, and perhaps a set of extra hands – anything is possible.

I wish you all the best in maximizing your creativity! “A creative life is an amplified life.”