Three Ways to Get to The Finish Line
I think most of you know by now that I teach surface pattern design and how to jumpstart your creative business online. Students are currently in week 5 of my 8-week signature course: The Pattern Design Academy. This is the time when you can start to feel overwhelmed or stuck. I talked about the importance of perseverance last week. This week I want to talk about three tactical ways you can increase your ability to get to the finish line whether you are participating in a course or you are setting up your creative business online. Ready?
#1: Schedule it
One of the best ways to finish any project is to take out your calendar and schedule specific times when you are going to work on it. This does a very interesting thing. It helps you establish control over the thing you are learning. We all want to be in control. Being stuck in uncertainty messes with us.
I’m a big believer in using a daily planner. I use one called the Productivity Planner. You can check it out at productivityplanner.com. There are several reasons why I picked this specific planner and have been using it for the past few years.
- There is a section to plan out your week
- There are individual pages to capture your goals for each day
- Each day has a quote at the top – sometimes I forget to read them!
- There is a weekly review section
One note: It’s not a pretty planner. It’s black and boring looking. But it works for me.
#2: Set mini-goals
Another way to increase your chances of finishing an online course or program is to set mini-goals. I led a 100-day challenge earlier this year as part of the 100 Day Project. Read my blog, Another 100 Day Challenge Completed, to learn more about what this is and why I love doing them. Together, my students and I set mini-goals to help us reach the finish line.
Any big goal, whether that’s sketching for 100 days in a row or completing a really content rich 8-week online surface pattern design program, can seem daunting. Breaking it down into mini-segments helps a ton. You establish competence as you hit each mini-milestone. You’re acquiring the skills and knowledge to be successful. And each skill that you acquire helps build your confidence. You continue to take action and explore the next skill you need. And so on.
#3: Visualization
I don’t know if you follow tennis but visualization became the buzz word “du jour” last week when Bianca Andreescu made history as the first Canadian woman to win the U.S. Open. Bianca is only 19 years old. One of the key techniques she used to go from being ranked in the low 100’s to winning the championship is visualization. She visualized herself playing Serena Williams and winning. It worked!
You might think of this as congruence. What’s the image you have of yourself and how are you are manifesting that in real life? Ask yourself how what you are currently tackling is helping you achieve congruence. There is a sense of frustration that comes from a lack of congruence when you aren’t moving through the world in a manner that’s true to the image you have for yourself. Visualization helps you look at an actual picture in your mind of what you want to be or achieve.
I’d love for you to give these three ways a try when you hit an obstacle or a bump in the road on the way to achieving your creative dreams. Join my creative community and email me which one works best for you. I’d love to know.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
