Lately I’ve felt really overwhelmed by all that I have to do between teaching, casting commercials, and my personal life. I must admit I’m not the best at time management. The fight or flight mode comes to mind; I get a lot done right out of the gate, checking off my task list only to peter out by the end of the month. Not only that, but my tendency to freeze up when I have too much to do is definitely not helpful. It keeps me from moving forward and getting things accomplished in a feel good way.
After working with a few actors the past few weeks on their Actor Game Plans, I realize that many of us start off with great intentions to “get it all done” but then lose steam half-way through. The list of reasons might sound like this:
-
I have multiple jobs and I’m just exhausted by the end of the day
-
I hate self promotion
-
Marketing myself feels cheesy
-
I don’t want to bug anyone or be a nuisance
-
I have a hard time focusing
-
I feel bored by it all (fear)
-
Nothing that I’m doing is making a difference
-
It’s too overwhelming and I don’t know where to start
-
I already have an agent/manager and it’s their job to get me out there
-
I just want to act!
Listen, you are preaching to the choir! Here’s the deal, you will continue to spin your wheels if you let any of the above reasons keep you from your desires and dreams.
To combat this I found a pretty motivating solution to my daily, weekly and monthly tasks. It’s a little app called “trello.”
As many of you may or may not know, I’m not a phone person. Meaning, I try to live without it as much as I can. The thought of yet another app that tethers me to my little screen makes me wanna run to an off-the-grid hippie commune. BUT alas I’m a product of my environment and I need my phone (sometimes) but what I need more is TIME MANAGEMENT.
This is where Trello comes in along with this nifty blog I read called “the Eisenhower Effect.” President Eisenhower used this brilliant method to break up his tasks in a way that helped him run a whole country so I thought, what the heck, let me see if it can help me run my life for a month. Slowly but surely, I’ve put a system in place using this method. I’m feeling more accomplished, working less hours AND can actually see my steady progress! Most importantly, the peace of mind I’m gaining from seeing results is motivating me to continue moving forward with excitement and expectation.
Check out this awesome blog about the Eisenhower Matrix here using Trello:
https://medium.com/@trello/the-eisenhower-matrix-productivity-tool-as-a-trello-board-520449536b2e
I dare you to give it a try and let me know what your experience has been like on our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MelMackActingStudio/
Good luck!
Love,
Mel