Effectively Focused: Starting to Spin

While I am making great progress on the shed studio, and getting the foundations in place to grow my business, I am getting to the same spot I always get to at this point... I start spinning.

• Spinning in my mind with all the stuff I want to do. 
• I find more classes that will “help me” do XYZ. 
• Deciding what to eliminate to simplify and laser focus. 
• Underestimating how long it takes to get something... anything... done. (The last thing to install in the shed is the ventilation. Important safety feature.) 
• I want to store everything in the shed “neatly and perfectly” and got overwhelmed with the knowledge of how much energy and time it takes to divest myself of stuff. 
• More classes
• More designs
• More art mediums 

And then I implode and go quiet for a while. 

Pix of moving into the studio shed...




As I was chatting with Lisa on my last coaching call, she mentioned I have two big events that will be time consuming through mid-June. That caused me to create a two-year roadmap that I can view on a single page to keep front and center and not spin off into space and implode and stall progress on converting my hobby to a business. This is keeping me focused on the goals in front of me. 

Right now, I have three big things going on - finishing the shed, which needs to be completed before I can start working for the June Bead & Button show. And taking a class. Plus filing for a tax extension (and getting my bookkeeping in order) and doing a sale to liquidate my 2017 inventory.  

Okay five things. I’m focused on juggling three. I’ll layer in the other two when the studio is complete enough to start work. The other two don’t require 100% concentration. 

Seriously - this simple tool is keeping me focused on all the plates I have spinning and not trying to start any new plates spinning (still happens but it’s a little more controlled than usual). 

Side note: I might be creating a little bit of creative dissonance by throwing in a spreadsheet onto my art blog. But I am two people: the really artsy, relentlessly creative person and the hyper-organized business person who is addicted to Excel spreadsheets.

Your turn: do you have a tendency to spin? Are you an art hobby or art business? Are you trying to grow your hobby into a business? What tools do you use to stay focused?