Firstly, what is project management?
Project management is the implementation of a carefully thought-out project plan, that typically involves the supervision of funds, time and resources—to be as brief as possible. In the context of a creative project, this includes buying the right art supplies or gauging how long it would take to complete a component of a piece. It’s an important practice that helps ensure the success of a project, as well as the cohesion of the process itself. Typically, individuals who oversee creative projects have years of experience under their belt, and even so, project management tools are still utilised.
Project management involves numerous factors and essential skills, but for the sake of being thorough—we’ll first cover one important factor of project management: Time Management.
Why is Time Management Important for Projects?
Time management impacts the quality and cost of a project. Broadly, it helps to ensure timely completion and reduces wastage. More specifically, time management can also save you from a lot of headaches—when you have a secure timeline and you follow it with discipline, you’re a lot more likely to be less stressed and anxious—which could positively impact the quality of produced art.
Top 3 Skills Needed for Time Management
Skill #1 Organisation
Staying organised could include physical factors, like a clean desk, or could include digital factors, like having one place where all your work and tasks are noted down and stored.
This is important for time management, because if you want to be able to decide the urgency of a task or how much time needs to be spent on another, you need a clear birds-eye view of your creative assignments. It’s undoubtedly more difficult to accurately predict how long a piece of art will take to complete, in comparison to something more straightforward like sending emails—and it’s even more cumbersome if your thoughts and notes are a mess.
Here are couple practices we can start doing today:
1. Clean up your working desk. Decluttering and ordering your art supplies and tools will reduce distractions and open up space for your work, which could invite more creative energy and help you focus.
2. Consider your digital spaces as well. Use a project management tool that best suits your needs, to help you with organising. For example, TESSR is a tool designed for artists, and is practical for animators. You are able to upload all your projects in a specific hierarchy designed for animation studios, which goes like: Process – Episode – Take - Scene – Renditions. From there, the tool will help you arrange your creative tasks through the built-in order, for optimal organisation. If need be, you have the option to make “Playlists”. Create custom playlists or recommended ones for your scenes, to conveniently find things.
Skill #2 Prioritisation
Once you’ve organised your workplace and your tasks, it’s time to move onto prioritisation. There are many ways to do so, and it should be done based on how you personally view as fit.
Prioritising tasks is important in time management, as it helps you properly plan a timeline, and it shows you what truly needs to be done. You’re then able to have a clearer overview of your work. If you look at all tasks with equal importance, you’ll overwhelm yourself and burnout—a setback an artist cannot afford.
There are different methods of prioritisation that you can choose between, based on personal preferences, such as ABCDE or Eat the Frog.
However, the foundation of these kinds of prioritisation exercises tend to come down to two (2) things.
1. Importance: Weigh on the importance of certain tasks. Smaller, less critical tasks can be put aside. Save your time and energy on what matters most in the present moment.
2. Deadline or Target Time: Consider deadlines. Project management software could help you lay this out in an organised manner. TESSR, for example, allows the designation of due dates. Finding out what needs the most of your attention becomes a less taxing process.
Skill #3 Goal setting
Set milestones for yourself. This way, you’re able to track your progress and performance. It mitigates the risk of large mistakes, or at least helps you catch them in time. Make sure your goals are specific and relevant to your project.
Within the world of time management, goal setting can help you establish both short-term and long-term goals—clarity can help you gain a better sense of purpose and minimizes distractions. These two are key factors of time management, and p.s. this helps with staying motivated too!
How can you initiate the practise of this skill?
1. Take time to reconsider what your creative goals are, as an artist. Reconnect with your artistic intentions, and break it down into smaller, achievable and actionable goals.
2. In a more objective and numerical standpoint, a project management software can you aid in this area, especially when it can visualise your progress and how close you are to your goals. For example, TESSR app’s feature, “Woohoo”, allows progress of a project to be tracked through a donut-chart—therefore, you’re able to set measurable goals with this data.
Conclusion
Time management is an indispensable factor of good planning. Once this practice becomes a part of artists' daily routine, it allows artists to have more room for both time and energy to maintain their creative health. We hope this has helped you gain a better grasp on how to personally manage your time, and in turn your projects. However—this isn’t all there is to project management, so hang on tight. TESSR will be back with a few more pointers on how to become your own project manager.
Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR, and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
Comments