Self-Development

“I feel like I am never able to get things done like I know I should.”

As a filmmaker growing your career on the side, it can be challenging to get things done. A large part of that problem (and an issue I’m prone to myself) is that we don’t use our time effectively.

Well, over the past 3 months, I’ve seen my productivity increase by an amount I never thought possible. I made real changes to my habits, routines, and focus, and I’ve seen the result is worth the effort. Here’s how I did it – and you can too.

Define your goals

Define your general yearly goal, then break that down into smaller steps.

Break it down into 3 month-ish segments, then break that down all the way to each day.

Example: If your goal is to make a feature film in 2018 (well, you’ve only got 9 months left, so get to it!), you need to work backward from that goal.

December – ‘complete principal photography’,

October – ‘begin principal photography’

August – ‘complete screenplay’ …and so on.

Take those macro milestones you need to hit, and do your best to hold yourself to them (but it helps a lot to have others who will help keep you accountable). Create achievable, realistic steps that will each get you closer to hitting a milestone.

For step one, you might set a goal to ‘write 6 pages of script a week’. If you break things down that way, it feels more doable and you can get a better sense of whether the goal is realistic and how long it might take.

Assign your time to a specific task

If you don’t schedule your time, you are far more prone to waste it.

If you have an empty block where there’s just ‘stuff’ that needs to get done, it is easy to become distracted or end up doing something that won’t be as effective in bringing you closer to your goal.

Instead, set blocks of time aside to accomplish a primary task, and if you complete that, move on to something else.  

Define 1, maybe 2 primary goals for the day

Write down (perhaps in your phone calendar) ONE primary thing that you are meant to do that day.

Then you can always fall back on it get back on track. You will be able to quickly reorient yourself when something inevitably demands your attention (such as chores, a crisis, family, etc.) or you get distracted by something that is less of a priority but looks really fun/attractive right now but you shouldn’t do.

Example: Let’s say you work 9 to 5, but do film work on the side. You’ve got maybe 4 hours a day to do whatever you’d like. Allot 1 hour to take care of miscellaneous work that needs to get done, and a solid 3 hours to complete ONE primary goal for the day.

It might be sitting down, blocking out distractions, and writing for 3 hours. It might be doing a script breakdown. But do your best to hit that goal for the day. You will feel accomplished when you finish knowing you made a real step forward, and more motivated to do it again.

Limit your time

As someone who is single and works full-time, I find that my job actually helps me to get more done, not the other way around.

Because my time is so limited, I am forced to use that time wisely, or waste it away, which I always regret. Having restrictions on your time forces you to realize the value of each hour in your day, and makes you consider more carefully how you will utilize that time.

It can also help you figure out what you are truly worth when it comes to freelancing and film gigs. You will have to weigh the value of your time against the potential stress, workload, and pay for the gig, and I guarantee you will become much more discerning as to what gigs you take and the value you place on your limited time.

Create daily rituals

Take the actions that make you successful and turn them into a regular habit; a daily ritual.

Make effort to be keenly aware of the daily habits you have day-to-day. This is key to modifying your behavior. Discover which of those habits makes you happier in the long run (i.e. completing something meaningful), or just feels like a waste of time.

While this is difficult for us all (myself included), it is important to be self-aware so as to know what needs changing.

Avoid distractions

I learned I cannot multitask well (turns out watching Netflix while working was as bad an idea as everyone said).

I don’t think anyone really can – not on anything that takes real concentration. This is a huge struggle I have because I tend to want to be entertained or have my mind active at all times. This can be problematic when the thing I want my brain to work on – writing, shot listing, or whatever the task is – is competing for attention with whatever the distraction happens to be.

Put your phone on silent on the other side of the room, turn off Netflix, close out any unrelated programs or windows on your computer, and clean off your desk of irrelevant papers. It’s time to get to work!

Try to do one or two things really well

I find it very easy to get lost in the noise of the million + one ideas I have at any particular moment.

It’s important to filter out the extra stuff, and continually hone in and refocus on your primary goal. This will help you direct your very limited time and energy to the right tasks; the ones that most efficiently move you toward your goal.

Stop once you start getting diminishing returns

If you’ve been working on something important – that’s good, get it done. But unless you absolutely need that thing to be 100% perfect, and you spend a ton of time dialing it in, more and more… but it’s really not making that much of a difference, that might be a sign you should stop, take a break, and work on something else.

Come back to it later. For example, I was working on my website for a few hours, but I reached a point where I was definitely getting diminishing returns. I’d spent a lot of time on a few very small details that probably didn’t need so much attention. It was 90% there.

I spent far too long in one sitting working on it. Not only was I mentally drained at that point, but I was a bit sick of it all and burnt out on the website. Take a break! You’ll have fresh eyes later and can make more significant progress working on something that has a long way to go.

Not to mention you may be focusing on that task you’re on because you are procrastinating on something else. (I know I’ve been guilty of that!)

Take a break.

While some people really do have higher tolerances and can work for much longer than others without breaks, if you find yourself making worse decisions, being unusually irritable, or being less effective, it may be a sign that you need a break.

That might just mean you take a 15 minute break. It also might mean you should take 4 hours, go get dinner, and see a fun movie. Either way, it can be helpful and recharging to take a mental break. I recommend taking one day a week to not work, but focus on friends, family, and amusement.

Drink a cup of Joe and get moving!

This is a regular ritual of mine. Saturday morning I wake up around 8 am, get my life straightened out real quick (clean, scrub, organize, etc.), then grab a cup of coffee and get some caffeine in me. Finally, I pull out my weekly schedule, see what one primary goal needs to be accomplished that day, and get to work!  

With a bit of change, you can be more productive

Do these 10 things to greatly increase your productivity starting today.

1. Define your goals.

2. Assign your time to a specific task.

3. Define 1, maybe 2 primary goals for the day.

4. Limit your time.

5. Create daily rituals.

6. Avoid distractions.

7. Try to do one or two things really well.

8. Stop when you start getting diminishing returns.

9. Take a break.

10. Drink a cup of Joe and get moving!

 

Make incremental, consistent progress

Just remember, no one is perfect or can always follow these rules.

Life happens. Stuff gets in the way. Sometimes we just get off-track and don’t meet our goal for the day or indulge in a bad habit. It’s okay – the key is that you are committed to being productive.

You recognize your slip-up and jump back on board the train to success right away. I challenge you to start by applying one of these principles today. Make it a habit, then start with a second principle. The key to success is incremental, consistent progress.

No time to start like the present!

If you found this helpful, please share it with your friends, fellow filmmakers, and anyone else who needs a productivity boost.