For many of us, looking at product quality and net earnings (or losses) is a fundamental start of the yea activity — whether we are theatre teachers having to make do with a smaller budget or independent artists looking to streamline our process without compromising quality.
For a change of pace, why not do a “year in review” as a performance assessment on yourself? Most of my colleagues are in charge of their own work (as educators, project leaders, or performers) and don’t have the opportunity to get structured feedback. Here’s a few quick questions you should ask to take a different look at how your work year went.
Are you a good boss to yourself?
Set reasonable goals
We know when someone else is being unrealistic about what can be accomplished in a work day. We also hopefully set a good work/life balance and decide carefully when to sacrifice personal time for a deadline and when the project can wait. BUT how many of us use the same standards of reasonableness for ourselves? Too often, I keep adding to the list of “What MUST be done today” at the expense of what would typically be family time, a physical or mental health activity time, or even sleep and eat time. Sure, everyone puts in overtime sometimes, and many people work 60 hours in a week because they need to have two jobs.
That being said, too many days that are 18-20 hours of work or too many 80+ hour work-weeks means not enough time-investment into all of the other things that make a life. I am NOTORIOUS for doing this, and have had to actually clock myself in and out, schedule friend time (as in “put it on the work calendar”), and have my computer be the one projecting a movie (so I can’t go on it and work) to help myself be a better boss. PLUS, increased downtime actually INCREASES productivity! It’s tough. But burnout or ill-health as a consequence will also eat into work productivity. And really, what is it all for if we can’t have time without work in it?
Outline clear expectations
Vagueness about the goal and the steps involved prompts us to grumble about laziness and lack of preparation when someone else is the boss. When it’s just us, it might be tempting to skip the prep and jump right into production. After all, we have everything in our own brain, right? We know what we mean. Why waste the time putting it on paper (or laptop more likely)? Except it doesn’t work that way. We actually save overall time when we “front load” the project by thinking it out clearly, even when we are the only person involved. The Mayo Clinic suggests planning also helps reduce stress.
Be nice (to yourself)
Treat yourself the way the Best Boss Ever would treat you! That means cutting yourself some slack AND setting manageable goals.
Are you a good employee for yourself?
Put in a real work week
Many of you work way too hard. BUT we all waste time sometimes. I recommend spending two solid weeks tracking your own time, using an actual clock-in/clock-out to see how you use your day. Create categories that work for you (like marketing, prep, outreach) and pause every time you stop (to read the news, check your phone, etc). No matter what turns up, it will give you a clearer idea of how your time is spent and might also help you better price your product (I know artists who forget to count time spent buying supplies and re-imagining failed versions of product). You may also find that checking in this way increases productivity. It’s not something to do all the time necessarily. But when used every once in a while, it’s a useful tool!
Create a road map for achieving specific goals
So “your boss” (yes, I mean you yourself) has laid out some long term, short term, and immediate goals for you, written down some suggestions, and left it to you. How do you take the right steps to achieve those goals? Personally, I find it helpful to work backwards from the desired outcome as though someone else were doing it. There are certain things I hate doing, and if I subconsciously imagine myself as the person doing all the steps, I tend to leave the horrible ones out. By imagining someone else doing the steps, I don’t miss any. I tend to write these down on a big sheet of paper, leaving spaces between. If you are a computer-note-taker, try out the top 5 idea-mapping software apps.
Then, I try to figure out details of accomplishing each bit (in a different color), including how to ACTUALLY have someone else do the heinous bits (or ways to make them less heinous for myself). Sometimes a task-swap is the way to go, or sharing the cost of, say, an outreach campaign with another project leader by finding a way to link the businesses.
Give yourself positive feedback
As odd as it sounds, saying things like, “That is actually really well thought out” when you pick up the plan you made for yourself last week or yesterday really makes a difference. When you have done a good job, say so, out loud, even if it’s under your breath. Believe it or not, the out loud part has a big impact.
Reframing yourself as Boss AND Employee can make a huge difference in how you approach your work and your life. Try a couple of these tips and you may find an increase in your productivity and work/life balance.
