Today I'm feeling fantastic! I've got a new lease on life and I'm ready to tackle everything head on. Then I sat down and looked at all the paperwork on my desk and changed my mind about that very quickly.
Still, I need to get things up to date and sadly a few things have been neglected. So for the past two days I've been working on budgets, projections, a business plan, financial records and everything else in preperation for Mr taxman. I've been keeping paper records of everything for months, but unfortunately failed to get up to speed with the computer side of it, so I'm finally getting things together. It's amazing how the stress just starts to fall away bit by bit. By tackling all the admin work in one hit too means it will leave the rest of the week free to work on some more illustrations - which I can't wait for!
Anyway today I thought I'd share how I stay organised in relation to my work. The problem with being a freelance illustrator is that there are always deadlines to keep track of. Deadlines for clients, grants, scholarships, submissions..... you name it and it all has a deadline. Oh and then there are the projects that have a 'as quick as you can' deadline or a 'soon but no rush' or a 'whenever' deadline. Deadlines aren't a problem, it is keeping track of them that can be a challenge. Especially if it is to submit work to a journal that won't be printed again for another year. Or for a client where your deadline will affect all the other people working on the job as well (which can end up costing you!). Then there will be the jobs that if you are late, you lose the job. Then there are the times you find out a few days before that you have three projects due on the same day but you can only complete one within the alloted time period. What do you do then? Well first of all you say a very big Oh oh.
I'm going to share how I keep track of my projects. I like this system, it works for me, although it may not work for other people. It has taken me quite some time to come up with a tracking system that works for me and my crazy way of working. I've just used my printer, scrap paper and other pieces from around the house to create it. I'm so messy that there is no point trying to invest in some fancy system - I'll only scribble and draw all over the pages anyway!
First of all I have a really thick big standard ring file. In that file I have thick pages with an monthly calendar on each page. I fill out all the deadlines that are confirmed for that month on the calendar as a quick and easy reference. This allows me to know very simply when I can accept rush jobs or not, and whether I can squeeze in any special requests. Or relax by the pool with a marguerita.
Let us use May as an example. When I the page I will then find myself looking at a series of dividers with plastic sleeves in between. Using the dividers I separate the current month into week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4 and week 5 if necessary. If I'm flat out busy and I'm working on a huge variety of projects then I will separate it again right down to each weekday, but for the moment I'm working on big jobs which are a bit easier to keep track of. It sounds complicated, but it isn't really.
Then between those dividers I have plastic sleeves in which the jobs reside. Every individual job of any sort has a plastic sleeve of its very own. It may be an art exhibition, a client job, a scholarship submission... anything I come across of interest or may be contacted about.
I attack each plastic sleeve with big yellow dots. You can't miss them. Each dot has important dates. In this case this sleeve is regarding an artwork submission and requires two dots. One for when the paperwork has to be mailed in, one for when the artwork is due.
Once I've mailed the submission I'll remove that sticker and refile the sleeve under the relevant month. Which in this case will be far away in October. I bet you that I'll forget about this until that month when I see it in the file again! This filing system allows me to keep track of all of the work I have ongoing and ensure that I won't miss a deadline. This is a great system especially when you have a client that needs drafts and revisions before a final work because you can just remove the plastic sleeve and place it in the relevant timeframe when you'll need it again. It means I can keep on top of my chaotic schedule, which has to be a great thing.
Most of the paperwork is filed as I receive it but for specific client jobs I have what is called a Client Record Sheet. This has all the contact information for the client as well as the specifics about the job. Then when I chat on the phone or have e-mail discussions over an ongong period I can note down any details that are necessary. It allows me to have an easy point of reference to what I am doing. So these sheets are filled out and also in their own sleeves along with any other information relevant to the job. This includes quick sketches, reference photographs or images. It also keeps track of the time spent on the job, any revisions required and whether additional costs need to be invoiced for expenses.
Last of all I have my diary. This diary repeats everything in my project file in regards to due dates as well as everything else I have going on in my life. A big mash of everything revolving around me which means one thing = organized chaos. As you can see I love lists, so I tend to fill my days with lists. I can never find the right diary for me so I just bought the chunkiest notebook I could find and wrote out all the dates of the year by hand at the top. Then... magic! I have a diary perfect for all of my needs. :)
I'd love to know what kind of systems you may have in place to keep a little order in your life. It could be something as simple as for shopping or a multi million dollar development. I'd love to know what system you find works the best for you.
