Time management is something that everyone in the world is trying to get perfect in their busy lifestyle. It is also something that is hard to master and yet everyone seems to have the magic solution that everyone should follow. However, the truth is, is that there is a technique or tool out there for everyone and it will most likely be different for everyone. Some of these techniques are creating checklists that you can check off as you go, setting aside time limits and deadlines for assignments to get done on time, putting your phone away or off, or even set up a space where you can be alone and get work done. Whatever it may be, everyone has to find what works best for themselves.
This took on a whole new meaning for me when I had to figure out what would work for me to get my time managed a lot better when I have to get 3 movie posters created in about 7 weeks tops. I usually have at least 15 weeks, however taking a course during the summer meant that it was shorter. When it comes to the summer I am already itching to go and do things, instead of being cooped up doing work when I have just finished a semester doing so. Now with the pandemic, it has gotten worse with being with my family and pets 24/7 not being able to do anything really instead of going outside in the backyard. As one can imagine during this time, having any kind of time management and sticking to it will be a challenge.
After much trail and errors over the year I have found the best solution for me. I realized that in order for me to keep on track and get my tasks done, they not only need to be interesting for me or a passion of mine, but I have to figure out a way to keep my motivation up. Motivation can be really tricky to keep up, especially if it is during a time that you would much rather be doing something else altogether. To start off I have found a little success in the past with writing everything that needed to get done for the task at hand. From there if I wrote out a checklist and checked it off as they were completed, my motivation increased since I saw that things were getting done and I saw the finish line so to speak. Also, the project itself boosted my motivation because it was something that I was passionate about and interested in. I am able to combine my passion and love for film and design.
Once I had the technique decided on that I needed to keep me on track I had to figure out how I was keep track of it. That is where the project management tool called Trello comes into play. I have used it before, so I already knew how it all worked and I can get going right away with planning out what needed to be accomplished in the next five weeks. I was already steps ahead within this project because of the fact that I have done the type of design that was required in order to complete this project, which was print design. Having done some print design in the past, I already knew the basic programs that I will or might be using including, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and even Adobe InDesign. This was where I was steps ahead because I have already used these programs more times than I can count so there was not any additional learning or training I needed to complete on the side while trying to successfully complete it. After deciding on the programs I was going to use I had to figure out what I will be doing each week. Looking back at my projects I have done including the print design projects, I have realized that the tasks that were successful and the most helpful to me was the research and creating visual mood boards, sketches (multiple weeks to work on them), mockups, the final design (also having multiple weeks to do this), and a process book. In this order I added it to my Trello board where the research and mood boards were one week, the sketches took up two weeks, mockups took up one week, and then the final design and process book took the last two weeks of the course. However, this was not enough to keep me on track so within each task I had to do I also wrote out a checklist that I was able to check off detailing the steps to go through. This was so I wouldn’t skip over anything and to remember everything I needed to do no matter how small. Once I get a hold of my time management for this project then the motivation will be high and the posters will be a success.
Michaela Ganezer 