How scheduling helps cartooning and keeps you out of the doghouse 😉

Last Wednesday I ended up in my son Tim’s bad books. Apples and yoghurt are regular items in my son’s lunch box and alas, the proverbial cupboard was bare of these two staples. To add insult to injury, he had been reminding me very courteously for 3 days prior to that. Now he was… hungry, to say the least 😉

“Hey, feed that kid!” I hear you thinking. “How hard is it to buy yoghurt and apples?”

And you’re right – it’s dead simple to buy them.

But remembering to do so, and then following through? Ah, therein lay the rub for me.

Cartooning practice is much the same

We all want to achieve results – that goes without saying. We may even have the required tasks laid out for keeps you out of the doghouse) us in a simple, accessible format. And yet they remain undone.

What’s getting in the way?

We don’t get results for two reasons

1. We don’t schedule a time for cartooning

2. We schedule the time but life gets in the way

Let’s face it, until something is in the diary, it’s just an vague hope

It’s not even an intention, let alone a workable plan. But when we get as far as thinking “When will I physically have a moment to do some cartooning practice?” and setting a definite time to do it, we are far more likely to get regular cartooning practice in.

So we decide on a definite time and we’re off to the races …

Or not. Oftentimes we still manage to blow it!

Most days life is busy, busy, busy. Whether you are married or single, have kids or just pets, work outside the home or are self-employed, life gets hectic. And the scheduled time to cartoon comes and goes and no practice gets done.

Does any of this sound familiar?

This applies to everything in life, doesn’t it? Despite the best of intentions, days and weeks pass and we don’t get any further on our optional projects. But that can all change if you find yourself some ‘partners in crime’.

Accountability makes a huge difference when it comes to getting things done. Having friends who cheer you on and expect you to follow through is a massive asset. And that where a live course makes all the difference.

On our cartooning courses, participants are allocated to a small group

They are scattered all over the globe, and it’s highly unlikely that they ever have (or ever will) met. Yet they become steadfast comrades who hold each other to account. They post every 24 hours and they expect their group family to do the same. And their cartooning progress moves forward at a steady lick.

Of course, I don’t know what you’ve got on your plate

And you don’t know what’s on mine. Between a husband, two kids, a dalmatian needing walking, a noisy bird and demanding cartooning students 😉 life’s a rush. Most of the time my hair is blown back.

But here’s what I do know

Despite all the demands on me, I still manage to waste time. And I know that I would not have achieved what I have in the last 4 years without my cartooning pals who still work with me every day. Checking in with them forces me to get it done. None of us get any results without doing the work that’s required.

I find it easy to shortchange myself

And then I feel extraordinarily frustrated, because I know what I am capable of when I take myself seriously.

But then, if follow through were easy we’d all be millionaires, in great health, at our optimal weight and with multiple Super Powers. I guess it’s just a matter of remembering what we wanted to achieve and then putting in the daily tasks to achieve it.

So far I’ve managed to buy the yoghurt and apples – how about you?

Here’s a quick action plan – for anything, not just cartooning:

• Write down what you want to get done this week
• Schedule the tasks in your diary with a specific, do-able time
• Tell someone your plan and ask them to hold you to account
• Follow through and bask in the sweet sense of progressing towards your goals 🙂

By the way, have we connected on Twitter yet?

Go on, click.

You know you want to 🙂