The Art of Focus

Autonomous Animator

By Martin Grebing

The Art of Focus

Procrastination opportunities abound when working solo, so here are some tips on how you can keep yourself on a productive track.

Creative drift. Procrastination. Daydreaming. Idling. Dilly-dallying. The list goes on and on. But one thing is certain: If you are an independent artist or animator and work at home or in your own private office space off-site, it is very easy to get distracted and give in to temptation to slack or let your mind wander to non-work things. Here are some tips on how to regain your focus and sharpen your professionalism when your mind starts to drift.

Post your goals for the day on the wall in front of you. Calendar reminders via email or your project-management software of choice is nice, but your goals — both short term and long term — need to be instantly visible all the time, staring you back in the face. Your goals need to be out in the open day and night, requiring no effort whatsoever to review.

Take a breather. Stand up, stretch, walk briskly, do some jumping jacks or a quick exercise of your choice for one or two minutes while keeping your mind completely off work. When you come back to your desk or studio space, shake it off, refocus and continue.

Take lunch seriously. Force yourself to take an hour lunch every day where you get away from your desk, out of your house or studio, and go somewhere far removed both mentally and physically. While on lunch, call or meet a friend to socialize and enjoy your break.

Dress for Success

Wear a suit. I typically avoid suits like the plague, but once in a while, even if you work alone, it can help give your professional side a jolt. This acts on a psychological level that can help make you feel obligated to act professionally, as if you were in an office environment. Plus, when you take lunch dressed professionally, people will perceive and treat you accordingly, which further cements this quality in your consciousness.

Turn on or off your music. If you are losing focus, try turning on some music. If you already have music playing and can’t focus, try changing the selection or turning it off all together.

Commit to maximizing your workday. If you get everything done early and have a few hours to spare, add more goals to your plate, preferably in the area of marketing. If you only have a few goals set for the day and know they will only take a couple of hours to achieve, chances are you will drag your feet, procrastinate, and

stretch your tasks out longer than needed just to fill time. Add enough goals every day to keep you on an aggressive, accomplishable schedule. However, don’t overload your plate because chances are you will try to hurry through your tasks or not accomplish everything you set out to accomplish. If this happens consistently, goal setting will be taken less seriously and can ultimately become pointless.

Avoid major speed bumps. If you run into a dead end at every turn and are spinning your wheels trying to accomplish what seems like the simplest of tasks, move on. Sometimes, temporarily going around a speed bump and coming back to it later is a better option than letting it eat up a large portion of your day, making you very frustrated and letting it greatly impair your productivity.

The Unnecessary Net

Unplug. Under no circumstances should you have a browser window open while working unless it’s directly, specifically required for a task at hand. This goes doubly so for social media. Log out of all your social networks and turn off all corresponding notifications and alerts.

Take a caffeine hit. Grab a cup of your favorite green tea, extra-dark chocolate, coffee or iced tea. Caffeine can help you focus but take it in moderation as an overdose can make you jittery and anxious, making it that much harder to focus. Sleep well. Take your rest as seriously as you take your work and play. No matter how much caffeine or energy drinks you take, it can’t make up for sleep deprivation. Your mind and body need to rest about eight hours every night to ensure maximum performance the next day — even for creative individuals like you. Keep this list handy, perhaps posted next to your goals, so the next time you feel the urge to drift, you’ll have a resource immediately available that can help you re-focus, be productive, and provide excellent service to your well-deserving clients.

Martin Grebing is an award-winning animation director and producer who has focused his career on smaller studios and alternative markets. Today, he provides private consulting and is the president of Funnybone Animation, a boutique studio that produces animation for a wide range of clients and industries. He can be reached via www.funnyboneanimation. com.