On Productivity

Slow down to speed up zzzzzzz

I’ve just finished writing the first draft of Tiny Dogs book 3. Woo hoo! I wrote it during a busy time and with a relatively short deadline. This means the time I spent on it had to be productive.

Here are some productivity hacks while they’re fresh in my mind. I’ve divided them into tips ‘when writing’ and tips ‘when drawing’. I hope they’re useful if you’re also looking for easy ways to boost your productivity when creating kids books.

he’s not lazy he’s just super productive

When writing

1. Slow down to speed up.

Children’s publishing is very deadline driven and I know the feeling of ‘I cannot afford to stop’. But I promise if you come away from your work when you’re fatigued -you’ll come back to it with fresh eyes and this will increase your speed overall.

When you take a break, if you are able, try to look at patterns in nature. Leaves, grass, tree bark, clouds, puddles, flowers, water, stones, sand. Any naturally formed patterns. It gives our brains a break from their higher cognitive function and as a result, our capacity for performing focused tasks improves.

Looking at grass will literally make your brain work better. How cool is that?

look out for tiny dogs . . . 🔎

2. Apple Notes app

Like lots of people I get ideas and solve problems while I’m doing other things. I’m writing this right now on my notes app on my phone because I’m cooking dinner for family. I’ll open up my laptop later when I’m ready to write this newsletter, and this note will be waiting for me.

When I’m doing unavoidable daily tasks like the school run or a dog walk, I’ll make notes on my app as I go.

3. Pomodoro technique

I am a procrastinator and this technique really forces me to focus. Maybe it will help you too?

It’s a method of breaking down a large body of work into small time blocks. You set a 25 minute timer for work and follow it with a 5 minute break. After five blocks of work, you take a 30 minute break. More info here.

And a link to a YouTube timer with music here. (This is the one I use)

When drawing

1. Background entertainment  

If you’re an illustrator you’ll already know that drawing is super time consuming.

Here’s some things I do which allow me to feel part of the cultural conversation and less like a hermit.

Listening to podcasts and documentaries. Some background storytelling really helps me zone out and focus on my work, so I watch and listen to all the things I can’t when I’m writing.

Listening to loud music through noise-cancelling headphones. Self explanatory. I really like Dutch moombahton and dancehall.

Tip: courtroom dramas are great genre to have on in the background because there is so much focus on the explanation of the story - they are a bit like a radio play in that respect. So you don’t miss out on the storytelling if your eyes are on your artwork. Netflix has a great courtroom drama section.

2. Snacks

Sometimes my snacks look like this:

And sometimes like this:

mary queen of stops 👑

To me, wellness means getting my work done on time so when I’m being productive for a deadline, I eat whatever I want.

7. Hybrid reading & audiobook

When I’m taking a break from drawing, I want to get off screens completely so this is when I read. When I go back to drawing I miss the story so I will listen to an audiobook of the title. Then when I’m done working, I’ll skip forward to the right chapter in the hardcopy and read on from there. Give it a try :)

This is what I’m currently reading:

oh I’m so in love with the main characters ❤️

And that’s it! Good luck with finding your productivity. Let me know if you plan on using any of these hacks.

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