Managing our creative abundance isn’t always easy. Despite the many time and project management software available, we can still struggle to find what’s right for us, for our style and for our work.
Sometimes it helps to simplify your process, or to approach your planning in a right-brained way using visual elements.
I like planning on newsprint paper, using big sheets that I don’t mind wasting or being messy with. I also plan my work on a monthly basis using one page in a notebook to focus my attention.
These methods often resonate with my clients. When my client Donna Druchunas of Sheep to Shawl told me how much success and fun she was having using visual methods to plan her projects and career, I was thrilled.
Donna sent me images of her planning and I asked if we could share a public dialogue about her process.
Here’s our conversation. See what this might spark for your own planning and creativity. (Click images to enlarge.)
CM: I LOVE it! I just saw that these are in a Moleskine accordion notebook. Oo la la!
DD: Yes, I use a regular Moleskine sketchbook, too because it has more pages and I’m always worried about running out. But if I am going to a special conference or working on a specific plan, I will use an accordion notebook just for notes about that one thing.
CM: Nice. So each event has its own visual record book. How did you start doing visual business planning for yourself?
DD: I started doing a monthly theme sketch in 2011, based on something you had posted on your blog.
I make a sketch of something that represents the theme of the month, like a big $ for making money, a file cabinet for getting organized, or a clock for deadlines. Then I list the high-priority items related to that theme around the page.
Do you remember that post? I don’t recall what you said in the post, but your drawings stuck with me. I still do that every month.
CM: That’s the mindmap your plate practice. You use one piece of paper to map what you are focusing on that month. It’s an easy and quick way to see if you’re trying to do too much and if your attention is focused on your bigger agenda.
CM: I know that you use The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee, and you took my Journal Juju class at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder. What else inspired you to map your career this way?
DD: It was basically those two things that got me into visual planning. Before that, I’d been afraid to draw since I was a teenager. But I realized that if I am doing this for myself, it doesn’t matter if my pictures look like they were drawn by an 8 year old! As long as they are meaningful to me, it works! I find that the visual element adds emotional impact and a sense of play to getting the work done.
CM: Emotional resonance and play sound like great things to have for your work!
What’s so interesting to me is how so many people are hung up about their ability to draw. Like it’s some kind of character default. But it’s a learned skill and if you want to learn it, you can.
But what we’re talking about is simple visual notation – the drawings don’t have to be good, just communicative. It’s not about perfection but about simple depiction.
CM: Did you plan this out as a sketch on paper before or is this your first pass?
DD: I sketched it all out in pencil on the same page, so I could erase parts I changed my mind about. Once I had the elements all in place and was happy with it, I traced over the outlines with a black pen and erased the pencil marks. Then I colored everything.
CM: Nice. I should try pencil more. I never use pencil. Is there a significance for the colors for you?
DD: Because I’m afraid that my drawing skills are severely lacking, I find that adding color lets me relax and play. I feel like a little kid with a coloring book. The colors themselves are not significant. I have a lot of colored pencils and travel with just a few in my pencil case. It’s the process of coloring and the feeling I get when my drawings pop out in color that makes me happy.
CM: I love how you describe that simple pleasure. How color helps you play and relax.
What ideas or solutions came to you while sketching this out?
DD: When I write to do lists or plans, I tend to focus in on the details right away. With a visual plan, I can just focus on a theme or focus or the big picture for a longer period of time.
I love how this particular plan I’m working on now has four quadrants. This let me create a kind of compass for myself. I actually made two versions:
- one that shows how I can focus my business on my customers’ needs
- one that shows what I need to do to meet my own needs.
CM: I love that balance between what your customers need and what you need.
What steps do you take from here to implement these plans? Do you need to make lists of action items?
DD: I’m going to explore each of the sections on the plan in more detail but I’m not sure how yet. I am less detailed about planning and writing out action items than many people are. I tend to work on the plan until I have a clear picture in my mind of what needs to be done, and then I just plow through things for a while. If I start to feel unfocused, I go back to the plan to ground myself, and make updates if necessary.
CM: This is how I do it, too. I can only plan so much before I have to start executing. Then I go back frequently and keep refreshing the plan. I think it’s a good balance of planning and flexibility.
Thanks for sharing your process, Donna!
DD: My pleasure.
CM. Find out more about Donna’s knitting classes, tutorials and patterns at Sheep to Shawl.
What about you? What visual elements do you use to map your career or creative projects?