How to Manage Multiple Projects (as a left-brained Person)
Managing multiple projects can be extremely challenging.
I’ve studied the methods of multiple entrepeneurs over the years. Most of them have their schedules managed down to the minute of each day.
I am a huge fan of systems, but my brain is wired much differently than most traditional business people.
I am Primarily a Musician
I spent most of my life being the provincial starving artist and accepted being broke as a natural by-product of spending my life doing the things I love.
I was willing to sacrifice the pay for not having the stress of a “professional” job.
Personally, there is nothing I’d love more than to spend all day practicing my art. However, I also want to have my own business so I don’t have to be at the mercy of someone else.
a year ago my Life Changed Drastically…
It wasn’t until the past year that I felt divinely inspired to follow a business path.
I went from being a full time artist, spending most of my spare time working on creative endeavors, to having a bunch of projects of a totally different nature. You can read the whole saga here.
During this period I felt an impulse to pick up a blog that I had tried to start a year before that, as well as two “dead” you tube channels.
I also felt compelled to get into music production. I had wanted to do this for a while but it all seemed too daunting with all the technology.
Shortly after that, I began making music videos.
Besides all that, I am an artist at heart so didn’t want to put down working on my novel or writing songs.
At the time of writing this I have 3 you tube channels and a blog. I am always working on producing my existing songs and writing new ones, while squeezing in time to write my novel when I feel inspired.
I take regular martial arts classes and work a “normal” job as a waitress about 30 hours a week.
I also value having close friends and a rich social life. I include my social life, as well as my spiritual practice into my schedule.
Outside of my “regular” job as a waitress. I have absolutely no deadlines outside of the ones I set for myself.
I Developed a System that worked with my Brain
As an artist, it is necesary to find a balance between discipline and creative expression.
My brain will not tolerate the exact rigidity of normal business people, so I had to find a way to combine my left-brained mind into a systematic schedule that allows me to have multiple projects at the same time.
There is no one size fits all system that works for everyone. These are simply tips that I’ve found essentially to managing multiple projects at the same time.
1) Develop Self-Discipline
If you are serious about working on multiple projects at the same time, you must have self discipline.
Discpline is simply showing up when you decide to show up. You must be able to do things without someone lording over you.
Some projects require learning new information. If you are not rolling in enough money to outsource annoying projects, then you have to do them yourself.
I suggest prioritizing those difficult ones first and getting them out of the way.
I try to do the most annoying aspects of my projects first. For instance if there is a song that gives me more problems than most, I work on that one first.
That way while I am working on my projects, I am not dreading the dirty work that needs to get done.
2) Look at the Big Picture
Write down each project you are working on and ask yourself what the end goal is for each of them.
Get really specific.
Based on this, divide this goal into yearly, monthly, and weekly landmarks.
Then use this information to realistically block out time during the week when you will complete each task.
For example, every Friday I block out at least an hour to upload a video to my channel.
I also block out time to workout and meditate everyday as I consider that just as crucial as the tasks I want to accomplish.
3) do each Project at the same time of the day
It is extremely important to be realistic about your time. Everyone’s schedule is completely different.
I find that picking a time a day for each project makes it much easier for me to complete because my brain is hardwired to do that task at a particular time a day.
For instance, I use the morning hours when I first wake up to work on this blog. That isn’t to say I don’t change things around. Before I got serious about working on this blog I used the morning times to work on my novel.
I use the night hours to work on music production, and the middle of the day to practice my existing songs and develop technique.
My Schedule is not Set in Stone…
If something else becomes more or a priority, I switch things up.
At the moment, I do not use any apps or organizers. I simply make a list of what needs to be done weekly and a list of tasks that absolutely need to be done daily and adhere to them.
I am not saying that this won’t change if things get more complex. It’s just that for now, this system works for me.
4) Prioritize your Multiple Projects
Pick the most important tasks and be okay with letting things slide.
You may have a million things that need to be done, but there are only 24 hours in a day.
You may not be able to respond to some e-mails or social media comments right away. When you are managing multiple projects there will always be “little” things that need to be done eventually.
That has to be okay.
I simply have a list of things that will be done eventually and when I get to them I get to them.
The things that are most important get done first.
5) Let yourself Relax when you are not in the Midst of Working on your Projects
One of the selling points of a 9-5 job is that when you are done you are done.
But when you think about it, you’re not ever done with that either, because you have to keep showing up and showing, until you retire.
Having multiple projects is the same way. You have to train yourself to let go when you are not actively working on a project. Don’t worry, your projects will be there when you come back to them.
Having multiple projects mean you are in the midst of unfinished projects. I have to remind myself that as soon as I finish one project I will just start another one, so I might as well as relax.
In the words of Abraham Hicks, “You never get it done, and you cannot get it wrong.”
6) Develop Optimal Focus
Even though you are managing multiple projects you can realistically only do one thing at a time.
There have been multiple studies on the dangers of multitasking.
Essentially, multitasking is defined as switching rapidly between one task and another.
I personally don’t think there is anything wrong about multitasking if you are performing low level projects such as cleaning or responding to e-mails.
That’s just my person opinion though.
The projects I am working on all require a lot of thought and focus so when I am working on something I try to focus on that alone, rather than thinking about all the other things that I also need to do.
This actually isn’t easy. It can be especially hard if I have other projects that I know require a lot of work.
But blocking out other tasks out when you are not working on them is essential to getting to everything.
7) Focus on the “Why”
I have a daily practice where I ask myself why I want to accomplish all the things I am working on and how I want to feel when I have achieved them.
I relish in the success of having money coming in a way that is fun and free. I imagine myself doing the things I love and not being bound to any one time and place.
This provides the energy and motivation necessary to put so much work into things that do not give me the instant gratification of money and praise.
8) Be Willing to Change things up when Necessary
Before I felt inspired to do all these projects, I worked for hours a day on my music and spent the mornings working on my novel.
There is simply not enough time to spend 8 hours a day on my music, so I had to put down my novel for the time being.
I know I will pick it up again when the time is right, but it is unrealistic right now given my schedule to include it regularly.
Being Flexible is Important
For instance, when I realized one of my you tube channels was realistically close to getting monetized, I put the majority of my efforts on that, and let the other projects go for a little bit.
Now that that channel is monetized my main focus is on my blog. Since all of the projects I am working on require so much thought, this is necessary for me to do.
I hope that you have found some of these ideas helpful.
We are all unique individuals and if you have decided to take on multiple projects at the same time it’s important to find a system that works for you.
Afterall, finding a way to make the process is not rewarding and enjoyable is the best way to keep going to meet your goals.
Need some Guidance in your journey….
I am a life coach specializing in happiness and life purpose.
Because I believe everyone needs and goals are different I offer as little or as many sessions as needed.
For a free 15 minute consultation e-mail me at aglassofcheri@gmail.com
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