Dreams are goals with a deadline. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. I am a huge believer of these two statements.

Many a time, I have been asked this question
'How do you do so many things? How do focus on your goals? How are you so dedicated?'

Many have written to me asking me to share my routine/ time-management/how I organise my day. So here goes:

Currently I am doing a challenge called Intkober where you do 31 drawings in Ink, in 31 days. The prompts are given in advance. Click on the link to know more. Thousands of artists all over the world do it, each year. I post my drawings on my Instagram art handle.

This is in addition to my writing which I do daily. I also make a portrait every single day, apart from Inktober.

I guess, to most people who see this, it looks like a LOT of things and they wonder how I manage it. Here are five  things I do, which help me. (and I hope they help you too)

1. Define the goals.

 At the beginning of each month, I write down (in a diary) what I want to achieve that month. For me, this month, it was to draw every day for Inktober, to read every day, and to write every single day.

A drawing I did for Inktober where the topic was 'clock'

2. Break down the goals into small time bits.

 Now the above goals, while they are defined, are not broken down. So what I typically do is break it down into executable bits. Thus, every day, from 9.00 am to about 4.00 pm, I write.  Again, it is not continuosly that I write. I might write from 9.00-10.00. Then I might research something related to my writing, Then I might wander for about 10-15 minutes in my garden. Then I might come back to my writing. Thus, short breaks rejuvenate me, and make me want to write more. At around 4.00, I take a break. I walk my dog, I have a cup of tea. Then I draw. I find drawing as my 'me-time'. It is a reward/ treat for me. So I look forward to it.
I might go back to my writing around 7.00 pm or so.



3. Schedule 'down time'.

 I think this extremely important. By downtime, I mean time off from the social media. The latest ios update has something called 'screentime'. If you don't have an iphone you can easily install an app which checks this for you. When I discovered, how much time I was pending on social media, I was shocked! You will be too, if you track it. So right now, what I have done is
a. disabled all apps from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
b.Disabled notifications on whatsapp (so I am not tempted to check)
c. Put my ringer off. So i am not disturbed by calls. (I anyway do not pick up calls from unknown numbers)




4. Add an extra hour by waking up early.

 I can't tell you how IMPORTANT this is. Initially I found it very hard to do. But you will be surprised how quickly, your body gets used to it. I set my alarm for 5.00 am these days. But most days now, I am awake even before my alarm rings. I then cycle for an hour daily.  I have an app that measures how much I cycle. I am sharing a screenshot below (edited out my location details for obvious reasons):


Many of you who follow me on Instagram know that I post 'good morning' messages daily. These are mostly clicked when I am walking my dog, or cycling.(I stop to click whenever a stunning scene catches my eye)

Pic I shared on my Instagram stories recently

5. Add reminders.

 I use Alexa to remind me for my tasks! Be it to drink water, or to get to my drawing, or to read. You could use Google assistant, or set up your reminders in any other way. I find that audio reminders work best for me. Sometimes, even when we know things, we need that VOICE calling out to us.

Another pic from my Instagram stories

I hope these tips help you.

If you find it useful or if you have tips to add , let me know, in comments.
Also please let me know what topics you would like me to blog on. I am getting back to regular blogging, as many are writing to me telling me they miss my posts.

Thank you for all the love Stay always happy



Love
Preeti.
__________________

Buy my books: http://preeti.io/amazon

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash