I remember the day I decided take the plunge, quit feeling like a zombie at the office and go all out to build a career as a British voice artist. Once I got past the inertia of well meaning, but ill informed suggestions from my colleagues, I was exhilarated at the prospect of building something creative from the ground up.
With a fierce work ethic and plenty of tiger in the tank, just imagine what could be achieved with the whole working week dedicated to this (I thought). The reality gap in that assumption is huge, but having now established myself as a professional voice artist with a long list of wonderful clients, I’d like to share how I managed to work through it.
The traits of successful people don’t just appear when you decide to run a business. They’re ways of living, of working, attitudes toward life in general that are there already in you. If you want promotion in any job, the best way to start is to think and behave as if you’re already at that level. It makes the transition natural as you then grow and develop.
The abundance of time I assumed would be there was actually under attack from everywhere. I’d describe myself as pretty self disciplined and focussed, so I was surprised at how easy it was to be de-railed.
This is my list of 10 things that I found influenced productivity most in the early days, when I set up my business.
1. Don’t confuse activity with productivity
Here’s an example of what I mean: Setting goals and targets is essential if you want to achieve anything. They’re a hand-rail you can follow and when you write them for yourself, it’s quite a positive feeling.
Accountability
The trouble with doing this as a solo entrepreneur, free-lancer or self employed business owner, is the lack of critical accountability. When the notebook closes, they disappear, the grind of daily existence kicks in and you’re so busy wearing multiple hats that you may as well have not written them.
All that brilliant thought and good intent is pointless and you don’t realise it until you’ve been wire brushed for a couple of months, before coming up for air.
You’ve got to get that stuff out of the notebook and up front in your daily thought. You know that by not having a plan you won’t succeed, but it’s so easy to make this mistake.
There’s a password that I use multiple times a day. I regularly change it to an abbreviation of my priorities. Walls are useful things, so whatever it is you need to see every day to hold you to account, get it printed out and plastered on them.
2. Review your progress and adjust
The most important thing you can do as you grow your business is to review targets weekly and Monthly.
It must be ring-fenced time, non-negotiable, so pick the time wisely; I can’t over-state the importance of doing this. Don’t be tempted to move it in the calendar, it’s too important a habit.
3. Work Purposefully
Work clever, not hard, as a wise old owl once told me. Have you ever noticed how you can be so much more productive on a tight deadline? It makes us work with purpose and block out distractions. Harnessing that mind-set in a positive way, that doesn’t burn you out can allow you to achieve more each day.
If you give yourself a rule that every minute in the studio should be optimised for productivity, you may find yourself exhausted before long and tempted to drift. You are, after all, not a machine.
Start the session with a clear idea of what you want to achieve. There’s a tendency when working alone to just sit down and plug in.
A things to do list, yes, but one that aligns to the overall plan for the week and month. Once you start, make sure you’re fully immersed in it, free from distractions and not multi-tasking.
4. Take Breaks
I like to break studio sessions into 1 hour chunks, after which I get up and walk around the house, get out of the space, maybe sit outside for 5 minutes.
This is long enough to take a rest and not be tempted to start dipping into other things. Try to not look at your phone, or start answering emails in these breaks. That’s just going to take you further away from what you were doing.
You’ll need to review what you’ve achieved in the session, but not every time you sit back down. That’s not productive, it’s just self comforting and delaying work. Schedule points to do this, maybe at the mid-morning point for instance.
5. Have dedicated spaces
As a self employed creative, you’ve got a lot of things to juggle, a lot of things competing for your head space, so anything that helps keep things in lane is good.
Too many things in your studio that aren’t anything to do with your business are not helpful. I’m not saying you should be a warrior monk and sit on a stone floor, but getting rid of studio distractions is a must.
Your studio should be a comfortable and pleasant environment to work in, but only fitted with the things you need to achieve your objectives.
When I decided to focus on building my voice over career, I needed a studio that focussed my attention on that alone. I made a rule that when I was in there, I would be doing one of three things:
- Narrating (or things related to it).
- Auditioning.
- Marketing.
So out went the guitars, the music theory books, the iPad and phone on charge, the empty Amazon boxes, the letters from the Council and the toolbox from last week’s DIY job. The luxuries that stayed were the inevitable Star Wars figurines, my 5 year old daughter’s drawings and my life preserving water bottle. Now, if I want to play the guitar, I go somewhere else to do that.
I’m lucky enough to be a member of a gym with a quiet room, where I write blogs and, do market research. It’s a good way to keep your focus sharp and can feel a bit like, and I take a deep breath when I say this….(having a normal job)!
I’m also fortunate enough to have a garden, so if I need to ponder something, I go there. I just get out of the studio unless I’m doing one of the three things above.
6. Work set hours
One of the benefits of being self employed is you get to set your own hours. This can be a double edged sword though, especially if you’re a workaholic.
You’ve taken the plunge and decided you’re going to be a success at what you do. You’ve put it on yourself to build something that will support you and your family in the future, and that’s commendable.
If you’re single with no commitments, great! There’s no limit to the hours you can work, right?
So, given all that, with no restrictions on when you should be working, why not work 100 hours plus, per week?
The simple reason is, its not sustainable. Over time, you’re going to get less return out of the time you’re putting in. The quality of everything will degrade, from what you produce at work, to relationships with other people and your business overall.
Try to remember why you’re doing this. It’s one of the hardest disciplines to master as a self employed creative, but one of the most important. You must factor in sleep, quality time with loved ones, holidays, exercise, food and the occasional bit of mindless indulgence. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do for your business, is nothing!
Seriously, I’ve been at the stage where I’ve done too much, run my batteries down so low that perspective was gone, had hardly any sleep and felt terrible. That’s when you say – STOP!
Do something completely un-work related for a couple of days, it’s ok.
If you don’t, you may well one day congratulate yourself for having achieved great financial success, but maybe not feel all that fulfilled. So when planning your work week, remember why you’re in this game and prioritise everything in proportion.
7. Enjoy the Journey
I’m never at my most productive in a state of anxiety about what I don’t have. Being self employed is hard work, yes, but the benefits are also immense, in terms of life-style, personal growth, professional development and relationships with others, so try to remember this.
When you’re only focussed on where you want to be in 6 months or a year from now, you’re approaching life from a position of scarcity. You do need to focus on that, but don’t deny yourself the moment right now.
Knowing that you’re in a good place and you’re on track makes you feel content, with a mind-set of abundance, that can jet pack your productivity.
8. Social Media
It’s something of a cliche to say that social media is a worrying distraction in terms of productivity. It does of course have its place in serving your business and is a highly effective marketing tool, so it’s not all evil. That’s why I don’t recommend denying access to it in your studio.
It’s non-productive when you allow yourself to drift into it aimlessly and diss-appear down rabbit holes, rather than going into it deliberately and with purpose. So limit access to it for specific marketing activity when you’re in your studio.
If you want to dive into the latest Youtube black hole series, that’s fine, but not in the studio.
9. Social Skills
People that like to work in self imposed dungeons like home recording studios are unusual beasts. Working in isolation for long periods isn’t for everyone, as many were forced to learn during the pandemic.
However, being comfortable with that and being a grumpy hermit are two separate things.
Focussing on how to serve the needs of clients is an essential skill to have in a modern, remote service economy. Hand in hand with that is great communication, an up-beat, confident and happy vibe, as well as flexibility and a warmth of personality.
Working to these principles will unlock many a door and keep everything moving forward nicely.
10. Network
If you have the chance to attend seminars and events related to your work in person, then do so. If you can only achieve this virtually, that’s great too. Whether you’re a voice over, a musician, sound engineer, producer, or anything else that’s related to studio work, it’s a people business and people like to work with people.
There’s opportunities to share knowledge and exchange ideas, learn what’s happening in the industry and highlight strengths in others you may need to work on.
Social Media Communities and forums abound and are a great resource for connecting with others in your space. It can even lead to referrals and more work.
Lets Connect
This is by no means a definitive list, just what I found when I was starting out as a voice artist. It’s offered here to hopefully help others in the same, or similar line of work. You can find a list of my services here.
If any of the above resonates with you, or if you’d like to discuss an up-coming project, just drop me a line and I’ll be right onto it.
