Podcast: Productivity for Artists & Creatives (with Adrian Shepherd, Author & Consultant)

January 25, 2019 by Kent Sanders | Leave a Comment

One of the key questions we ask ourselves as artists is, “How can I be more productive?” We all want the ability to produce more writing, music, art, or other creative work. But how do we actually do it? Are there systems we can implement to help us be more productive? What is the mindset required to produce more creative work? Our guest today addresses all these issues and much more … and the answer may just surprise you.

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I’m excited to bring you my conversation with Adrian Shepherd. He started his career as an ESL teacher in Japan, but today focuses on consulting with individuals and companies on productivity. His background in education helped him develop The One-Bite Time Management System (TMS), a revolutionary new system based entirely around simplicity: small bites that people can digest easily. He is based in Osaka, Japan.

On this episode, you’ll learn all about the importance of habits, mindset, and routines in becoming a more productive artist or creative. Adrian shares about the importance of breathing and sleep, the dangers of too much caffeine, the value of taking small bites and building momentum, and how martial arts can help you be more disciplined. This episode is packed with a lot of tips you can start putting into practice immediately to help you be more productive in your creative work.

Episode Highlights

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Adrian’s story, and how he became interested in productivity.
A simple question that can make you more productive: “Is there a better way of doing this?”
Why it’s vital to develop the right mindset.
The importance of learning to read people’s body language and physical cues.
The mistakes creative people often make in productivity.
How routines and taking care of your physical body can help you be more productive.
Why martial arts can help you be more disciplined, and why Adrian started martial arts at age 38.
The power of compound interest when developing your skills.
Why sleep and proper breathing are so important to your productivity.
The different attitudes toward caffeine between the U.S. and Japan.
The value of taking small bites and building momentum.
Adrian’s email rule that will help you control your time better.
The Ivy Lee secret of productivity.,

Key Takeaways

1. Understand how valuable your time is.

I loved Adrian’s observation that younger people tend to undervalue their time, while older people realize the great value of it. This was a powerful reminder that our time on earth is limited. One day it will come to an end.

For me, this isn’t just a productivity issue—it’s also a spiritual issue. We are stewards of the time and the creative gifts God has given to us. Our lives are not just about US—they are also about the families we are supposed to be leading, and the people we are serving.

2. Implement Adrian’s email rule.

He mentioned that when someone asks him to do something, he simply requests that they send him an email to put their request in writing. Surprisingly, not everyone does this. Why? Because many people simply don’t want to go through the extra effort, which shows they are either disorganized or not really serious about their request. I loved this idea and am going to start implementing this immediately!

3. Use the “Ivy Lee” secret to get more done.

It goes something like this: Write down everything you need to get done the next day, organize it in order of importance, and get each item done before moving on to the next one.

This comes down to simply being intentional with our time. So often, we want to be the hero who rescues everyone else and puts out their fires. But instead of just being reactive, we should be intentional and purposeful in our use of time. The most successful and productive people work from a written list of priorities, and focus on those tasks and projects until they are done.

Bonus: Say “no” more often.

This little two-letter word is extremely powerful, yet so often we are afraid to use it. Why? Because we don’t want to disappoint others. We are afraid of conflict, and we want to be liked by everyone, so we let everyone else determine our priorities. That is a mistake.

Instead of saying YES to everything, switch your default answer to NO. Be bold, be purposeful, be intentional … and say NO more often.

Resources

I want thank Adrian for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share this amazing conversation!