Sometimes the thought of conquering a TO DO list is just too much. Actors are often juggling careers and day jobs with little free time. And as LA Headshot photographers, our task list can range from something as simple to replacing a light to something as complex as updating our online portfolio. So here in the studio we’ve come up with some tips to help you to

– Break your TO DOs down into simpler steps. Baby steps. Ideally no task alone should take more than 1 hour max. Breaking them into smaller goals may make your list longer, but it will become much more do-able. For example, if getting new headshots is on your list, googling photographers is a good baby step to get that goal started.

– Prioritize! What on your To DO list needs the most immediate attention? Re-number your list accordingly. Hard to decide which task is the most urgent? The one that has been there the longest probably could use to be at the top of your list.

– Add a Time Frame. How long do you think (to your best knowledge) will this task take? Sometimes the things we dread doing the most actually only take about 20 minutes to accomplish.

– Have a Due Date. No one feels motivated without a deadline. Look at your schedule and try to give yourself some realistic due dates for some of these tasks. Know you have off on Fridays? Then Friday evening deadlines may be a good fit for you.

– Practice being successful! What does this mean? Sometimes the best way to get things done is to set yourself up in a way that success starts to come easily. For example, if you know you have the opportunity to see a friend’s indie film coming up this week, add it to the top of your list! Checking it off and practicing being successful will help set the tone for the rest of your month’s productivity.

– Enlist an Accountability Partner! Acting can be lonely profession between gigs and it can be hard to stay inspired solo. So recruit a hard working actor friend who you can check in once a week with. Note that sometimes a friendly acting cohort is actually more ideal of a partner than an actual best friend so feelings don’t get hurt.

– Practice Imperfection! We can’t always wait for ideal circumstances to get things done, so recognize that at times you may have to quiet the perfectionist in you and get to action regardless of the outcome! Getting something done, even imperfectly, is often better than not at all.

Break legs!
Megan