When you don’t know what to do next, organize.
Inspiration for this principle comes from Van Neistat and his video, I Built an Idea Machine to Get Unstuck.
Being a creative freelancer with no boss and endless possibilities is all fun and games — until you realize how “endless” your possibilities really are. When you don’t have a boss to tell you what to do, this can become very, very daunting.
If you’ve entered the freelance market as a creative, be it a photographer, graphic designer, writer, or whatever, you may have felt this anxiety. You see dozens of directions you could take your business, with no indication of which directions are smart and which are stupid. (And hell, even the stupid direction could be the best direction!)
On the other side of this double-edge sword, the magic of being a creative and entrepreneur is that it is limitless. There are so many avenues to explore what makes you happy, what makes you money, and all of the crossroads where those two values meet. It’s liberating, exciting, all up to you!
So how do can make sense of this conundrum? How can you sort through a daunting list of possibilities for your business, and find a direction feel confident about? Since starting Lavendr 5 years ago, I’ve come across a powerful principle that has helped me un-daunt this experience for myself:
“When you don’t know what to do next, organize.”
In nearly every instance, the result of organization is discovering patterns. Your thoughts feel less messy, and you pick up on past experiences that have been successful. You can use these patterns as a signal to help you move forward with confidence, instead of feeling like your path is a shot in the dark.
So, where can you start? There’s lots to be organized, even some things you may not think about. Here’s a few methods to try, and some techniques to get you going!
1. Organize your digital and physical spaces.
Start with simply organizing your files and workspace. If your digital and physical spaces are in complete chaos, your brain will be too. “Organize” doesn’t mean everything has to be put away and hidden, but set up in a way that you know where everything is and you can make sense of it. Be mindful of function and flow. In your digital world, create easy-to-use folder structures and workflows that encourage organization. In your physical world, keep the productive tools near you ready to go, and the distractions out of sight.
2. Organize your mental space.
It’s as easy as spending a little bit of time writing and journaling. You can start with the Morning Pages technique (credit to *The Artists Way* by Julia Cameron). Every morning, the first thing you should do is write your stream of consciousness. Cameron recommends three pages, I recommend 10 minutes. It’s what works best for you! By letting all your thoughts flow out, you can get a sense of the things you need to prioritize and work on, and release any anxious thoughts that might otherwise poke and prod at you throughout the day.
3. Organize your routine
Even though it can be exciting to not feel like you’re bound by a schedule, you can sometimes find yourself having more fun and freedom with one. A schedule allows every moment in your day to be more intentional and efficient. You’ll experience more flow states when you have time set aside for specific tasks. As stated by Parkinson’s law, work expands to the time allotted for its completion. If you have all day to edit a video or write a blog, it will take you all day. If you schedule a shorter block of time to work on these things, within reason, it’ll still get done.
Find a structure that works for you. One of my favorites, if you’re having to wear different hats of the business, is Ryan Serhant’s FKD structure. Spend an hour each day Finding new business (Sales & marketing), an hour each day Keeping your business running smoothly (Finances & operations), and the rest of your day Doing the work (whatever you do!).
And of course, make sure to schedule time for rest and relaxation. Burnout is real no matter what your medium is, and you won’t be able to go far if you continuously push yourself into the ground.
4. Organize your metrics
If you’re independent or a small team of people, you might not have much of a feedback loop on how you’re doing. This doesn’t mean your work isn’t good, it just means you have to find the patterns in your work. It’s useful to spend just a little bit of time building a simple spreadsheet to track your metrics over time — whatever you care about — engagement, sales, followers, downloads, etc. Each month, just write down the numbers you care about, and you will see progress month-over-month. Over time, you’ll start to recognize patterns and discover new metrics to track. This will give you validation that your work is worth it, hints about what you can improve upon, and signals of what you need to double down on.
5. Organize your principles
Whether you know it or not, you have a set of ideals that drive your decisions. Sometimes you stick to them, sometimes you don’t. Spending time in thought about what your principles are will give you some guidance whenever you have to make a decision — essentially, signaling if your decisions are “on brand” or not. For example, one of Lavendr’s principles is “Be Intentional” — we always aim to have thought and purpose behind our actions. Having your ideals and beliefs on paper and filtering your decisions through them will help you know what the right decision is for you, and what decisions will ultimately keep you in alignment with your brand.
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With each step you take, you get closer and closer to making sound decisions that will take you further in your freelance ventures. Allow yourself the space to take a step back from the art you do, and to set yourself up for a sustainable work flow. That way, you can keep going forever!
By practicing these organization tactics often, some of them (i.e. FKD and morning pages) will just become a daily habit, and many of them will help source the others (i.e. morning pages may source your principles). And, all of a sudden, you’ll find yourself making decisions with more confidence.
Remember, you are limitless and there is no right or wrong answer to what decision you need to make next. There’s only the one you feel most confident about. Whatever that one is, do it. And hopefully organizing your life & mind with these steps will help you find that confident decision, faster.
Written by Joshua Romero. Edited by Leticia Palma.
