An interesting Way To Be More Productive
Time is our most precious resource!Time is our ultimate scarce resource.
When doing something, instead of defining the end result, we can also decide how much time we’ll spend on it and let the output be the output.
Marshall avoids losing himself in the subject by limiting the excursion to a specific short time. The explanation is what it is; it’s a matter of how much he could squeeze in those few minutes. He could have talked about it for an hour or more, but he stops himself so that he can spend more time on other topics. Arguably, there are diminishing returns to investing more time in explaining single topics.
I was processing a massive stack of new photos to turn them into flashcards for the website. It was a daunting task. I had already been at it for days. I was starting to feel burned out. On the last day, I decided that it would be the last day I worked on it, and then I’d turn to doing other things. After all, how many flashcards do you need? An example of diminishing returns. I can make more and more flashcards, but will anyone ever get to them? How many is enough?
On that last day, I figured out the most important, best, nicest ones and did them first. I had some time over and decided to add more. I went to bed late, but I was able to finish it and move on to doing other things.
With pen drawing, it can be even worse; if you keep going, you risk overworking the piece. In that case, it’s not a matter of diminishing returns, but even negative returns. When I draw in pen and notice I added one line too many, I consider whether I should stop there.
Especially when spending more and more time on something that could be worked on indefinitely, and that leads to diminishing returns, it can be useful to set a time limit and stop after that, then move on.
One of the amazing statues of Artus Quellinus that I photographed at the exposition at the Dam Square Palace in Amsterdam.
This Week
I recently returned from holiday with around 950 photos intended for the Morning Sketches APP. I spent a week, long days, editing the images, one by one. I ended up with more than 500 suitable photos, and because many cards are turnarounds of statues, it resulted in 165 flashcards.
This experience inspired the article I wrote above. How many flashcards do I need? I currently have more than 900, which is more than enough to last a lifetime. Adding more and more flashcards leads to diminishing returns.
I have some plans for a few more 3D models, but I should be returning to drawing full-time.
The process of editing so many photos did burn me out, so I wanted to return to drawing. However, I then discovered an amazing once-in-a-lifetime exposition of sculptures by Artus Quellinus in the Dam Square Palace in Amsterdam. I went there and took some more photos of the statues.
It resulted in 13 more flashcards.
But now I’m done. Cooked. We have enough images in the Morning Sketches APP.
In the coming period, I will be drawing more, but I will also do that with an eye on creating shareable things. Photos of sketchbook pages, videos of me drawing.
Art Challenges
We recently started a 100-portraits challenge on our Discord , and it was a success. Several people have already participated. It is not too late for you to join, too! Create your own thread in the 100 Portraits Challenge channel, do the challenge at your own pace, post your results there, and be a part of the friendly community.
I am mentioning this because we’ve now also started a 100 hands challenge. See if you can join us!
Yours sincerely,
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