One two, one two.

It’s hard to stay organised, for me anyway.

In my day job for a sci-fi/fantasy publisher I’m ok. There’s goals and tasks and lists to be ticked off so that handles itself. It’s not a boring nine-to-five and is related to my hobbies. It also ticks some of my performing boxes by mixing storytelling with voiceover, so I realise I'm luckier than most.

In my freelancer/actor role though I sometimes struggle to figure out what's first? Where should my energies be focused; Marketing? Social media? Research? Contacting casting directors? Aaargh! It all seems like a huge mountain of tasks that I’ll never get to the end of.

In the past this mountain would have grown in my mind until it was truly insurmountable. What was a molehill would now be an Everest-sized stack of never-ending Sisyphean torture and hyperbole. I’d ignore things until the moment had passed and the opportunity missed. It was always a case of ‘I’ll sort that tomorrow’ or ‘I’ve loads of time’. Deferment by anxiety.

But that was then, a few years ago. Now, through taking a good look at myself and my habits I’ve learnt that by taking a breath and tackling the jobs one at a time, that will make it all seem less daunting. If you’re struggling with priorities then perhaps just do what’s easiest for you, at that point in time. Maybe it’s writing a cover letter to an agent, or researching an acting course or class that interests you. By accomplishing smaller things it helps build the confidence to help you tackle the larger jobs.

I’m by no means an expert in these things and like many am still learning. It’s all about progress, not perfection as my barber is fond of quoting.