I was talking with one of our members last week, Amanda, and she said how when she has an exhibition or a commission, she works so much more efficiently and gets so much more done. It kicks Amanda’s art making into action. I’m sure you’ve felt this at some point too. I definitely have.

When I’ve had shows in the past or when I’ve had a deadline, I definitely work faster and more efficiently. I’m more focused towards the end of the year because I give myself the deadline of the year ending.

 

This is what is explored in today’s episode, because when we tap into that efficiency and have a purpose, it can really help us move forwards at a faster or more focused rate.

 

I knew in September that I would be hiking. I had a deadline and I started training nine months in advance. I was a bit naive at the beginning of the year because I thought that I could train for that and I could also write a book and that I could also launch another program that I’ve been working on.

 

I set some very big ambitious goals at the beginning of the year. But then I got Covid in April and it hit me quite hard. I decided at that moment to put the book on hold because the hike had a deadline.

 

I decided to pause the book and with the hike deadline in mind I powered through. It was definitely having that deadline that I committed to that got me doing the training and especially in the run up to the hike and even at the event itself with having 36 hours to complete 8 ascents of the mountain in.

 

A friend of mine, Jackie, twisted her ankle on the first round of the climb. It was taking Jackie four or five hours to climb one ascent.

 

She said the most extraordinary thing happened at the 7th ascent – bearing in mind she had not slept in 30 hours as she’d been hiking nonstop, no substantial meals, only snacking. She was starting to feel delirious at some points and it was at that 30 hours in that she thought “Oh my gosh, I need to do something here!” and so the adrenaline kicked in and number seven was her fastest ascent – after 30 hours of no sleep!

 

She completed the whole event and she did the last one with 20 minutes to go before the deadline. After 30 hours of no food, no sleep, really, this should have been the longest, but that adrenaline kicked in for both of us.

 

This made me investigate this further after the event because I was so confused.

When we are under pressure, adrenaline kicks us into action. Our bodies are designed to respond in those situations and release adrenaline. When we set ourselves goals and deadlines, we begin to have a purpose and something to aim towards. We can put wheels in motion.

 

“What do I need right now? Who needs to help me? What do I need to be? Who do I need to be? What do I need to have?”

 

If you’re doing Best Year Yet again, this is what you are going to do. For 2023, we are going to decide what we actually want and really factor in that time and give ourselves some deadlines.

 

Have a think about how you have worked under pressure in the past. It’s about recognising your pressure points, your levels, because everybody’s different.

 

When have you worked best in the past under pressure? When have you had a deadline where you thought “My gosh, yeah, I did get loads done when I had that deadline!”

 

Really bring those memories to the surface and write them down in your prep worksheet to help you replicate that kind of situation in the future. Then start to think about how you could incorporate deadlines even if you don’t have them.

 

If you want to join the Best Year Yet workshop, we would love you to join us:

https://uas.unitedartspace.org/byy

Michelle