Here are five easy tips for accomplishing your hobby goals and making time to work on whatever project has been lording over you done!
Life lately has been too crazy lately, and I wanted to stop for a minute and give a few pointers which help me balance my hobby time with everything else.
This is what works for me, but everyone has a different way of approaching things, so it is by no means the best.
5 Tips for Accomplishing Your Hobby Goals & Making Time to Hobby
#1 is to plan our your hobby goal to help make that time you need more defineable. I can’t stress planning enough, as having a plan is the first step to making sure you set aside the time to get to whatever you want to work on. If you have a plan, you can then figure out if you have time to do something or not.
I usually put a plan in place for the week when I have some downtime at work or need to take a break. I will open a spreadsheet or document and write my hobby goal.
Then I will break down how to reach that goal. For example, my latest goal was getting ready for the Michigan GT and then breaking down what I needed to get down for that by the project (display board, terrain, models, list, etc…). I then further break down each project to see what I need materials-wise and how much time I estimate I need to complete that part of the project.
If something is going to require me to use an airbrush, for example, I know I will need to do it at night after the kids go to bed and can plan accordingly. This also lets me combine two things at once to save some time as well; if I know I am firing up the airbrush, I can knock out a couple of parts of different projects all at once rather than one at a time and having to go through set up and take down multiple times.
Basically, write out a plan to accomplish your goal.
#2: Be Organized
I have two children, so my house can get quite… cluttered and messy, so I know the struggle of keeping things where they belong. But getting organized and staying that way is a huge time saver and lets you jump right into a project when you have the time.
Knowing where the correct paint pot is or where your clippers are is a big deal when you might only have 30 minutes to get some work done. You don’t want to spend half that time looking for your wet pallet or a dry brush.
Bonus points if you keep a spreadsheet of your paints as well so that during your planning phase, you can map out the colors you plan on using for that part of the project. To stay organized, I recommend getting metal shelves for storage and using cheap plastic bins to store things.
I like to keep my brushes and paints in a large tackle box as that has lots of little bits in drawers and things, and it also lets me organize the paints by type. (Base, edge, technical, airbrush, etc.) For additional things I might need like flock or rocks or whatever, I like to use ziplock bags and/or those plastic storage containers you can get cheaply from your nearby target.
Make sure to label them and then store them in a bin so that you can just grab everything at once. The other thing to make sure you do is to have your unpainted miniatures organized. Make sure they are grouped together so that if it is a block of 10 troops or whatever, they are all together so when you choose to batch paint that unit, everything is all there.
#3: Stay on Target and Reward Yourself
Just like it says, pick a project and stick with it until it is finished, don’t deviate from it or get sidetracked by other projects. I understand sometimes it can be a slog (I just finished painting 30 Grimghast Reapers for my Nighthaunt all at once), but if you move on to easier projects constantly, you will never finish what you first set out to accomplish.
If you have to move on to something else for whatever reason, make sure that they are all part of your overall hobby goal and have a plan once you finish a project or reach a planned stopping point of a particularly challenging portion, reward yourself with an easier project that can be accomplished quickly.
You could also reward yourself with doing a project that you are excited about and really looking forward to.
Be Mindful of What Your Goal is & Don’t be too Hard on Yourself
Most of us are never going to win a Golden Demon, and that is ok. Getting to that level of painting takes time, skill, and talent that most of us just won’t reach.
Don’t compare yourself to them, instead, look at their models for inspiration as to what you want to do with your project and do it to the best of your ability. Try and improve every time you hit the project table, but also don’t get so caught up in doing a project that you burn out and never finish it.
Often when I have reached the end, I take an hour or two and look over my project one last time and make any final touches. Once I put the project down, I call it good and move on from it. The other thing to think about is; what is this project for?
If you’re entering a painting competition or painting a centerpiece model, then you might want to consider spending that extra time highlighting the highlights and getting those eyeballs just right. If it is a piece of terrain or a single rat in a unit of 80, you can probably get by with fewer highlights and more dry brushing.
Consider taking a step back and looking at the project. If it looks good from that distance, it will look good on that tabletop.
#5: Take a Break When Needed, but not for too Long
We are creatures of habit, and your hobby can create a sort of habit for you to do on a weekly basis. It can also lead to burnout and get you out of the habit, making it harder to pick back up.
If you find yourself finding excuses not to do your project even when you have the time, it might be time to walk away from it for a week or so to recharge. Don’t let it go on for too long, though; if you get out of the habit of picking up a paintbrush, it will be harder for you to pick up where you left off.
I like to have at least one night a week where I am dedicated to painting, but often I have a couple of nights where I turn on a show or sports game and zone out and get to work. (Lately, I have turned to audiobooks) Staying in a good habit helps keep you on track of getting your project done on time which helps you stick to your plan.
There you have it, five tips for accomplishing your hobby goal I have for managing my hobby time accordingly. Hopefully, they help you out if you are struggling with making time to hobby and accomplishing your goals!
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About the Author: Travis Perkins
