How do you manage your time?

[DaHae]

Do you stick with a strict schedule? How long does it take you to finish a chapter? Page? How do you seperate your own time for your comic? Do you know any tips to help those who struggle with time management?

[Sketchmazoid]

What is this...... "own time" ?

[pastchaser]

I made a progress calender with very specific goals, and even colour code it (did late, done on time, done in advance) so that I know how much i need to do, where i am vs where i need to be, and how much time I have FOR other things, or how for ahead I need to get in order to go away for that weekend etc etc

but then i am one of those people who get really excited about colour coding and charts >.>

[gateofselidor]

I have a set schedule, but I don't always end up keeping to it. As long as I'm making an effort and the comic pages keep coming I'm okay with that.

As for time management, it's going to depend a lot on the individual comic. I spend a lot of time cel-shading intricate backgrounds and textures, and one page can take anywhere from 10 hours to 40, or even more if it's a particularly complicated page. I basically can't have a social life and keep my comic going, and I like my comic too much not to make it, so aside from going to work and a monthly meet-up with some friends, I don't get out much. I don't necessarily recommend this approach, but it works well enough for me because I don't require much social interaction to be comfortable and healthy. I take breaks to play video games and relax, but drawing occupies most of my free time.

If you struggle with time management, look for areas in your day where you're wasting time. I kept my comic going while working a full time job with a 2-3 hour commute each way because I pencil my pages traditionally, and I would work on them during the train journey and in my lunch hour (after eating of course). Inks and colours I would do at the weekend. I managed to keep updating with two pages per week until my RSI flared up (this was more because of my work than drawing), and time-wise it was basically like doing two full time jobs. I was surprised by how much art time I could squeeze out of the tiny amount of free time I had left in the week. Again, I don't recommend my own schedule, but you often have more time than you think, and it's just a case of having the discipline to use it constructively. If you need to, micro-manage your free time by designating some of it for comics, with regular breaks, and try to actually stick to it. The only one who can really motivate you to draw is yourself.

[ovisrock]

I don't exactly have a strict schedule, more like a natural one. For some reason, it's always around 7 pm when I start drawing (I usually sleep at 5am, so it's not as late as it may normally be).
It can take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours to finish a strip, and it stretches out over a period of 2 to 3 days. As soon as I'm done with a strip, I have it in mind to start on the next one.
I'm certain that I can get them done a lot quicker if I stop getting distracted by the internet. It's a daily process, but I'd like to think I'm getting better at disciplining myself. I've begun to disconnect the wifi when I start drawing.

Like @Sketchmazoid said, there's not really such a thing as "own time" once you've dedicated yourself to making comics for a living. Making comics is your "own time."
The way I see it, I'm either working on my comic (either directly by working on it or indirectly by utilizing social media to gather more exposure or working on organizing ideas/scheduling the next strip or project) or I'm just wasting my time. I think successful creators are workaholics in a sense. They're always thinking about their creations if they're not working on them.

I recently gave advice to someone who wasn't sure of their career path. "If you want to make a living doing what you love to do, you better work AT LEAST twice as hard than the people who are taking the "normal" route." I dropped out of college to pursue my dreams, and I work harder than I would ever have in college because I know that it is necessary to succeed. I only leave my house when I have to. Sacrifice is necessary in order to be among the best at something. In a field as competitive as webcomics, you better be working your butt off.

At the same time, you have to know how to recharge your batteries. A lot of things in life is about finding the right balance between things.

I feel like this is the case with most comic artists, but finishing new strips has become my way of charging my batteries. I just feel accomplished and happy. I think you sort of become addicted to it.

...It's probably important to really like what you're creating.

[Strontium]

I'm a busy college student, which I say a lot, but it's true! Being an English and Studio Art double major means I'm writing and drawing a lot already for class. I also deal with chronic wrist and elbow pain and it limits my time available in the day to use my wrists, which I call "Wrist Time." I prioritize working on homework first, of course, and then if time permits, I work on comics. I'm committed to keeping up my buffer and making 2 pages per week, which I've achieved so far this semester.

Most of my free Wrist Time is devoted to working on the comic; I have very little time to draw for pleasure, and probably 70% of that drawing time is dedicated to my mental health, so you can do the math. However even if I didn't have all these constraints, I would still go about working on my comic the same way; I might just have more time for extra art, which would be nice, but not necessary - since ideally, if I'm able to continue to build up my wrist strength I'd want to dedicate the increased Wrist Time to updating three times a week.

All my life I've loved schedules, plans and deadlines. These are all good. My ability to time manage is a noted trait.
as I like to say, I'm a busy person!

[SpavVy]

I don't go by one really I just draw when I want to, I only work when I have inspiration. I'm not worried about how many readers I get on Tapastic at the moment since I plan to self publish though I am thankful for the ones I have. I want to give them good quality art to look at along with an engaging story and memorable characters.

[ErithEl]

What is this...... "own time" ?

I think this might be referring to the time I have right after getting home from work where I flop on the bed with food and then watch Netflix until I fall asleep because even the thought of doing something creative it exhausting XD

@gateofselidor You have a lunch HOUR? And...and a weekend?? I'm so jealous LOL

Personally I know I could never keep to a comic schedule since my work schedule is different every week. If I tried to create one it would only make me frustrated when I couldn't keep up with it, and I'd end up hating the comic.

[cookiecomics]

There's a bunch of good books out there are far as project management go, but Ryan Belski's "Making Things Happen" was one I found really helpful.

Basically breaking things down to "Action Steps" (urgent things that need to be done immediately)/ "Reference Items"/ "Backburner Items" (future projects basically).

Taking time the night before or the morning of and breaking down your time and action steps hour by hour.

I don't always stick to it, but I get on a good roll once in a while and crank out a weeks worth of comics when I'm sticking to it

[Kura]

Poorly...

._.

I try to stick to a pretty strict scheduled as that's usually what works best for me, it's just the getting sick that messes up my schedule and makes me have to rewrite it or rethink it, and that happens a lot for me with my health problems.

Also the commission work I need to do on the side because comics don't pay me enough to cover cost of living right now. Some commissions are fine, but then you just get some customers that are just a living hell to deal with and chang their mind every opportunity they get (making re-draw things constantly), which makes the commission take MUCH longer than it should which of course ends up pushing back both my comic pages and other commissions that I need to work on.

[masterstylezero]

I have a calendar that I try to respect for my comic:
-drawing at least 2 pages by week
-Drawing 8 pages minimum by month
-working everyday 1 hour minimum
-Saturday i finish the pages for the week if I'm late and I work on the storyboard
-Sunday I complete the pages ( inking,scan;cleaning,text)

[Icelug]

I don't have a strict schedule what I do is try to keep a pace of 2-3 pages a week, other than that I keep a big buffer (of ~50 pages), so if anything happens and I don't have the time to do the pages in a particular week, I don't have much to worry. The important thing to notice is that things never go out as planned, so don't get upset if they don't.

[Runiix]

I'm a high school student, with strict mathematics based parents so basically I draw whenever they aren't around AKA late at night around 11PM XD

Unfortunately, I'm also a guilty procrastinator.

[jjfresh]

Aya,time. As you get older, you have less of it and it's harder to remember things. Granted, I have been pushing myself but when you have many things to do and a limited number of hours to do them, you have to do time management.

Most of my day is classes and assignments and note taking. I also have work. So right now, I have several hours after classes end to do stuff but once work starts I will have from 22:00 to 02:00. Drawing gets harder to fit in so I have to do a little bit of drawing in my free time during the day. If I did one of my pages from start to finish, it would usually take a whole day. And since I don't have that time, I have to finish a little bit of it in everyday.

You have to decide first on your drawing schedule. When do I upload? Mondays and Thursdays. Okay...can you keep up with this schedule? (I think once or twice a week is good. ) I would recommend doing a little of your page every day.

[MylCreates]

hehehehe.... I just don't sleep.... O_e ......

[Creaux]

I have two days off of work. One day to do the comic to post on the other day. But that first day is completely dedicated, I stream to stay on point and listen to Roosterteeth podcasts mostly and I schedule at least two meals during work time :>