Start Rearranging,  Cleaning, Ordering, or Fussing Around With Materials In Your Working Space

Whether your work space is at home or elsewhere, one way to start working on your projects is to just go into your space and start fussing around with things in the space. Organizing materials, ordering things, cleaning out the area, preparing materials: all these things can lead to you getting started with your work.

If you just start fussing with stuff- cleaning and organizing objects, taking stock of what materials you have on hand, you might just find yourself shifting from fussing around to getting to work.

Sometimes I prepare for work by cutting paper to various sizes, saving scraps of paper and writing what type of paper it is on the back, by arranging things like bags of plastic bags in order by size, or laying out tubes of paint by spectrum order.

Sometimes it helps to leave your workspace and come back. Maybe you need some supply to start working. Or you could just psychologically need to leave and return in order to work.

Other times you just need to get into your set-aside workspace and start doing something to prepare for getting to work before actually starting.

Sometimes it helps to get out and work somewhere other than your set aside workspace: somewhere where other people are also working on projects, or some inspiring place like a location to paint. This applies in that situation as well even though there’s fewer materials to fuss around with. Setting up the easel or sharpening a pencil helps to get into the frame of mind to work.

So, if it’s time to work and you don’t quite know what to do yet, just go into the workspace and start fussing around. You might find yourself starting the work.