How do y'all have so much dedication to make the signs? I always end up getting distracted 
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This may help:
http://lifehacker.com/Fundamentally, however, you have to establish your goals and commit to pursuing them. Lifehacker has lots of good advice for maintaining focus, but most of it is hard to apply without a clear idea of what you are working for.
In my experience, it helps considerably to program a fairly lengthy block of time in your schedule for a task which requires concentrated attention, like designing signs. I suggest a minimum period of three hours. During this time you should work in private, closing and locking the door if necessary, and making it clear to others in your immediate environment that you are not to be interrupted. The idea is to give yourself a chance to build momentum until you reach the "zone" where you feel you are being creative and are not tempted by distractions like Facebook, Twitter, this board, the Web in general, your iPod/MPEG player (if you have one), or any of the numberless distractions which modern technology makes possible. It also helps to automate some of the more tedious aspects of the design job, either by writing scripts or making up templates, so that those don't wind up providing you with incentives not to work.
We live in an increasingly interrupt-driven society and that is dumbing us down. Many years ago I gave someone remedial tutoring in first-year physics so he could clear that requirement and graduate from college, and part of his problem was that the TV was playing (mostly old episodes of
Quantum Leap and
The A-Team) while he was trying to work. As a result, most of his "studying" occurred during commercial breaks and by the time he had picked up the thread of what he was doing, the commercial break was over, and he was half-listening to the show again. He did realize that he could accomplish quite a lot if he disconnected his TV and phone, but for much of the time his resolve to do that was lacking.
As you get older, you also have to decide not to engage in behaviors or activities which will later make it difficult for you to work. For instance, I am now in Seville, and last night I was invited out for flamenco dancing. Because it is so hot during the day in Seville (it sets temperature records for the entire European continent), we did not even leave for the dance club until after 10.30 PM: it was a 20-minute walk each way. I try to adhere to a sleeping schedule which gives me a minimum 7 hours of sleep each night (presently midnight to 8 AM), so as a result of having to budget 40 minutes for travel between my lodgings and the flamenco club, I saw just one performance and had just one drink (a shot of tequila, nursed slowly over a period of about 20 minutes). I came back at about 12.30 AM and was in bed by 1 AM. Others did not even return until 3 AM or later. Because I got 7 hours of sleep and had just one drink, I am not hung over and have reasonable levels of energy and power to concentrate.
I like watching old TV show episodes as a way to unwind (
The Pretender recently,
Stargate SG-1 right now), and after an episode of binging several weeks ago (3-4 episodes per night for several consecutive nights and 5 episodes one night), I have dialed it all back to 1 episode per day. When you look back over the recent past and think objectively about exactly how much you have accomplished, the true costs of these diversions become apparent.
If you want to know who is your worst enemy, you need to look in the mirror. You have the greatest ability to bring yourself under control, and also the greatest need to do so. This is true not just for you personally, but also for me and pretty much everyone else.
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Topic: Road-related Illustrations (Read 371940 times)