How To Organize Your Online Work

0 CommentsMonday • November 22, 2010 • by Imei

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During periods of change and transition, it is important to stay organized. The more time you waste time looking for things, the less time you have to apply to things you want to do, such as play, work, and create. The following post is about how to organize your online work. While this post is targeted to artists, there are gems for everyone who needs a few lessons in getting rid of virtual clutter.

None of us likes the idea of misplacing things or throwing out something you might need later. The solution is about figuring out ways to virtually store what you truly need, share what should be shared with others, and remove the stuff that has no real value taking up time or space.

First, take a look at where you’re at right now with your digital organization. Can’t find things? Clutter? Unused documents? Memory space overwhelmed with old documents and pictures? Make a mental note of the lay of the land, and don’t stay in denial that this is an acceptable way to operate.

Take a dump. If you have a lot of unused documents, begin sending things to the virtual trash that you truly do not need.

Invest in storage. Consider an external hard drive to store important documents after categorizing everything into a logical filing system. You can easily find external hard drives for under $100.

File like there’s no tomorrow. Work towards a zero-inbox goal, make files and drop loose documents into those files, and stack the files in a way you can access them easily by topic.

If you work with photos, consider storing photography in an online gallery as well as your own computer. Back all work up on an external hard drive. Also consider using a thumb drive or even burn CD’s of your work for safekeeping. Your worst nightmare could happen if you only store your work on your computer and an external hard drive if both decide to quit on you at the same time.

If you work with video, organize your videos by topic and by date of release. This may help you determine if you have any holes or gaps in topics you’d like to address in a future video. Use the same recommendations for those who work with photos. Back everything up. Consider having a holding pen for video work you are currently editing.

Keep the real estate of your computer monitor clean. Just like a clean desk, your mind can function if the screen isn’t covered with numerous icons, folders, and categories. If you need more room to work, consider getting a second monitor in a side-by-side configuration.

Dancers can organize choreography notes and tag them with performance video for future reference.

Take digital pictures of every piece of your work or art, or save documentation of important papers, documents, and business contracts. You can save these virtually on a variety of platforms, such as Gmail, Google Docs, or any other virtual platform you choose. If you like sharing photos of your work quickly, start a Posterous site, and it will double as a way to save your art work for posterity.

Performance artists should create a way to keep track of past gigs throughout the year. We usually remove gigs off of our websites when they are completed, but how many of you have a place where you store your gigs and any follow up on each gig you want to remember? At this time, I know of no app or program that organizes this aspect of your business. For now, I use an Excel spreadsheet with categories for where, when, who, how much was paid, and any notes for follow for each gig.

Incidentally, you should also be keeping track of your set lists or choreography performed, music used, costumes worn, etc. If you perform in a smaller town, this is essential to keep your routines looking fresh, especially as fans follow you around town.

If you have not done this already, consider tracking your business and expenses through an online program instead of a pencil and paper system. Right now, you may not be making a ton of money through your work or art-related business. However, if you have already filed for a business license, your business is entitled to expenses that can help you come tax time, but you’ll need more than your memory to keep track of them. Programs such as Microsoft Money and Quickbooks are excellent programs to keep you organized, track expenses, and invoice your customers.

If you hate dealing with receipts, gather receipts, take a photocopy of them, and save those on your computer instead. There are also online programs that allow you to send your receipts, business cards, and other things we artists tend to collect, and organizes it for you.

For everyone: there are programs for digital post it notes, and some allow you to keep a memo you can cross things off your list without removing the entire item. The list can serve as a diary of activity.

Need a way to track fans of your work? Make sure your website has a subscription program, and select a tracking system such as Feedburner, or an analytics tracker like Clicky, so you know what your fans are looking at. Manage all those email addresses with a program like Constant Contact or MailChimp, and reward your subscribers with special deals, notices on events, and thank you’s.

Have your own suggestions for organizing your digital self? Please submit them here, and I’ll try to include the best of your comments in a follow-up post. Remember, sharing is caring!

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