Knowing your process

in #work2 years ago

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One of my main priorities when it comes to pretty much everything I do is to always try to create a process that I can follow almost all the time to get to my goal quickly and without too many difficulties.

Once I create that process and I can see that it works, my next goal is to properly understand it and to improve it over time so that everything I do repeatedly becomes an automated process that I can begin doing without having to think too much about my actions.

The best example in my case would be writing. I've been writing so much and for so long that this activity is pretty much like a second nature. I can sit down and write several articles in a single day, this way making sure that I have enough content to post for a while, reducing the amount of stress that I have to deal with if my goal is to be consistent.

It is sometimes difficult to describe the process itself, because after enough time, it becomes just another part of me, something I do without thinking too much about it. It involves specific ways in which I start my articles, specific ways in which I give examples and specific ways of getting to my conclusions.

For example, one of the easiest ways for me to begin an article is to directly commentate on my title in the first sentence that I write. I've done this in one of my articles (that is yet to be posted) called "Most skills aren't that hard". I began the article by saying "That is a bold statement", referring to the title itself.

Another way to make writing easier for me is to make sure that I write everything from my perspective using examples from my own life, or to try to share my thoughts and opinions as soon as possible.

If you go through some of my recent articles, you can clearly see me doing that. I start a recent article called "It's hard to define a person by a section of their life" by saying "A while ago I used to say that people don't change". That makes it easy for me to continue writing more about that idea and then go deeper and deeper into the topic.

If you look at the article "Sometimes impressing someone can be a good motivator", I start it by saying "My girlfriend constantly calls me an 'workaholic'", which, once again, makes it easy for me to go on writing because I can follow up with an explanation for what I just said.

I use this process quite a lot when writing because it makes it easier for me to make content, especially when I have little time at my disposal. It became my style, the way I write, and it allows me to create and post quite a lot of content.

I used to do the same thing a few years ago when I was creating photo effects in Photoshop. Because it's been so long, I don't remember the process very well, but back then I knew exactly what effects to add first so that I can build upon them and get to a decent result that I could later sell as an action.

Even when I do 3D modelling I have a process that I try to follow so that building a scene becomes easier with time. Since I'm still a beginner I'm still building the process, trying to figure out what are the best ways to begin working on a project. However, something such as using basic shapes to get an idea of the way everything will look like, using light to set the mood or trying to add and remove different elements to see what looks best are a few ways in which I can make the process of building a scene easier.

Getting to know your process by constantly experimenting and improving is a great way to make your work easier and to achieve your goals faster. With time you get quicker, more accurate with your actions and more capable of finishing your work with more speed and at a higher quality than if you'd just do everything without too much thought.