It’s Time To Lock In

I hope all is well, this weeks newsletter is the first in a 3 part series that is going to explore the ideas of productivity and creative enhancement in my favorite season, spring. This next fews weeks will give you all the tools you need to truly make an impact in your life this year.

But First lets get into the news.

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For the longest time, I’ve never understood why we celebrate the new year in the dead of winter.

And I’ve really never understood why we try to set new goals right after stuffing our faces, relaxing for a week straight, and drinking to our hearts’ content. It’s like a collective humiliation ritual: enjoy your holiday, but come January 1st? Time to get your life together. Nah. That’s not how real change works.

We need a transition, a natural one. And that’s why spring is so key.

Spring is when everything comes back to life. The sun starts showing out, the days get warmer, and summer peeks over the horizon. This is the real new year.

If you're an artist, musician, designer, creative, athlete, actor, or anyone with big goals, spring is the perfect time to ask yourself, What do I really want out of the next 12 months? Personally, I like to think of my year from spring to spring. March to March, April to April, whatever works.

Now is the moment to set things in motion, to lay the groundwork so you can actually relax later and enjoy the fruits of your labor come fall and winter.

For the next three weeks, I’m dropping a short guide each week to help you reset and refocus. By the middle of May, you’ll be more clear-headed, organized, and ready to move.

Week 1: Spring Cleaning

Let’s start with the basics, your space. Deep clean and organize everything: your bathroom, your bedroom, your studio, your email inbox, your desktop. Get rid of what you don’t need. Unsubscribe from the random emails (and pin the ones that actually help you) Declutter your life.

Personally, I spent last week reworking my music studio to better support my teaching and production workflow. I also used a service called Clean Email to wipe out the digital junk I’ve been ignoring for years.

But this isn’t just about your physical space,It’s time to clean up your mental space too.

Pick one vice, just one, that you know is holding you back, and cut it out cold turkey. For me, it was my phone. I was spending way too much time scrolling and zoning out. I’ve tried all the screen time limit apps, but what finally worked for me was Brick, a simple tool that uses a physical brick to block your apps. Nothing fancy, just a practical way to disconnect when you need to focus. 

If your issue is more about structuring your day, though, tools like Sunsama or even just Google Calendar can help you get organized. They're great for mapping out your priorities and making sure you're actually spending time on what matters.

I know some people don’t believe in time-blocking or productivity systems, but trust me, if you've ever juggled 30+ hours of work, full-time classes, running a business, and trying to have a life on top of that, you learn fast that guesswork just doesn’t cut it.

This leads me to my last point, you may ask how the heck I was able to manage all that, well the reality was that I didn’t. Until I did this one thing. 

Saying no.

The final piece of spring cleaning is cutting out what no longer serves you. We try so hard to show up for everyone, to be everything, that we forget to show up for ourselves. Our ideas. Our creative projects. Our peace.

So ask yourself this:

When was the last time you sat down at your desk, everything clean, your mind clear, your calendar open, and got to work on something that truly mattered to you?

If you can’t remember, then you’re exactly where you need to be.Let’s change that, together.

Drop me a note at wolfgang@theartnewsletter.com, or leave a comment on our website. I’d love to hear how you're resetting this spring.

What’s the one thing you know you need to let go of?And what’s one project you can’t wait to get started on?

Let’s lock in.

-Wolfgang

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