Episode020

🌀 Too Much on My Plate (And Not the Good Kind)

Ever feel like your brain is a browser with 47 tabs open—and three of them are playing music you can’t find? Yeah, same here.

Between juggling multiple comics (Love, Laundry, and Loud Opinions being just one of them), life’s daily chaos, and the occasional existential spiral over whether I remembered to reply to that email from three weeks ago… let’s just say, it gets a little crowded up there.

The Creative Clutter

As a cartoonist, ideas are everywhere. That’s the good news. The bad news? Ideas are everywhere. They don’t arrive in neat little folders labeled “urgent” or “brilliant.” They show up while I’m folding laundry, brushing my teeth, or trying to fall asleep. And when you’re working on more than one comic, each with its own tone and rhythm, it’s easy to feel like you’re being pulled in five directions by your own imagination.

So How Do You Deal?

Here’s what I’ve been learning (read: reminding myself daily) about managing the madness:

🧠 1. Brain Dump First, Sort Later

Get everything out of your head. Every idea, task, worry, and “don’t forget to…” goes into a notebook or app. Don’t worry about organizing it yet—just unload. Think of it as decluttering your mental desktop.

🗂️ 2. Prioritize Like a Procrastinator

Once it’s all out, ask:

• What’s urgent?
• What’s important?
• What can wait (even if it’s exciting)?
  Sometimes the thing that’s screaming the loudest isn’t actually the most important. I try to pick 1–3 things max to focus on each day. That’s it. Anything more is bonus points.

🛠️ 3. Make It Bite-Sized

“Work on comic” is too vague. “Sketch panel for Tuesday’s strip” is doable. Break big tasks into small, clear actions. It’s less intimidating and way more satisfying to check off.

🔁 4. Build a Rhythm, Not a Rigid Schedule

Some days are chaos. That’s life. But having a loose rhythm—like mornings for writing, afternoons for drawing—helps me stay grounded without feeling boxed in.

🧘 5. Give Yourself Grace

Some weeks I’m on fire. Other weeks, I’m just trying to keep the fire from spreading. That’s okay. Creativity isn’t a factory line—it’s a living, breathing thing. And sometimes it needs a nap.

If you’re also spinning too many plates, just know you’re not alone. Whether you’re managing a household, a side hustle, or a full-blown creative empire, it’s okay to pause, breathe, and reset.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out which comic I was supposed to finish today. Or was it yesterday?