Tag tailtip

Wednesday Tailtip: Your “why” can change!

Wuffles Leave a comment

Good morning fuzzbutts!

Sometimes you have a good reason for setting a goal. You pick something you want to work on and you know exactly what the goal of it is and why you want to do it. You get that motivation for a while and you keep at it. Yet your discipline and motivation fails at some point and you stop working on it as much as you did. Eventually, you stop working on it entirely. You know why you should do it. The why is still there. However, it’s not enough to keep you going! What a predicament, furry friends!

I went through this recently. I’ve had piles of fur and sewing materials for a long time now. YEARS! I bought the fur to make tails or to make paws and fursuit stuff and then poof. Poof. Making paws was too hard. Making tails didn’t pay enough. Still, despite one of my earlier posts to declutter and get rid of stuff, I couldn’t bring myself to toss out hundreds of dollars in fur. There’s still value in making tails, even if it won’t replace my job. So the fur sat, me without enough motivation to finish using up the fur and selling it. I know my why was “make money” but that’s not good enough. So what changed?

I moved into a much smaller room from my apartment. 900 sqft of stuff crammed into less than 250. That wasn’t quite enough to get rid of the fur so it sat in the corner by my window. However, it’s August and there’s a heatwave now and no AC where I live. It’s affecting my sleep because it’s so warm at night. So what do I want now? A standing, portable AC unit to hook into the window and cool down my room. What do I need for it? I have the money already. What I don’t have is space in front my window. I can’t shove the fur into another spot because there’s no space. If I want that AC unit and to cool down and feel better overall, I need to start burning through that fur or get rid of it.

I can’t say that’s the only reason I’m able to work on this. I had found already that I can draw in the mornings. I’m lazy after work and it’s hard to work on my goals. So now my goal is to work on the fur in the mornings. It’s easy. I can dedicate a whole two hours before the gym and before work to just sew tails. In two days I was able to hand-sew a tail and a half when it didn’t feel like work at all. The “making money” will be a side effect of me selling these tails after they are finished.

Is “I want an AC unit in my room” some grand nebulous goal to motivate you? Maybe not you but it’s working for me! Your why doesn’t matter as long as it gets your tail moving toward your goal and getting things done. After that, what else is there for me to do? Once the fur is gone, maybe it’ll go back to purely drawing or maybe I have another short-term goal to work on. We’ll have to see! In the meantime, understand why you want to do something and don’t be afraid of changing your “why” as long as it gets you going.

Good luck fuzzbutts!

Wednesday Tailtip: Find the right Tutorials

Wuffles Leave a comment

Hello fuzzbutts!

So today, I wanted to address the whole “I need to learn X before I begin! Must research all things!”

I believe it is important to do your research to some extent. The problem is we get locked into it because we never feel ready to start. So we keep looking for all kinds of information.

For drawing, I started with How to Draw Manga books. I then followed up with looking up video tutorials and then drawing websites like Proko. Eventually, I found one set of tutorials that actually resonated with me: Mikeymegamega. He draws the art I want to do (anime female body types) and he does a great job of explaining everything. Not to mention he also reviews drawing tablets for the PC. This is where my search for learning to draw has stopped. Now I just draw and use the tutorials as a reference.

Whatever your goal may be, you’ll find almost countless resources online to guide you along. However, my point is to make sure that, as soon as you find something you resonate with, you stop the search and get to work! All the research in the world won’t matter if you’re not putting it to work!

Wednesday Tailtip: Stop and Assess!

Wuffles Leave a comment

Hi Fuzzbutts!

This week I wanted to give you a tip that will keep you aware and moving toward your goals. It’s actually very simple but it’s hard to remember!

Throughout your day, whether it’s at work or home, I want you to just pause. Just stop whatever you’re doing for a few seconds and ask yourself “Is what I am doing helping me toward my goals?”

It’s a powerful question when we stop to think about it. Sometimes we might just be lounging with Netflix. If your goal is to become a potato, then you’ll answer the question positively. If whatever you’re doing isn’t help you toward your goals, then figure out what is the next step you need to move toward your goals. Maybe you’re using the distraction as a way to procrastinate because of some fears in your back of your mind. Recognize your thoughts and actions and then get to work.

Now, sometimes it’s helpful to be a slothy furry. You’ve had a nasty day or you went through a lot and are just exhausted. It’s alright to be tired and to use certain opportunities to recharge. However, you know you best. Are you seriously in need of a recharge or are you just putting off your future? Even if you are tired, think about one tiny thing you could do today to move you toward your goal.

It’s not the easiest habit to stop whatever you’re doing and ask yourself this question but, once you do, you’ll become much more aware of your mind and where you are with your life. Good luck, fuzzbutts!

Wednesday Tailtips for Productivity and Life Management!

Wuffles Leave a comment

Hello fuzzies!

It occurred to me that I have lots of small tips that don’t really work to stretch into a lengthy post on Saturdays. So I figured why not do more than just a weekly post? I’ll start posting on Wednesdays with my own personal mini-tips on how to keep productive. I’ll recommend apps or gadgets or techniques that I use. I don’t have any sponsors so I’m not getting anything out of recommending this stuff except the satisfaction of knowing I’m helping others.

So here’s my first tip:

To manage my finances without having to always check the banks, I keep my banking information compiled into an app called Mint which I keep on my phone. This app is managed by Intuit (the ones behind TurboTax) so you know it’s secure. You just connect your various accounts to this app and you can set budgets for the different kinds of spending you do. You can’t transfer money or anything through this app but it gives you, at a glance, the status of your bank accounts and your spending. I feel like whenever I start to consider how my spending has been for the month, I can just pop up this app and see. Less things on your mind means more focus on the things you want to work on!