Why It's Useful to Schedule Painting Time
If you’re trying to paint more consistently, one of the most effective, and underestimated, strategies is scheduling painting time.
Artist Teddi Parker (Ep.77) is busy. She’s parenting and homeschooling two kids, taking care of a home, and juggling a lot of interests. And yet, most days, she paints.
So how does she do it?
She doesn’t wait for free time to magically appear. She puts painting directly into her schedule.
Painting Happens When It Has a Place
For Parker, painting time began during naptime. As naps faded, that block of time evolved into “quiet time.” Every day, shortly after lunch, the whole family takes about 90 minutes to work on quiet activities.
For her kids, that might be reading or independent play.
For Parker, that time is often reserved for painting.
This approach works because painting isn’t something she tries to squeeze in—it’s something that already has a place.
Why Scheduling Painting Time Works
Holding a regular time for painting helps in several important ways.
1. It’s flexible, not rigid
She doesn’t paint during that time every single day, but she mostly holds it for painting. That flexibility removes pressure while still protecting the time.
2. It creates built-in preparation
Because painting time is coming, she naturally prepares for it. Household chores get done earlier in the day. A drawing or idea is ready to go. The schedule acts as a pacing mechanism that makes starting easier.
3. It improves presence everywhere else
Knowing that painting time is protected allows her to be more present in other areas of life. And when it is time to paint, she can be fully there—without distraction or resentment.
Why Busy Artists Benefit from Scheduling Art Time
Many artists assume that painting has to fit into whatever scraps of time are left at the end of the day. But scheduling painting time flips that logic.
Instead of asking, “Where can painting fit after everything else?”
You begin asking, “How can everything else fit around painting?”
That shift is subtle but powerful.
When painting is on the calendar, it becomes a priority during that time. Just like a doctor’s appointment or a meeting, you don’t casually move it for interruptions.
You don’t answer the phone because it’s painting time.
You don’t schedule appointments there because it’s painting time.
Life adjusts around it… and often more smoothly than you’d expect.
Put It to Practice: Make Painting a Real Appointment
If you want to paint more consistently, try putting your painting time directly on your calendar.
It doesn’t need to be daily.
It doesn’t need to be long.
It just needs to be protected and recurring.
Scheduling painting time helps formalize your art habit. And once it’s formalized, it’s no longer optional or negotiable. It’s simply part of how your week works.
That one change in thinking can make a big difference in how often you show up and how it feels when you do.