Here it is! Dreadtober begins today! Well at least the first challenge: planning your hobby project.

I think I just hear about a third of you grown about having to plan. “I’m an artist, not a cube-man!” “It’s just a hobby, planning is for work.” Or something along those lines.

But the truth is, projects (even artistic, hobby ones) have a much better shot at being accomplished if you put together a simple plan. Notice, it doesn’t have to be a giant Gantt chart, 90-page operating plan, or even anything formal.

Instead, the point of this challenge is to prepare so that the project goes smoother, and you can spend more time building, painting, and interacting than worrying about what color to paint it.

The Challenge: Plan your Dreadtober Project

One of the best pieces of advice for planning is: write down what you want to achieve. Start with the end in mind and we will work back from there. Do you have a Space Wolf Dreadnought missing out on battle honor by sitting in your bits box? Always wanted to build the new stealth Tau suit? Or even have a brand new technique you have been dying to try.

No matter what it is, write down what you main goal of Dreadtober will be.

How to get there

A marker has been planted, now it’s time to figure out how to get there.

The first is pretty easy: what model(s) do you need, and do you already have them? If you don’t, now is probably a good time to swing by your local store, order them online or barter with your friends.

Next, what do you need to pull off any of the conversions, paint schemes, or techniques you want to try? Make sure you have all the supplies ready to go, or again, pick up what you need. I found putting everything in a single container really helps to ensure nothing gets misplaced.

Result: Make the declaration

It’s now time to make the declaration of what you will accomplish during Dreadtober. Just as putting a plan together helps it get done, sharing that plan with others has also been proven to significantly ensure that you follow through.

So share it on Twitter and Facebook (using #dreadtober so we can see it!), write it in a blog post, and if you are on the participant email list, send it to me to add to the Showcase this Saturday. Not on the email list? Sign up below and I will send you a reminder email on Friday to submit your work.

Helpful Tutorials

Every week I will be sharing some helpful tutorials to help you accomplish this week’s project.
This week’s select veers out of our hobby niche as I wasn’t able to find any actually talking about how to plan. So, instead, you get to experience a bunch of new sites 🙂

Making Time

The biggest obstacle we all face when it comes to getting our hobby time, is squeezing it in. I do my best to wake up extra early so I can get some done before my sons wake up and I head off to work, but it can be demanding. This is why I liked an article I found by Kristine on making time for hobbies. I especially like her point on setting up a painting area for your kids to join you in the hobby.

Using Trello for Hobbies

I personally use Trello to keep track of all my projects. From painting projects, blog posts, all these Dreadtober posts, to work tasks. I wrote up how I organize my hobby using Trello. It’s free and easy to use so it might be a good way to organize your progress.

Bullet Journal

If you are more of paper and pencil person, then check out the Bullet Journal. While you can buy special notebooks to do it, I use the method he describes with a blank Moleskin. With very low overhead, you can write down tasks that need to be completed, and notes to keep track of.

Get Ready!

Dreadtober 2016 officially starts next Saturday, October 1st. With your brand new plan in hand, I have no doubt that you will be ready to go!

Have some more tutorials on planning and organizing your hobby project? Hit them up in the notes below so we can check them out.