6 weeks from tomorrow, we'll be walking into San Diego Comic-Con. How long is 6 weeks? Long enough to get a lot done - but short enough that you can't put things off. Preview Night might still seem like a distant dream but now is the time to think about making salon appointments, getting your car ready, taking care of things at work and making sure you have all the cosplay components you need. Wait too long to get this stuff done and you might regret it.
Here's a quick rundown of tasks you might want to take care of now.
#1. Get your car serviced. If you have some kind of arduous Comic-Con road trip ahead of you, get your oil changed and A/C and tires checked before departing. You don't want your Preview Night badge to go to waste while you're sitting around a desert auto shop.
#2. Sell back issues, collections and action figures online. It's always good to clear out some display and storage space while making extra cash for SDCC.
#3. Get your money in order. If friends owe you money, if you need to transfer funds between accounts or if you need to resurrect a credit card for your final hotel bill, you should get all that in order now to make sure you're covered and flush with funds.
#4. Take care of any prescriptions, salon appointments or medical care. Whether you want to get a pedicure for Comic-Con, need a different hair color for your cosplay or want to get new contact lenses or renew a prescription that might run out during SDCC, make your arrangements now. Think too about things like knee braces and other supports you might need to help you stand/sit for long periods.
#5. Get the jump on any deadlines and work coverage. Depending on your field, you might already be plunging into holiday/2018 launches and projects, so make sure your presence won't be critical for anything 18-22 July. If you can put in some overtime now to get someone to cover you during SDCC, do it. Set firm expectations with clients. Being expected to call into meetings or "be available" during Comic-Con is like adding just one drop of cyanide to a milkshake. Do whatever you can now to unplug completely next month.
#6. Start walking. You did this already, right? .... Right? If not, 6 weeks is still plenty of time to build up some stamina for those of you who aren't that active. Break in your Con shoes while you're at it so they feel like heaven by mid-July.
#7. Order stuff online. If you need extra device batteries, an air hammock or special costume components, consider ordering ahead of time so you can make sure it's what you need. And speaking of costumes...
#8. Test-drive your cosplay. Don't just try it on. Take pictures of yourself from all angles in it, walk around in it, imagine you're spending hours in a crowd in it. Any discomfort you feel now will be magnified x37 at SDCC, so don't vow to just power through. You still have time to make adjustments or find something else.
#9. Contact your friends and arrange meetups. We're still a month from finding out the programming, but it's not too soon to talk about getting together. Float a few possibilities and get people thinking about a happy hour, dinner or beach night. If you wait until you're at the Con, everyone's schedule will book up. And if you need to reserve any kind of space - do that now.
#10. Get your networking and marketing materials ready. Whether you're printing new business cards, buying a special campaign domain or compiling samples for Portfolio Review, don't leave this to the last minute or it will show. Get everything printed, published and polished now.
This is a busy time of year - weddings, graduations, 4th of July parties and summer vacations can all overtake our schedules. The next 6 weeks will fly by. Take care of the practical stuff now so you have time to luxuriate in Comic-Con anticipation later.
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