I’m sure most web designers would love to get more done in a given day. Those that don’t probably wish they could get the work they do have done faster, giving them more free time. The good news is that you can do both: shorten your work day and get more done.
There are hundreds of articles out there that talk about how to be more productive. Most offer the same kinds of advice: cut distractions, stop procrastinating, and stick to a regular schedule. But those things alone won’t make your more productive (and they’re all harder than they sound). The tips below, however, will make you more productive.
1. Cut Your Hours
A lot of times, when people feel like they need to get more done, they extend the number of hours they work. And while this seems logical, it often works against you. If you really want to increase your productivity and the amount of work you get done in a day, decrease the number of hours you work. If you commonly work an eight hour day, cut it to four or five hours. If you normally work ten or twelve hours, try working for only six or eight instead. Give yourself a set start and end time and stick to it.
If you know you have a deadline looming, you’ll be more efficient. You’ll stop surfing news sites or checking the stock market (or Facebook and Twitter). You might opt to work right through lunch rather than going out to eat. But that’s okay, since you’ll have an extra three to five hours at the end of the day in which to relax.
Cutting your hours takes some discipline at first. The first couple of days, you might not get everything done. Resist the urge to keep working. If you do get everything done, you might get the urge to just keep working, since you’ve got time left in the day. Resist that urge, too. Once you’re at the point where you’re consistently working shorter, more productive days, then you can occasionally stay a bit longer to finish things up. Until that point, stick to your reduced-hour schedule.
2. Turn Off Your Computer
Computers are the primary tool of designers and developers. Without our computers, we couldn’t finish (or sometimes even start) our work. So it seems counter-intuitive to turn off your computer to get more done.
When you’re in the early stages of a project, you often spend a lot of time gathering materials and finding inspiration. But there are so many possible sources of inspiration online that it can work against you. Instead, turn off your computer and pick up a pen and paper. Brainstorm about possibilities. Create mind-maps.
Beyond that, go outside and look for some inspiration. Or pick up a book or magazine (better yet: go to your local library or bookstore and peruse the stacks there). Find things to inspire and motivate you offline. In many cases, you can come up with a more directed vision for the project if you get rid of distractions.
3. Let Your Designs Sit for Awhile
This is advice often given to writers. When you finish a first draft of something, put it aside before you go on to editing and revising. The same applies to design. Once you have your design figured out, set it aside for a bit before you start coding.
This serves a two-fold purpose. First of all, when you’ve just finished a design, of course you think it’s wonderful. You might think it’s the best design you’ve ever done. You might even think it’s the best design anyone’s ever done. You might be right, but chances are, it could be better.
By putting it aside for a few days or a week, you can come back to it with more objective eyes. You may see places where you want to tweak the design. While this does lengthen your design process a bit, it also can result in much better finished products.
The other reason you want to step back is that it can often give you insight into any issues you might have had with the design. Maybe you weren’t crazy about how one client problem or another was solved. If you step back, you can often come up with better solutions than those that originally presented themselves.
4. Work When You’re Most Productive
There are certain times during the day when some people are more productive than others. For many people, first thing in the morning is their most productive time of day. For others, it might be after lunch, or in the evening, or even at three in the morning.
Try working at different times of the day and see when you’re most productive. Just because standard business hours are 9 to 5 doesn’t mean that’s when you have to work. Even if you’re not a freelancer, you may be able to adjust your workday to better accommodate your naturally productive times (just talk to your boss about it, making sure to cite that you get way more done at a certain time of day).
5. Always Be Ready for Inspiration
One of the biggest hindrances to productivity is not having the right ideas at the right time. We know there’s a solution to whatever problem is ailing us, but we just can’t seem to find it. Then it hits us when we’re out at the post office, or sitting down to dinner at a restaurant, or otherwise unable to actually do anything with that sudden breakthrough.
This is why it’s vital that you always have something available to record these bits of inspiration and out-of-the-blue ideas. Most designers probably have a smart phone, so make sure you download an app or two that will let you either make voice recordings or sketch ideas or take notes. Alternatively, carry a small notebook and pen with you wherever you go. Something like the squared Moleskine pocket-size notebooks are perfect (the pages are graph paper, so they’re perfect for everything from writing to mind-mapping to wireframing).
6. Standardize Your Process
Having a standardized process for your website projects can make a huge difference in your productivity. Figure out the steps you normally take when designing a site (everything from fact-finding to wireframing to coding and everything in between) and write them down. Then, whenever you have a new project, pull out your list of normal steps and make a schedule based on them.
If you have to, just keep track of everything you do for one or two projects. There are almost always things that come up unexpectedly, but for the most part, many web design projects resemble each other quite closely, at least as far as the process goes.
Another hint here is to batch process items. While designs aren’t necessarily conducive to batch processing, other aspects of your business might be. Dealing with email is one of the most obvious. Instead of dealing with email as it comes in, check your email only a couple times a day and deal with it all at once. Same goes for preparing proposals, invoices, or other paperwork-related tasks. Often, these things can be done during your non-peak productive hours, as they often don’t require as much creativity and thought as actual design tasks.
7. Use Music as a Tool
Music can be a great motivator if you use it properly. Fitting the music you’re listening to to your project is a great way to stay on focus and really capture the mood of the project. You can also listen to music that increases your energy levels and gets you pumped up.
Fast-paced music can often make you work faster without even realizing it. Your body’s natural rhythm will adjust itself to your surroundings. Surround yourself with upbeat, high-energy sounds, and you’ll be more upbeat and high-energy, and therefore more productive. Remember that the opposite is also true. If you’re listening to something that’s slow or melancholy, you’re likely to see your productivity levels drop. Save music like that for after work.
8. Choose Better Projects
Many designers don’t have to take every job that comes their way. This allows you to pick and choose which projects you want to work on. Rather than focusing solely on the most profitable projects, make sure you’re choosing some that you really want to work on. If you’re enjoying the site you’re working on, you’re more likely to get it done faster. You won’t dread starting work in the morning, and you won’t drag your feet as the project progresses.
Some people feel like if you hate a project, you’ll be more motivated to get it over with, but that’s rarely the case in practice. Enthusiasm breeds a lot more productivity than dread does. If you love what you’re doing, you’ll put that much more energy into it.
If you hate what you’re working on, you’ll find all sorts of ways to procrastinate. And procrastination is the enemy of productivity. So if you find yourself putting off projects, try to figure out if there’s a way you can hand them off to someone else, so you can get back to the projects you’re enjoying. Even if that means outsourcing part of a project.
9. Get Help if You Need It
Sometimes you’re going to get stuck on projects. This might be because you just don’t have the necessary skills, or because you’ve lost motivation and developed a mental block. In either case, you need to know when it’s time to call in outside help.
Outside help doesn’t necessarily mean you need to outsource to some faceless company. You probably have friends who are designers or developers who might want to pick up the extra work. Give some of them a call and see if they’d be willing to be a sub-contractor for that particular project. Even if it’s a friend, make sure you get everything in writing, including how and when they’ll be paid.
Consider doing this on a regular basis, too. Maybe you hate scripting, or converting your designs to HTML, or whatever. Find someone who enjoys that work (and is good at it) and make arrangements to outsource that work to them on a regular basis. It’ll result in better designs, and you’ll be less likely to procrastinate or get burned out.
10. Make an Effort to Keep Your Stress Levels Low
Stress is one of the biggest hindrances to productivity and creativity out there. When you’re stressed, whether it’s because of work or life, you’ll have a harder time finishing projects in a productive and efficient manner. Plus, high stress levels are very unhealthy and can lead to getting sick more often. And if you’re out of work sick, you’re certainly not being productive.
There are some simple things you can do that will lower your stress levels, even if you don’t remove the things that are stressing you out. Eating healthy and exercising are the two biggest ones. Skip the double-quarter-pounder with cheese and bring a bag lunch instead. Take a walk on your lunch break or when you get up in the morning, even if it’s just for fifteen minutes. Doing these things will help reduce your stress levels regardless of the things causing you stress.
Another great stress-reliever is a good hobby. Find something you enjoy doing and that relaxes you, and make time for it in your schedule. This could be anything from playing chess to reading a good book to paragliding. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s something you enjoy and something that makes you feel better. By Cameron Chapman
Conclusion
Getting more done doesn’t have to lead to longer hours. All you need to do is maximize your productivity and efficiency in the time you want to spend working. The tips above can help you do just that. If you have other tips you’d like to share, please do so in the comments!
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