Work Distraction-Free
Messages, emails, meetings, calls, Instagram, your adorable cat – all things that easily distract you from your work. Having to regain focus after distractions takes time and brainpower. It’s like having to recalibrate your brain every time you switch tasks or lose focus. Here are some suggestions if you’re having trouble staying focused:
- Block your time. Schedule uninterrupted time where you only work on one project. Schedule your calls and meetings around this time-block and keep yourself focused on your project during that time.
- Silence communication if possible. That means no chat, no emails, no notifications, and no phone.
- Don’t multitask. It’s proven to be ineffective; your brain can’t fully engage or focus on two things at once. What’s really happening is that you’re just switching between tasks rapidly, and your brain has to recalibrate each time.
- If you listen to music while you work, try playing something with minimal or no words. I prefer lo-fi beats, house music, or some instrumental acoustic.
Batch Tasks
Work in a way that allows you to do one type of task repeatedly. Save out all your assets in one time-block, wireframe in another, add copy in another, and so on. When you batch tasks, you’re creating a simple, repetitive process that you can grind out without having to recalibrate your brain. It’s like doing a two-step instead of a waltz.
Separate Decision-Making and Production
Settle on your design choices before moving into production. Again, you want to avoid switching tasks and recalibrating your focus. Make firm decisions on creative choices and layout and execute them during production. Avoid creating revisions for yourself during the production process.
Big Picture First
Don’t get stuck in the weeds on details too soon. Finish the task as a whole, then add details and iterate improvements. A great design finished on time is better than a perfect design finished late.
Lists
I swear by this simplest of tips. Break down large projects into smaller lists and work from those. It’s going to be a lot less overwhelming for you and reduce your decision-making during production.
Stay in Motion
Momentum is super important! Strive to always move forward and avoid stalls in production.
- Take microbreaks—frequent, short breaks throughout the day
- Make it work with what you have. If you don’t have needed assets, don’t let that hold you back. Put in a placeholder and keep your momentum going, then come back for those later.
- Creative block is real and everybody handles it a bit differently. If you hit a creative block or are stuck on a single part of a project, try working on a different part and coming back to the problem later. Switch it up – work on something more technical if you’re blocked creatively, or something creative if you’re losing focus in production.
