
Be organized
As web designers, we like to talk a lot about productivity and getting things done. We like to read websites like Lifehacker and books like The 4-Hour Work Week and Getting Things Done. But although we spend a lot of time talking about productivity and being organized, few of us put in the effort required to make it happen.
Remove distractions
We web designers are constantly surrounded by distractions. Twitter, Facebook, email, the telephone and indeed the web itself are constant distractions that prevent us from getting stuff done. Probably the single biggest improvement I’ve made for my productivity is to cut out distractions. The biggest part of this has been turning off all of the automatic notifications that constantly pop up. Instead, I manually check these various applications during the breaks that I take in my working day (see “Find your focus” below). This keeps the notifications from interrupting the flow of my work. Of course, checking these applications even periodically can be massively distracting, because they take us on tangents away from what we should be working on. Email is the biggest culprit. Whenever we check our email, we find requests that distract us from our work. This is why I’ve taken to checking email only three times a day (once in the morning, once at lunchtime and once at the end of the day).
Find your focus
As web designers, we often treat our bodies much the way we treat our computers. We believe that if we input enough energy (often in the form of Red Bull and pizza), we will operate at a consistent level. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike a computer, your body fluctuates according to the amount of energy you have. Working with your natural rhythm is a key component of being productive. Some of us are more productive in the morning, while others have more energy at night. All of us will find that our energy and ability to concentrate increases and decreases throughout the day. Fortunately, a lot can be done to work with these natural rhythms and ensure that we are as productive as possible. For a start, I work in a series of short bursts, rather than trying to maintain my concentration for a long period of time. To do this, I use the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, this involves running a timer for 25 minutes, during which I do nothing but work on the current task (in this case, writing this article). Once I have finished my 25 minutes, I take a break for 5 minutes before doing another sprint.

Consider outsourcing
I remember my dad once putting forth a convincing argument for never brushing his teeth. His logic went that, because he worked for himself, his time was extremely valuable and could be charged to prospective clients. He calculated the number of hours that he spent cleaning his teeth each year, and he worked out that getting the damage sorted out by the dentist was cheaper than taking the time to clean them himself. Although he was joking (at least I hope), there is some logic to his madness. As freelance web designers, we spend a lot of time chasing clients, invoicing and various other administrative tasks that we are simply not good at and, more importantly, hate doing. We continue to do them because we are reluctant to pay someone else to do them for us. This is a false economy, because we could actually charge ourselves to clients at a higher rate and avoid having our energy levels sapped by these tasks that we hate doing. What’s more, a lot of these jobs are not expensive to outsource. Literally thousands of virtual assistants are ready to help with this kind of office administration. Just look at Elance and you’ll see what I mean.
Recycle
When rushing from one task to the next, reinventing the wheel becomes all too easy. For example, how many times have you coded a list of news stories for a website? Too often we start each project from scratch, instead of building on work we have done before. Look for ways to recycle your old work. Also, take advantage of the work that others have done and have made freely available online. For example, I keep coming across web designers who build their own content management systems. This takes a huge amount of effort and is pointless now that so many free open-source content management systems are available. There are even opportunities to reuse design elements from other websites. While I discourage copying, this does not mean we cannot be inspired by individual design elements that we find.
A dangerous road
Before you dismiss this post as just another list of tips and tricks, take a moment to think about the road ahead. Do you honestly believe you can continue to work at the intensity you are currently at without it seriously affecting your health and well-being? Most of us need to carefully consider how we work and look for ways to work smarter rather than just putting in more hours. I strongly believe it is time for us to change the culture of the web design community, which currently treats working ridiculously long hours as a badge of honor rather than something to be ashamed of.Read Next
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