Spitalfields Market

Saw some nice artwork out on display today. Here are some pics of my favs.

Top 5 tips for Freelance Designers time management

Hey folks!

Has this happened to you?

You’re busy beavering away. All of a sudden it gets to about 4 O’clock in the afternoon and you wonder where the day has gone.  You realise you still have a chunk more work to do, before you complete your projects. That awful *gulp* moment comes over you. I’m never going to finish on time!

Meeting deadlines can be tricky. It can also consume you, if you don’t develop a strategy for hitting them on time.

That’s why time management is so important.

Forget burning the midnight oil just to scrape the submissions in. Focus on completing tasks with time to spare, allowing you to make last minute changes and amends.

Here I’ve listed just some effective time management tips, worth considering:

If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Or, in the words of Yogi Berra “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else”. 

Planning may seem elementary to you, but it’s vital and so effective for making sure we stay on track. Any activity in life needs planning. Make sure your (or your client’s) goal is clear, and write it down. Make lists, flow charts, spider diagrams. Stick to them. Work through them and keep coming back to them. Be sure to only include key criteria, and deadline driven issues.

Prioritise

I sometimes feel like I’m spinning plates and trying to keep them all going at once isn’t easy. We’re constantly juggling our workload and tasks throughout the day. Decide what needs to be done first. Focus on what is most important, and necessary to move forward with the project. Start with the heavier tasks and get those out of the way early on. Come back to smaller, less import work later. Think about the amount of time you need to spend on something and factor that into your day. Give yourself goals and timeframes for completing stuff. Plot your key dates and milestones into your calendar, so you’re always thinking ahead. 

Don’t push it

Sometimes you need to be brave and turn down work, or say ‘no’ to a job. I know that’s really hard when you’re self employed or freelance, and you never really know where your next pay cheque is coming from. But, if you deliver substandard quality cos you’re overstretched, chances are they won’t re-book you anyway. Instead, give your best efforts and honour commitments you already have, rather than drowning yourself in multiple briefs.  

Don’t get obsessed

Analysis paralysis can be a massively debilitating and it’s happened to us all, at some point. You’re squandering considerable amounts of time over-thinking the project or the situation. Nothing gets done.  You overcomplicate it, there are too many detailed options, a choice is never made, and you can’t find the perfect solution. We’re in the crushing grip of this dreaded condition and we can’t see the end-zone… STOP! Listen to your gut. Ask for a second opinion. Do a mental dry run. And then take the leap. Remember, even if you commit now, it’s not 100% of the final outcome. You can always fine tune later.

Reward yourself

Make working fun and enjoyable, by rewarding yourself when you do a good job, or when you’ve completed something you didn’t like doing. Keep sweets in your drawer. Go and make a herbal brew after each task. Try to choose projects that you’re passionate about. This can help motivate you and help instill a sense of urgency, which helps to get you over the finish line and helps to make you feel that sense of achievement.

Being a freelance designer is a balancing act.  But through good time management it is possible to balance it all.

If you have tips of your own, feel free to add them to the comment section below.  Whilst you’re there, you might like to check out the following for new freelance roles!

PowerPoint Obsession!

 

Ok guys, I am aware that designers don’t like using PowerPoint however I have just been informed by several high profile clients that they will need a small army of PowerPoint, Keynotes and Prezi Designers... Can it be true I hear you gasp...?

The shifts are long, they include weekends and out of hours work, some international travel and eye watering rates!

These roles are getting booked up over the next few weeks / months and I am always up for talking to people who have the skills but want more freelance work in this area.

PowerPoint... who would of thunk it...?

The Balloon Packer applicant

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
 Jun 2010-Jul 2010  Balloon Packer
1 Packer  
2 Sorting out customers’ orders
2 Setting up scale to weight balloons
3 Packing bags into & boxes
4 Storing orders to warehouse
5 Printing labels for customer’s orders




A job is a job I guess...

Be....

Nice little poster made by one of our freelancers! Thank you!!!!

Be happy!

First unusual cv of the new year

Back in the office and its all systems go for 2014.

New roles flying on every day - designers offline, designers online, studio managers and email producers / front end devs all needed for some of the best clients in London.

Having said that I am receiving interesting applications - including this CV from a hopeful job hunter.

As you can see this cv is impossible to read - I did let the person know...

Interview

@jamster83 posted this funny pic.

Pigeon having a job interview. Obviously we all hope (s)he got the job :-)