GREEN
Before we start…
If you have just stumbled into my little adventure in avoiding the seriousness of the enormitiy of addressing all the things I have on my extensive to do list and how best to avoid them, then this may not make any sense.
It may not make any sense in any case but you may want to read my introduction that was posted a few posts ago before you read this. If you did happen upon last week’s post then I’ll delay no more.
1. Hydrate, coffee.
Let’s assume you are not reading this from the comfort of your bed. Are you?*
Before we undertake any deep light hearted analysis we need to be in the right head space. This means coffee, a cup of get shit done — fuck off Monday people — but yes it gets my bowel moving, allowing for even more thinking time.
* Top marks to you, especially if this is a work day. You may want to skip to the next section — when I post it — because you are a special type of procastintor, maybe. Or Maybe not. Maybe you’re just tired or unwell. Or your job requires you to read Instagram posts from bed… wow, have I just identified a dream job for someone? Please, read on.
If you have no coffee you may want to try tea or a freshly squeezed juice.
However, over the years I’ve tried all of these and none seem to work better than coffee.**
Sitting down to delete your spam, checking your social accounts or taking tiny glances at your workbook is far more rewarding with a drink on the go. Don’t be afraid to make a second cup to help ‘loosen up’ those creative juices. Keep drinking until you feel loose enough to start your day’s work.
**Actually if you really want to get things moving cocaine is by far the best option but it’s probably not great if you’re about to do the school run. For the record I’ve not tried it in conjunction with the school run. Please use your drugs wisely. There’s lots more I’d like to add to these little posts, little life vignettes if you like. Funny, I do recall a time, back in the day, having been up all night when coffee actually was exactly what I needed to get me going the next day.
2. Hydrate, Beer.
Of course, it would be remiss of me to not include wine and spirits here. And mixing cocktails turns out to be a perfect way to nail the creative rationale for a 3rd concept on a recent brand identity project. And for all those that want to know what time beer o’clock is… more later.
3. Clean, your desktop.
First rule of thumb. In the real world dust gathers. Don’t let this build up. To be productive is to have an immaculate desk, with pencils sharpened and even last week’s time sheet filled out. Now that feels good — take a break.
4. Clean, your desktop.
The other one. So how good do you want to be? Do not under estimate the amount of time you will save when you have filed away everything on your computer desktop. Especially the folders that say “TO FILE” — saved from last year’s desktop. Of course, the knack is knowing when to execute this onerous task. There’s never a good time but when a deadline is looming there’s no time like the present.
5. Never work to a deadline.
Avoid at all costs if you are serious about procrastination — maybe you are in the wrong job?*** — but do check your schedule. In the real world a deadline is the designer’s friend and something that actually turns procrastination into a super power —there’s lots on this idea that I’ll be sharing.
Q. How does procrastination work if you’re in a business that is deadline sensitive? Refer to footnote in earlier paragraph on reading this post in bed.
6. Always work to a deadline.
Of course, in my experience as a graphic designer this helps in a number of ways:
1 — clients are happy when you deliver work on time,
2 — clients are likely to pay for your services and continue to work with you,
3 — working within a timeframe creates a sense of urgency and purpose,
4 — never question your purpose,
5 — refer to point 3,
6 — refer to point 1 and remember point 2.
In the next post I’m going to present a list of procrastinator types.
Identifying the type of procrastinator you are is key to achieving long lasting success in perfecting the ultimate ham and cheese sandwich — or sandwich of your choice. I will also explore the idea of how opening and shutting windows can ultimately change your attitude towards any task at hand.
The next post is Yellow.