Neworld, Great relationships build great brands

It is the most common term used in our day-to-day lives – “if only I had more time”. Time is that elusive thing that is so precious and yet so scarce. In Neworld, we’ve tried to come up with time management tips to help with this on-going problem.

Here are a few of our time management tips for designers:

1. Make a plan and break it down

If you are faced with a large project your head goes into a spin. Try breaking it down into smaller, more manageable bite size pieces. Prioritize the more urgent parts of the project and work on those first. Work in teams so you can delegate some of the tasks to other members of the team – as the saying goes “many hands make light work”.

2. Have boundaries with your time

Try not to get bogged down in endless meetings. Once the point of the meeting has been reached, be brave and say you have to run as you are up against a deadline. Don’t let checking your emails interrupt your work schedule. Use filters and folders to sort out and prioritize incoming messages. You could even change your settings so that you are not being notified the minute a new message comes in, this will save you switching from what you are doing to reading your mail and back again.

3. If you get stuck, mix it up

So there is nothing more time wasting than if you have a creative block but this happens, so what do you do? Mix it up – vary the work and go do something completely different for a while until the creative juices start flowing again.

4. Invent shortcuts

There are a lot of activities you perform regularly; by creating shortcuts you will cut down wasted time. For instance, set ruler guides, styles, standard graphics etc. for each page of your layout at the beginning. Set up templates wherever you can to avoid repeating the same process over and over again.

5. Work-Life Balance

This is so important for your overall wellbeing. During your busy working day, take a few minutes to talk to your team mates, get up from your desk and stretch your legs, shoulders and arms, or make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. You will find that by doing these simples things you will feel refreshed, awake and will be more productive than ever.

The most important thing to remember is to try to get all your work done within the working day and go home to your family or go to your favourite activity and enjoy your time.