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Honestly, embrace it. I am productive from 10-2 and then 4-6. So I use the morning to poke around the house and yard with my kid and dog. Then from 2-4, I usually answer emails and clean up my desk and office.
Even when I was in the office, I used to keep a similar schedule. I blocked my calendar when I could to protect those times.
I’ve realised i concentrate better if I am not distracted, so I try to keep my phone away from me (which I am not doing right now and messaging here lol, but hey if it helps someone!).
And as a UX person, rather than jumping into designs, if I can spend 5-10 mins reading the research notes and getting in user’s mindset, it inspires me to start designing and gets the creative juices flowing.
You might be surprised how many designers just jump into designing when they shouldn't. Product Managers often expect it, too. Very important to take time to digest what is going on and why before just jumping in. Good on you.
My productive hours are when everyone is asleep 🫠
My productive hours are at 1AM when I realized that I have deliverables due the next day
Agree with others, try not to fight your natural rhythm. Noticing when you work better is half the battle, then go with it. You'll be happier and more productive, given the nature of creative work.
Also, I really liked another post about getting into the head of the audience, some UX research for inspiration. That is such a great idea, and works for me too. Once I'm thinking along those lines, my mind gets active, I look for connections between the content and ideas, and idea generation becomes more fluid.
I know this isn’t for everyone but I am the most productive after 9 pm. Haha. Like someone else Said, when everyone is asleep. No distractions or pings or quick deadlines on production requests. Just full blown design thinking. It’s also crazy how creative one can be then! It’s pretty euphoric. It’s like I was completely blank during the day w half baked ideas, and they all start tumbling in at night. It’s crazy. Haha. I am more productive during 9-5 to get the rest of stuff done. Like last minute edits and changes to existing design work and all that jazz. But actual concepting happens after hours!! The only sad case is it’s usually right before a deadline the next day…. So all nighters do happen. I guess I do work better under pressure :(. Lol!
I agree with this 💯. I'm the same way late nights no
alerts/ping/kids/distractions it's like going into absolute focus mode.
i try to allow myself the time to get situated in the morning- if i wake up at 8:30, i start at 10:30, etc. my days do look different if im on meetings, but if im purely just designing for the day, i allow myself to curate the day :)
I’m still early in my career so ambition is abit easier to find. Staying focused is a different story lol. As cliche as it is.
I start my mornings 4:30am - caffeine+ 1hr gym - 15-30 minutes of guided meditation (try free app called Insight Timer it’s life changing) then prep for day and start at 8am
Never been more productive and focused in my life (28 yr old)
I also try to be in bed my 9:30 at latest
It’s rough at the start but with anything consistency makes things easier and better.
P.s quality/healthy food makes a difference in keeping the sleepies away.
Productivity is relative. You can’t force it and everything I do up to the point where something reaches finality is just part of the process even if it seems unrelated.
I started using Pomofocus site (also on mobile and app) a simple timer that lets you focus on a single task for 25 min then take 5 min break. You’ll notice if you get pulled away for something else or not within that time. Plus a good reminder to take breaks away from our screen.
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Be productive when you’re productive. I’ll go whole days hardly working and others where I’m so hyper focused that I’m making up for those times and pushing myself into my best ideas. As long as you’re getting your work done, meeting deadlines and being an active team member when you’re needed to be it doesn’t matter that you’re not productive 40 hours a week.
Honestly the only thing that has worked for me unfortunately was waking up earlier.
Like mentioned embrace it. Try to schedule your meetings, emails, all of the more admin type tasks. Get your socializing out in the mornings. That way after lunch you can be 100% focused. If you have flexibility in your schedule just simply start later in the day.
If you’re looking for something a bit more structured, I’ve found the Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change beneficial.
It helps to curate priorities in smaller chunks so the user can time box specific tasks in possible ways, ultimately forming solid productivity habits.
I share this. I leave my morning for meetings, random small tasks and real work begins from 2-5 where I move like a machine. We all know the real “design muscles” wakes up at midnight.
I get into the office at 5am. I can get more done from 5 to 8, than from 8 to 5.