I’m dyin’ over here.
Those of you who’ve been married might know what I’m talking about. I can barely see the floor of my condo because it’s covered with boxes. Sure these boxes are filled with gifts (and popcorn! AHHH I hate the popcorn! why do we need a box full of popcorn to send a simple cookie rack? I mean it’s about 1/10 the size of the box for crying out loud) but they’re really stressing me out!
I think I’ve said before that piles and clutter can cause stress, but this takes it to a whole new level. I mean, I’m working from home now and it’s something that is almost constantly on my mind. All this stuff sticks in the back of my mind as something I need to take care of. Thing is, I literally can’t. Not right now anyway. We simply don’t have room.
(Staci, if your reading this, stop now…)
I find it ironic that people give us gifts to “get us started in life.” We don’t need any of this junk. Plus, it’s going to force us to move to a bigger, more expensive house. Any of you ever hear the George Carlin bit “A Place For My Stuff”? Well, that’s me right now.
Because of all this stuff, I need to work harder, to make more money to buy a bigger house to put all this stuff. I can feel my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. People, take my advice, before you add stuff to your life, get rid of some other stuff. One can only take so much stuff. With stuff you need a place to put it, you need to feel like you’re doing something with it. This can be very, very anti “getting things done” and cause a tone of stress.
Now, to the dumpster.
Awhile back I wrote a post about how to get back on track after time off. One of the things I mentioned was getting back to your regular schedule as soon as possible. While I still think this is a good idea in general, there are times when you simply can’t do that.
Like when you come back to almost 2,000 non-spam e-mails in your inbox.
I had to make a few adjustments this time, coming back from a two week vacation is a bit different than anything I’ve done in quite awhile. I used many of the tips I offered up before, but my biggest work-related hurtle was dealing with my e-mail. For that I took some special steps and I’m happy to say they worked splendidly.
So, I’m back from Mexico. Thanks to Peter (and Nathan) for doing a great job manning the ship while I was away.
To kick things back off I want to do something I’ve not done a whole lot of here at To-Done–get the reader’s perspective on something. I want to have an honest and open discussion about the whole Getting Things Done/DIY/Lifehack/Productivity movement.
Or, how not to be a “Yes Man” by Nathan Smith
NOTE: This post is by the designer Nathan Smith. While his thoughts are aimed at his fellow designers, the points he makes are valid in any work situation. Hope you enjoy,
Peter
Intro:
I want to start out by bringing to mind the classic Bill Murray comedy What About Bob. For those of you who have not seen it, this movie depicts a man on the edge, a paranoid schizophrenic who constantly badgers his therapist and even stalks him on vacation. None of us out there have trouble avoiding someone like this, but many of us say “Yes” to friends or causes that we believe in strongly, even when we know full well we cannot easily afford the time commitment. So, this write-up will be about prioritizing as a freelancer, even if that means not always being Mr. (or Ms.) Popular.
Background:
Before we get into the content of the article, first let me give a little background information about myself. I am 26 years old, male, married, a Master of Divinity student and freelance web designer. I also have recently accepted a full-time job with a large corporation doing web development as a User Interface Designer.
That being said, I have a lot on my plate right now. No doubt you are asking the rhetorical: “Why write an article for To-Done?” Well, because in the past year I have learned the hard way what it means to say yes to too many people about too many things, and want to share my experience from the school of hard-knocks.
Since my wife and I are both grad students, we were doing our best, being inventive and trying to make ends meet. As such, I took on quite a few freelance projects for various local ministries and para-church organizations to help pay the bills. By now you have all probably heard the often used phrase “content is king” – meaning that having a slick website design is nothing if the content is not worth reading.
The Fine Print:
Most of the time (and this is not just limited to churches), as a freelancer you will be approached by a client who “needs” a website. While they might not know a whole lot else about what this entails, the one thing they are absolutely convinced about is the necessity of this website. They may not even have a full page of double-spaced content to actually go on the site, but so long as you provide the site design, they are convinced that the rest will sort of fall into place.
So, you accept the job on good faith that while you work on the design, the content will be written up by your client. Perhaps you even pointed out that content is the single most important thing on their website. After all, they are the ones who want to pay you to create a website, so they must be serious about putting information on there, right? Possibly, but I have found that this is not usually the case.
Get Motivated:
Now, you might be the type of designer that feels satisfied as long as you have provided the necessary elements specified in your contract: a template, site architecture, graphics / logo, etc. If you are, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. You are just being a shrewd businessman (or woman). However, if you are like me and are motivated more out of the sheer desire to create a thoroughly complete high-quality website, then it can be quite disheartening to come up with a functioning site design, only to have it sit empty after it is online.
What I am talking about here is not simply an issue of static vs. dynamic websites. Most of the sites I have set up are running some easy to use CMS (I heavily favor Textpattern). So, since even the most basic computer user can handle email, and the CMS you have (hypothetically) set up for them is no more difficult to use than that, the lack of content really comes down to one thing: motivation.
Making a Point:
That brings me to the crux of this article. Bear in mind, the client thinks this website is a magic bullet, and that simply by “being online” thousands of would-be customers or readers will flock to the site. But, consumers by their very nature need something to consume. Likewise, who will keep coming back to the site when there is nothing to read? I would challenge you: Do not design sites for people with no message.
Please allow me to go Jerry Maguire on you here and suggest that this line of work is not about the money. Gasp! Okay, have you regained composure? Good, moving on. Here is another kicker: It is not about your client either. So, what the heck is web design all about? You guessed it, the end-user. If you create a beautiful, yet empty website, that sends a terrible message to the end-user. In the case of a church or ministry, which make up the majority demographic of my clients, by having an empty website they are saying: “Our church is about keeping up appearances, but we have nothing substantial to say.”
This is why I would propose, that in order to help protect both yourself and your client’s time investment (and sanity), that you not be afraid to just say a flat-out “No” to potential website projects. It is partly about time but also about quality control. You can always tell them that if later on they come up with enough content to merit having a website, you will re-evaluate the possibility of doing it, but you are not obligated to make any guarantees. The bottom line is, a finished website is a good website, for both you and your client. Trust me, nothing looks worse in a portfolio than a half-done project, consisting of a fully-functional site but no text.
Ideally Speaking:
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the individual / company that has quality content, but poor presentation. Not everyone has the time or drive to learn about web standards, but quite a few businesses have their own websites all the same. These are the types of people that I would propose turn out to be ideal clients. Now, you might be put off a bit by their basic, Times New Roman laden layout. Yet, consider the fact that they believe enough in what they are doing to get themselves that far, and you will realize that there is some underlying dedication present.
What I am referring to is something like this site: SoulDevice.org. I had the privilege of hearing him speak at a conference in the CNN Center in Atlanta, and he had some very keen insight into movies and media. While I might not agree with all his views, I do admire his dedication. He is formally educated, very qualified to speak on the topic religion and pop culture, and because he has a passion for what he does, he continues to update his site with thoroughly thought-out content. Perhaps Christianity is not your thing, no big deal. The purpose of this article is not to push that on you. I am simply using examples from my own life, which happens to be heavily influenced by it. I hope that you as the reader will be open-minded enough to not write this off as empty jargon, and realize that it is applicable to almost every client situation, whether that be with a church, business or individual.
Conclusion / Summary:
Basically, the premise is this: Be on the look-out for dedicated clients, and be very cautious when dealing with companies or individual clients who think they absolutely “need” to be on the internet. Even if they have money to throw around, resist the urge to jump at the opportunity, because in so doing you tie yourself into the project for the long-haul, which in the end might not be worth what they are paying you. This can be to your detriment for two key reasons: 1. Frustration over waiting for the client to deliver on content, and 2. Lost opportunity cost of working with other, more focused clients. For sake of brevity, consider the following mini-example…
Client-X = $1000 for 1 site, but takes 10 months to complete = $100 per month.
Client-A = $400 for 1 site, but only takes 2 months to complete = $200 per month.
For the same amount of time spent working for the slow and troublesome Client-X at a higher initial paycheck, you could have done 1 site every 2 months for various Client-A types, and made $2000 in 10 months. That is double your money, and in the end you have done 5 total sites instead of 1. When you consider that the true benchmark of a web designer is all about the portfolio, this can be invaluable.
While this model is over-simplified, you get the point. By refusing the “easy money” clients, you can have more time for the types that are diamonds in the rough. And, who knows, maybe that initial client you turn down will come back to you in six months with a clear vision, and provide content for you that you can build a site around in much less time. If not, then they are not the type you want to be working for anyway. So, what are you waiting for, get out there and start saying “No!”
For more on how to do that, check out this article…
The response to yesterday’s post caught me quite off guard. I was a bit worried that the general response would be “well duh!”. Goes to show I wasn’t the only person struggling with getting from next-actions to actual actions.
I’m going to walk you through my process for managing my calendar. There are a couple of software specific tricks to it. I use iCal – the Mac’s built in calendar. I’m not sure what Bill packaged for my PC cousins, but I’m sure there are options available.
Let me state at the outset that this system works for me because my work CAN be planned ahead of time. Through experience, I know roughly how long certain tasks are going to take. Also, all my work is time-based. That is to say that when I write a proposal, I base my estimate on actual hours worked. Which is where we’ll start today’s journey.
I use a program called Omni Outliner to brainstorm a project’s requirements when coming up with an estimate. I simply make a list of every element I can imagine will be required to get from point a to point b. Then, I go back and put a time estimate in a column next to each item. It’s a quick and easy way for me to put a dollar value on even the most complex projects.
Now, this works for me because I have a pretty good idea how much time it’s going to take me to do each task. This comes from experience. It also comes from breaking each task down into small components.
One of the reasons I favor Omni Outliner is how simple it is to nest lists. I start by making top level tasks, then revisit the big items to break them down in a nested list. The number of levels I break something down into is a function of how complex the task is. See the example below from a recent print project.
At this point, I’ve got almost all the information I need to schedule my project. Omni Outliner and iCal play together pretty nicely. It’s possible to convert an Outliner list into an iCal to-do list, saving one the necessity to re-type each aspect of the project. (If you want to know how, just google “omni outliner to ical”)
Next, it’s a matter of creating a new calendar for each project. In iCal, it’s simply a matter of clicking a button, naming the calendar, and choosing a colour (to change the colour, make sure the info pane is open [button at the bottom right of the ical window], select the calendar you want in the calendar pane, then lick the colour next to the calendar’s name in the info pane, then choose ‘other’ to select from apple’s colour picker).
In iCal, I can simply drag a to-do item onto the calendar. Easy as pie.
This system does require a bit of maintenance. Moving items forward when they inevitably snag is a pain. I’ve gotten into the habit of simply scheduling blocks of time for a given project. Then, at the start of the week, I’ll refine the schedule to reflect specific tasks. Moving a large block of time is easy. Moving a whole bunch of little blocks is still easy, but it’s a real pain.
iCal can sync with any palm device or ipod, meaning I’ve always got my schedule with me. I do leave a fair bit of flexibility in each day though, and I think that’s key to the system’s success. For example, I rarely schedule more than 8 hours of work, yet I work more like 12 hours a day. This flex time means that I can still take care of the inevitable delays or emergencies that always come up.
This is my life schedule, not just my work schedule. If there’s something I really want to do, putting it on the schedule greatly increases the odds that it will happen.
If you’d like to see a larger view of my calendar, to get a better idea of exactly what I’m talking about, please click here.
I’ve actually written a bit about this before. If you’d like to see how my system has evolved, you can read an article I wrote at Almost Cool titled omniOutliner + iCal = my wicked work flow.
I’ve got about twenty projects on the go at any one time. Some are long term, some are on hold pending outside responses, some are at the proposal stage, and some are at the wrap up stage. I’ve tried every method under the sun to stay on top of my work. But they have all failed in one important way: they never stopped my mind from wondering “What should I be working on now?”
For me, that awful feeling of being out of control is a total work killer. How can I be creative when a good portion of my brain in whirring away, trying to stay on top of next actions and deadlines?
I felt totally out of control. My next-action lists were long and my calendar was full, but I had no real idea where I was going.
Until I started using my calendar. REALLY using it. For some reason, I never made the leap from next-actions to SCHEDULING next-actions. As soon as I did that, calm returned, and productivity went through the roof.
I now schedule EVERYTHING. As a result, very little gets missed. I’m still using next-actions, but I’ve added the step of mapping them out on upcoming weeks. This way, I can relax, knowing that I’m going to get them done.
Of equal importance to me as a freelancer though, is the fact that I can feel more at ease about my availability to take on new work.
Like many of you, I have a hard time saying no to job offers. As a result, on a number of occasions I’ve wound up being way too over-committed. Now, that’s impossible.
This isn’t exactly rocket science here. I’m sure many of you do this already. But it’s amazing that a relatively intelligent, committed person like myself didn’t figure this out sooner. I’m betting I’m not the only one (gee, I’d sure feel silly if I was).
I’ve included a shot of my schedule below, so you can really see what I mean.
So Keith’s away, and it’s our turn to play! A great big thanks to Mr Robinson for letting me play in his neighbourhood while he’s relaxing on the beach. It’s going to be tough filling his shoes, but I’ll do my best.
As Keith mentioned, I’m a designer and marketing guy. I have a particular interest in understanding the mechanics of branding. I’m fascinated by how our brains remember and interpret events, and how our efforts in design and marketing impact purchase decisions. (If this sounds even remotely interesting, you may want to read a post I wrote back in April titled The B Word)
This interest in making sense of my own thought patterns has led to some insight into how and why I go through periods of high and low productivity.
Like Keith, I work from home. I’m pretty new to it as well, with less than a year of full time non-commuting under my belt. I’ve managed to learn a thing or two along the way. I’d like to add my own tip to the excellent list you started a couple of days ago. It’s this:
MOVE.
Stuck on a problem? Move. Staring at the screen? Move. Not sure what to do next? Move. Brain down? Move.
When you work in an office, there are a ton of reasons to get up from your chair. When you work from home, most of those reasons disappear. I’ve found it takes tremendous effort to remember to lift my butt off the chair. As a reminder, I’ve got a post-it stuck to the side of my monitor that reads “Move your ass!”. It works! I try to get up when switching between clients too. I find it helps mentally close one file and open another.
Moving gets the blood flowing, which in turn gets the ideas going. I keep five or six blank sheets of newsprint taped to my office wall so that I can jot down notes when I’m moving around my space. It’s an incredibly effective tool, and one I highly recommend.
Moving gets my body involved a bit in my work too – forgive me if this sounds all new-agey and grosses you out – but living exclusively in my head, I find my ideas can get stale. Moving my body helps to remind me that our human motives are not purely mental; a fact that’s particularly tough to remember when I haven’t moved for 14 hours!
Finally, moving keeps me healthy. When I first started working from home full time, I was thrilled by the extra couple of hours I had saved from the evil commuting monster. I used those hours at my keyboard, where I promptly developped a nasty case of repetitive-stress injury. Moving gives me an opportunity to shake my hands out, stretch my shoulders, and give my hands a bit of a break.
Ok, I’m going for a walk!