he apocalypse is upon us people — COVID-19 has taken over and is affecting everyone in some way. Pubs have become barren wastelands, supermarkets have turned into rampant free-for-alls, and our home electricity bills are about to skyrocket.
So, as designers working from home, how do we navigate through this maze of uncertainty? Oh, I'm glad you asked, we've got you covered!
Get yourself a morning routine
Most of us are used to having a set morning routine and a big chunk of that is travelling to work. But without having to leave the house to get to the office, this can be disrupted.
We've found that by keeping some form of a morning routine in the mix, our productivity has stayed high. Most mornings we set up a team call to discuss how everyone's feeling and what's on the agenda for that day.
"But Reiss, I freelance, what hope have I got?!" Worry not, my freelance friend, setting aside time to get a good overview of your work is still as effective. It lays all of the cards out on the table and gives you bite-sized tasks to work your way through.
Don't keep the news on in the background
Sure, the news can be important, but having it constantly humming away is going to severely detract your attention from what you're supposed to be working on. You know, your job?
We reckon it's good to take a break from the bombardment of information and fear that's ejecting out of newsrooms — keep informed but don't dwell.
Set up a group chat
Being locked up indoors for what could be months now can easily take its toll. We're social animals, so let's find ways of getting around this.
Using video conference services such as Zoom is a great way to stay connected to your friends and relatives, whilst maintaining a good distance.
Dabble with new design techniques
Now is a brilliant time to focus on yourself and build on your skills.
With an ocean of resources out there, it's hard to know where to begin. We've made a short list below of sites that can help you get started:
- PIXimperfect — Photoshop tutorials
- Skillshare — An online platform that host a variety of classes
- The Futur — Business advice for creatives
- Abduzeedo — An inspirational blog selection
Start a new hobby
As well as delving into new design techniques, it could be a great time to begin your journey into creating bespoke hand crafted spoons — that will eventually lead on to a multi-billion dollar spoon business. Just don't forget about this blog post when you get there.
Hobbies are a great way to pass the time as well as appreciate how capable we are at picking up new skills.
Create a backlog of marketing material
Social media content, online portfolio, blog posts — these are all things that would benefit from a lit bit of a tidy up. Now's your opportunity to get busy and put everything in order whilst you have the time.
Having an arsenal of marketing material stockpiled alleviates the pressure of coming up with new material every time your online presence takes a dip.
We use Buffer to automatically publish our backlogged content.
We sincerely hope everyone keeps well and stays safe during these troubling times.
If anyone is interested in donating to those who are in need, you can donate to SocialBite who are tirelessly delivering free food to both the homeless and the vulnerable by clicking here.
