The Realistic Approach on Time Management for Web Designers

With 365 days a year: in a week of web design tasks you have to have 7 days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, 604,800 seconds, in a day you have 24 hours or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds, and in an hour you have 60 minutes or 3,600 seconds.

How will you manage that? There might be a lot of suggestions being presented to you given that Google has a huge amount of articles to read about time management. However, as a home-based web designer, how will you manage your time in a realistic approach?

Web designing tasks include numerous roles like planning, coding, strategizing, designing, writing, and the like, not to mention other sub-tasks which require web designing strategies, which actually eat up a lot of time. Thus, for web designers, time management must be more strategic to increase efficiency and productivity. Besides, time means money, does it?

So let’s get started!

Time = Everything

If there is one thing in this world which you can never bring back once used up, it is time. It is everything. You waste your time, you devalue your life. Time brings along emotions, money, achievements, and most of all life.

That is how precious time is. You will never run out of time once you manage it properly. Otherwise, you are wasted.

Here are the 10 things on how to value your time.

1. Prioritize Your Health.

Fuel yourself first before driving away the whole day. The night before you start your job, make sure you get enough sleep. I think I don’t have to specify any number of hours. You already know how much time you need to have a better start the next day.

To refuel yourself up, take your breakfast religiously. Eat properly and choose the right food for you. Recharge your body by drinking water. Take a break by sipping your favorite coffee, tea, or anything that keeps you up and recharge within the day. Do some stretching and a little exercise to move your muscles and joints. Sitting the whole day working yourself off is never healthy.

Take a break during weekends by keeping your hobby on the go, may it be biking, hiking, running, walking, jogging, meditating, and the rest of your favorite hobbies.

This way, your mind will be refreshed and your body will be recharged. Thus, prioritizing your health will help you run your tasks smoothly and save your time in most cases.

2. Mental Discipline

If you want to be someone who can handle complex situations calmly, you have to train yourself mentally. A mental discipline is a vital requirement in all instances of life. It is a constant engagement in the kind of mental practices such as staying away from disturbance, keeping your focus in the middle of complicated things, and doing multiple tasks.

Make the most of your time management to train your mind to keep the concentration by making your own organized schedules, decluttered workstation and healthy habits. Mental discipline is not only focused on the mind alone but to the factors which might contribute to non-concentration. You have to note that web designers need to focus on doing the tasks right.

Avoid getting overwhelmed by the loaded tasks. Schedule your tasks: Take it step by step and set priorities. Clients might change plans, so don’t beat yourself up. Be always open to any changes. Train your mind to keep it cool when clients make more and more changes as the projects progress. With this, you can get a “PhD” in patience and extra patience.

3. Disconnect yourself from any disturbances.

Web designers have different types of personality when it comes to finishing the tasks. While others wanted a silent type of workstation, others will prefer some sounds and practical stimulus to get things done.

In doing tasks, it would be better if you turn off all notifications. Stay away from your phone for a while. Concentrate on the scheduled work for the day, you have to accept that web designing is a bleeding type of job. If checking emails or phone messages is necessary, have them checked one every hour or for shorter periods of time.

Avoid scrolling further like checking Facebook or Instagram. As much as possible, disconnect from social media checking in the middle of your web designing tasks.

4. Prioritize and delegate.

Prioritize your tasks by making a checklist everyday and ticking all the tasks you have already done for the day. Delegate the tasks to your teammates as well (in case you have). If you don’t, you need to put your tasks in order to accomplish them properly.

5. Work at your most convenient time.

Align your energy and concentration. I understand that there are times that you are unmotivated to do the task for the day and it will absolutely ruin your scheduled to-do list. That’s why it is important to set your task in a time when you are most motivated and energized. With that, you can finish the day without wasting so much time procrastinating.

As a web designer, you can define and evaluate yourself better with this type of mood.

6. Set your daily reminders.

Always update your calendar of reminders. Most clients will have their new assignments or others have some necessary changes to their projects. Make yourself be reminded with these items. Plan ahead and get them done. It is always an advantage if you can always make your client happy because they can always depend on you.

Also, always note all your meetings, webinars and other needed reminders to keep you on track.

7. Use your weekend wisely.

Use your weekend to recharge and refresh yourself. The week is always challenging for web designers and nothing beats a mind which has taken the necessary relaxation. It becomes more productive and active. Thus, will increase your efficiency more and keep you healthier.

8. Beat procrastination.

Procrastination is the act or habit of putting off or delaying something. Being smart and intelligent are not enough if you are always late and always delaying things. Procrastination kills careers. Don’t do it to yourself. Avoid procrastination.

9. Maintain your life’s balance.

Analyze your routine as you progress each day. By defining your daily actions taken, you can figure which part you need to make a balance so that you wouldn’t have stressful kinds of tasks. As much as possible, avoid stressing yourself more. Web designing itself already is.

Balance your life by applying the above-mentioned tips so that you will have a productive and efficient kind of life each day you are doing your web designing assignments.

10. Goals and timeline

Organizing your tasks and setting a timeline is the best thing you can make in achieving accomplishments for the day. While you crumple your mind making designs and creating what the clients would ask from you, it is way better if you have an organized list.

Prioritizing is very important to achieve a clearer and well-defined kind of job for the day. You must make it your goal all the time to organize yourself, your work station and your tasks properly and orderly.

Be specific with your goals; make it as realistic as possible and ensure that it is timely. Achievable goals can free your mind from getting too crowded with information and ideas.

There is a big difference between working hard and working intelligently.

We aren’t born superheroes, that’s why we need to make a realistic approach on time management. Time is something we can never bring back. If you waste your time a lot, you may lose your most loyal client. Avoid downtime as much as possible. Get going and keep going.

We Design Digital Strategies for your Business and Ministries. Helping Christian and Women Entrepreneurs design online presence and manage digital strategies for growth of business and ministries through Web Design and Digital Business solutions.