Write a list, play some pool, get topped up on vitamin D, some top tips for dealing with whatever the day throws your way… It’s just a normal day for Joey.
Name:
Position:
Senior Designer
Tea or coffee?
Black coffee or mint tea.
What’s the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Make sure the music’s on and fire up the mac.
What’s your timekeeping/workload management secret? Do you use apps/online tools/leather-bound diary?
I’m a big fan of lists! I use evernote and GQueues, between these two apps I’ve got enough to-do’s and notes to keep me going… Although, I’m still a scribbler, I’ll never be able to completely shift to digital only. There’s something satisfying in physically crossing something off.
Do you have a way to ‘come at’ the day?
GQueues changed and sped up my list process as I can update, add or edit things in bulk. I can also categorise things in a number of ways which means nothing slips the net.
Evernote is where I keep all of my notes, on everything, projects, personal notes, creative thinking, team management and anything else. Synching this between my desktop and my iPad is super handy, I’ve got all my thoughts with me all the time.
What do you love most about your day?
Besides the norm (working on projects and trying to find new techniques in work etc) it’s meeting the clients. We’re lucky enough to work with a ridiculous amount of different clients all with different personalities and characters and it’s fun. Whether they’re easy to get a long with or a bit tricky, you never know what you’re going to be dealing with.
What’s your least favourite part of the day?
I’m a nightmare at responding to (internal) emails so that gets done last, usually I respond after a chaser or two. The only exception is Monday where we might have a few emails to check up on after the early finish on fridays.
Top stress-busting tip?
Take a break. Working at 100 miles an hour is fine until you burn yourself out, take five mins and get yourself together – then everything isn’t so bad, stop freaking out. And, write yourself a list. Prioritise by due date and time spent, that way you can arrange your day to fit the most in.
What’s on your desk right now?
Morph (figure), glasses, Pen, UI sketch pad, Mr Scruff mug, iphone.
Do you listen to music/the radio/podcasts etc during the day?
Radio (6music) or if I need to I’ll plug myself in.
What are you listening to right now?
When do you take your first break? And what do you tend to do?
Tend to take a break when I come to a natural conclusion in my work, usually a quick frame of pool provides a good screen break. If its summer I’m sitting outside rolling up the sleeves and topping up on vit D.
What do you do when you have a creative block?
Work on something else! Stop wasting time on something when you get to a dead end, seek critique and ideas from the team, or just simply put it down and start on something else to then come back to it fresh.
What do you take into meetings?
Pen, notebook, iPad – the iPad is for reference for my notes while I still take my notes from the meeting down on a pad. My fingers aren’t quick enough for iPad typing.
What’s for lunch?
Today is a Farro Italian Salad with Tuna, and second lunch is chilli with quinoa.
How you decide to call it a day?
When everything starts to look the same it’s time to stop.
What’s your end-of-day ritual?
I’m a bit ocd on tidy desk so I’ll make sure it’s looking smart or at least that everything has its place. I do most of my planning at the beginning of the week so I’ll only do that at the end of a day if something urgent comes in that has to be done in the am.
