The Best Time Of The Day To Do Things As A Designer
Published on Saturday, July 26, 2008 – 1:43 pm
This article will go through the best time of the day to do things in relation to your mental state of mind which in turn will make you more productive as a designer. I present to you… productivity tips for designers.
Please note, these are not hard and set times because as you can imagine, everyone has different life styles, schedules and working times.
8am - Face Your Fears Time
This is the quietest time for suicide so this is a good time to face your fears - Know that you have a deadline due at 1pm, know that you have 10 other projects to complete, know that your house needs cleaning, bills need paying and know that there is no end to it. Just make sure you know all this by 11 at night as this is suicide o clock.
9am to 10am - Work Time
Time to tackle your work here, these are the most productive hours (for the majority). Even Darren Rowse thinks so.
10am/11am - Chill Out Time
This is the time that most heart attacks occur so it would be good to chill out or have a break at this time. Coffee or morning tea break anyone?
12pm - Sex & Uncluttered Mind Time (If that can go together?)
If you fancy someone in your office or classroom, now is the time to go in for the kill. As James Sniechowski, author of the The New Intimacy explains: “People are more receptive to advances then, because their minds aren’t cluttered with what they have to do that day or what they have to do when they get home.”
Pretty much this is a great time to get your creative juices going as you have an uncluttered mind. You may also want to check out How To Boost Your Creativity.
1pm - Nap Time
The best time to have a power nap is at around 1pm when your body temperature naturally dips. An ideal power nap should last for 15 to 20 minutes.
2pm - No One Can Touch Me Time (FIG JAM)
This is the time that we have the highest pain threshold so it is a good time to ask for a promotion or get that dental filling you were meant to have last month but ‘accidentally’ missed.
3pm/4pm - Strength and Mood Time
Hand and eye coordination is at its peak and mood levels are high during this period so this would be a good time to have a break. Maybe go for a short jog or for the lazy… maybe some Photoshop Tennis.
This is also the time that people are most awake and alert so how about you do that one last proof now before sending your job to the printer. 4pm is also known to be the time in which you are least creative.
5pm - Happy Hour Time
We all know what 5pm means but did you know that your liver metabolises alcohol most efficiently at this time of the afternoon? After work drinks never sounded so good.
8.30pm - Sweet Sweet Food Time
Despite what many people think, eating late will not necessarily make you fat says Nigel Denby of the British Dietetic Association. “A calorie is a calorie whenever you eat it.” Dig in.
10.30pm - Sleep Time
A warm shower helps to make people fall asleep as body temperature needs to fall in order to help us sleep… I don’t think I have ever met a designer who does go to bed at 10.30… 10pm is also known to be the time in which you are most creative.
This article was originally written for Meryls 8th birthday bash celebration.
Have you got any more productivity tips? What is the best time of the day for you to design?
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Andrew on Jul 26, 2008 said:
Very entertaining writeup, and you’re right on about the point that no designer goes to bed at 10:30. It’s now 11:45 and I’m writing this comment. Not sure why, but we all stay up too late!
Andrews last blog post..Top 10 Places to Submit Photoshop Tutorials
Brendon O\'Dwyer on Jul 26, 2008 said:
Interesting post. This is my first comment!
I thought this was a great post but in all seriousness everyone is different with a different body and different lifestyle, you cannot just follow a set of rules and expect it to work. for YOU. Parts of it might though!
Welcome back from your holiday!
/edit, I’m sick of getting back slashes in my last name due to useless coding! dam you apostrophe! dam you!
Tracey Grady on Jul 26, 2008 said:
I never realised the work day could be so much fun - except the bit at 8am (but it only gets better).
Tracey Gradys last blog post..When RSS doesn’t play nice
liam on Jul 27, 2008 said:
Great read, very interesting indeed. My day looks completely different time wise, I always find that the last few hours before I go to bed I can generally get a lot of work done. Very well written and entertaining, and very informing, what more could you want from a post?
liams last blog post..The Cutest Freebies: Twitter Bird Icons & Illustration
Zaoris on Jul 27, 2008 said:
“I don’t think I have ever met a designer who does go to bed at 10.30.”
That has to be one of the most powerful phrases around the internet
Erica DeWolf on Jul 27, 2008 said:
Great read- my favorite part is that the ideal time to work only lasts 2 hours. So that means I’ll work for 2 hours a day and get stuff done, and go have power naps and tea times in between! Great post- very entertaining!
Jacob Cass on Jul 27, 2008 said:
Andrew,
Yeah, bit of a fun post… always good to lighten up the blog.
Brendon,
Yeah in seriousness everyone is different and has different lifestyles but this was just a general guide… I got most of the info from a lifestyle mag but I just converted it to be for a designer.
Not sure what is up with the back slashes, is it just this blog or everywhere? Is it because of OpenId?
Tracey,
Hehe yeah the time when everyone wakes up is the worst!
Liam,
Glad you found it entertaining and yeah everyone is different… strange you can get a lot of work done before you go to bed… this is generally the time I relax, facebook or a game or something of that sort. If I work before I go to bed I don’t sleep as well.
Zaoris,
And so true!
Brica,
Yeah I guess you peak for about 2 hours. I always love power naps though, I always wake up refreshed.
Aaron on Jul 27, 2008 said:
I prefer nap time and happy hour time. Who knows what else goes in in between all of that fun! Great post, love the humor even though its probably 99% accurate.
Aarons last blog post..Update to Is Your Worker Really an Independent Contractor.
Steve O on Jul 27, 2008 said:
Interesting post Jacob! If only life were so easy eh? Heh. I always find myself most productive late morning and late afternoon in work, then the weekend at home. At the moment work day evenings I’m too tired to get stuff done! Sleepwise I average 5 hours a night, falling into the insomniac designer cliche.
Jacob Cass on Jul 27, 2008 said:
Aaron,
Yeah it was a nice post for some weekend reading.
Steve O,
I always find myself working best in the morning and when on a tight deadline. 5 Hours is cutting it thin for me, I usually need at least 8.
If only
Erika on Jul 28, 2008 said:
“I don’t think I have ever met a designer who does go to bed at 10.30.”
That was exactly what I was thinking… shoot, I usually go to bed around 4AM LOL!
Erikas last blog post..Miami Web Design
Doug C. on Jul 28, 2008 said:
When I’m not working my day job. I’ve been a third shifter for over twenty years and the best times for me are early morning and late evening.
Andrew Kelsall on Jul 29, 2008 said:
Great post Jacob! I’ve just discovered your blog, and I think I’ll spend a while looking at your other posts.
I don’t have much time to design at night, but this time for me is the most productive (for some reason). After a coffee, between 10pm and 3am is a good time to concentrate with little distractions, but that’s just me
Andrew Kelsalls last blog post..How shocking can a Jpeg be?
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio on Jul 29, 2008 said:
I am quite curious where you read all these time-body things. And the former psychology student in me begs to know if correlation proves causation. In other words, is it common things that people do around those times that makes most people’s bodies in those states at those times of day or is it the actual time of day that makes our bodies react that way?
I try to go to bed at 10, so I guess you still don’t know any designers that go to bed at 10:30
@Brendon & Jacob: The apostrophe thing is a PHP issue. It has to escape (\) apostrophes because otherwise it messes up the code and PHP thinks it’s actually opening and closing strings. I don’t know how you would fix it, though (WP fixes it for comments! Maybe it’s a little script)
LaurenMarie - Creative Curios last blog post..My Adventures in Letterpress Continued
Max | Design Shard on Jul 29, 2008 said:
made me laugh, but quite true in some respect, a nice cool carlsberg export beer, as im about to call it a night soothes the soul for me..hehe
Max | Design Shards last blog post..16 Interesting ways to browse Flickr images
Charlotte on Jul 29, 2008 said:
omg omg omg When I am off into the ZONE of ‘creativity’, once I get there, usually after an hour of messing about and finding anything to distract myself… I do not stop not even for food, and bedtime is about-ish 1 or 2 am… maybe i need to slow down, relax, chill, lol If I followed this day I would get nothing done… I shall have to experiment! Tea, coffee anyone?
Jacob Cass on Jul 29, 2008 said:
Erika,
4am, that is pretty extreme. I need at least 8 hours sleep for me to my best potential but as we all know, that is not always the way it can be.
Doug,
It is interesting to know when everyone’s best times are. Worthy of a poll.
Andrew,
Glad to have you around Andrew. My time at night I always seem to be drawn to distractions rather than working.
Lauren,
I sometimes get a magazine called FHM (For Him Magazine) - it is a lifestyle / fashion mag for men and it has a health section in it. I converted the article from health and tried to see how it could help a designer.
I would think that it was based on a normal 9 to 5 average day job rather than the time of the day but it didn’t say so not so sure.
10pm, wow that is a new one! What time do you wake up?
Me and PHP really do not go together so I have no idea how to fix it at this time. A small but annoying problem but thanks for the info.
Max,
Hope you enjoyed your Carlsberg Max.
Charlotte,
Yeah I find that too, once you are in the zone, know what you want to do, you just do it… there is nothing that can stop you. If there was just a magical way to get into that zone anytime we wanted, it would be an easier world for designers.
DT on Jul 30, 2008 said:
Hi Jacob,
A good effort, but unfortunately I disagree with your article or perhaps your title is misleading?
Actually productivity times vary with different people, if you are looking for a best time in the day to do things, then that should be what works for that individual. It could well be at 10.30pm.
Also while some of the research you have quoted has shown that at those times certain abilities are optimal, much of it are generalizations and really do not reflect everyone.
DTs last blog post..Photo Musings
Jacob from JobMob on Jul 30, 2008 said:
Cool post, I should do one of these too.
I also find that the first few hours of my day are the best, but sometimes I’m great late at night.
…in front of my laptop hard at work
Jacob Cass on Jul 30, 2008 said:
DT,
Yes I agree however this is based on the average individual but like you said and the others in the comments, every individual is different.
Jacob,
Yeah my first few hours of the day are the best for me also. At night I get so lazy, tired.
Angie on Jul 30, 2008 said:
I’m pretty much the exact opposite of this. I don’t really get creative for a few hours after I wake up and once I get going I’m a work straight through the night type of person. I think my creativity lies in the dark of night lol.
Angies last blog post..7 Online Tools That Will Make Your Life Easier
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio on Jul 31, 2008 said:
My alarm goes off at 6:15, but I’ve had little luck actually getting up at that time. I’m usually forcing myself out of bed by 6:30 though.
LaurenMarie - Creative Curios last blog post..Enhance Your Designs with the Principle of Balance
Joey Wit on Aug 11, 2008 said:
this article could really turn into a book of its own. psychology of the worker bee, or some such
Personally, I cant be bothered following schedules. I just like to do what I want to do when I feel like doing it
Jacob Cass on Aug 12, 2008 said:
Angie,
I suppose everyone is different, there is no way I could work in the dead of the night!
Lauren,
But you do got to bed at 10 which is quite early in comparison so 6:30 doesn’t sound too bad!
Joey,
I am not one for schedules either, this was just a ‘guide’.
daniel on Aug 28, 2008 said:
Hahaha… great article! I am adding you to the feeds.
Glad to know that my sexing, drinking and eating times match up.
daniels last blog post..Woah, life.
Murid Rahhal on Sep 26, 2008 said:
Basically the most creative time for our brain is at night, when you’re about to fall asleep. Your brain is full of ideas that it took around during the day. The best thing to do is to always have a pen a and a piece of paper next to your bed and whenever you have a good idea just write it down. Later on you’ll put that on Photoshop.
Morning is the best time to do “non creative work” like retouching images, making researches on internet, or sending emails. Because the brain is sill sleeping in the morning it cannot think about anything so you can’t create. For better productivity it is better to have small lunch, big ones make you feel heavy tired and lazy for the rest of the afternoon.
Banago on Oct 17, 2008 said:
Great post for freelancer. I really need posts like this. Thanks!
Jacob Cass on Oct 17, 2008 said:
You are welcome Banago.
Jane on Dec 25, 2008 said:
10.30??! I just about to start my work.
And I always have at least 6 hours of rest at night.
Hey, I was wondering if you ever write a blog about how to juggle a full time job and a freelance job?
Jacob Cass on Dec 26, 2008 said:
No, unfortunately I haven’t written an article on that Jane as I freelance full time (well minus studies).
Rob on Jan 11, 2009 said:
wow im late to this article… There is such gold on here Jacob, thanks!
My best time must be in darkness. I would agree with the 10pm and after time for the most creative…
I’m more of a night owl, mornings arnt bad, I have kids so I have to get up, although when they are not around I find myself waking up naturally about 8:30 anyway - and when you do wake up naturally you feel great!
Maybe thats the effect of being woken up my your childs weight on your chest eac day, and the releif that you managed to avoid it…
so 5 and a bit months after you wrote it, there is my reply lol