Setting a Foundation to Create

This is part 1 of 3 on getting yourself into a position to create. I believe this is important for all types of creators, whether you have a single project or many on the go.

Understanding yourself

Like all good things, this step can take time. You need to understand how you work. The nine-to-five, the five-day work week, and the office space are all artificial frameworks that don’t fit everyone. There is an argument that it doesn’t fit any of us, but it’s ‘good enough’. We want a great solution, we’re not settling with good enough for a foundation.

How do you figure out what is best for you? Keep notes. You can do this by looking at your last two weeks, but memory is fickle for some of us. So it can be better to take notes over your next two weeks.

Make a note of when you achieved a flow state, when you struggled to get anything done, or other notable events.

Below is an example of a good week for me.

As you can see, my notes aren't extensive. Some highlights, to remind myself when I go back to think about it.

Find your trends

The goal is to find your trends. For example, before lunch I am highly productive. I can solve harder problems, and I can write more robust code. After lunch, I can do simpler tasks, but I can rarely start a complex problem. If I have a heavy lunch, I struggle to get anything done besides very simple tasks or meetings.

Note, I said trends. There are always outliers, and that’s why it’s good to do this note-taking for at least of two weeks. There are days when I am sluggish all day, or days when I work on a complex task into the evening. But I can’t plan for either of these events.

Speaking of outliers, I recently had a tough week. Here is an example of a bad one.

You can plan all you want, but sometimes you are having an off day or an off week. That's okay. It's best to realise quickly and then take steps to recover, don't push yourself.

Being more intentional

As you put more thought into your trends, it becomes second nature to think more about your mood.

You will more quickly figure out when you should end your day or take advantage of a burst of productivity.

Sometimes you make bad calls. In the 'bad' example above I knew I was in a bad mood, I could even sense it the day before. I tried to side-step it by going to a co-working space. The space being closed further deepened my mood. It was only then that I realised I needed to start my recovery process. If I didn't push myself, I could have maybe shortened my recovery time.

Effective planning

So why do we do this? To plan effectively. Once you know what tasks best suit which time of day, you can give yourself that time. You will deliver higher quality work, and deliver faster.

Review your trends

Make sure to revisit your notes and take more once or twice a year. People change and so do our habits.

I have found that the times that I work best haven’t changed, but my environment and rituals have changed. Moving to a new area and moving in with my partner are large life changes. Habits and chores change, these need reflection to understand this new you.

Recap

1. Take notes on your behaviour over two weeks

2. Find trends

3. Plan your tasks according to your trends

4. Review your trends

Let me know how it works for you!

Read part 2 to learn about clearing hurdles