Making the Most of Life as a Corporate Creative

[thecorporatecreative]

Your Mind is a Forest, so Draw Everyone a Map

I get lost in my own mind regularly.  So, I can only imagine how unbelievably unorganized some of my thoughts/actions/motives seem to my coworkers.  But one thing that has really helped with both their perspective of my accomplishments and my own perspective is leveraging my daily to-do lists as a file of accomplishments.  

Once a week, I distill these accomplishments down into talking points to discuss with my boss.  She knows what I’ve been up to, where I’m at, and where I’m headed.  This helps to course correct my next objectives on a regular enough basis so I don’t feel like I’ve wasted a ton of time on projects that aren't a priority.  

This also helps me feel a sense of accomplishment, confidence, and awareness.  For a long time, I described my work experience as mountain biking down a steep trail.  Ridiculously fast and always on the verge of crashing. Taking time to not only form to-do lists, but form them into a map for someone else helps maintain perspective.  Think of it like a video game... having the option of an overhead view as well as a first-person view.

Thursday has been the ideal day for this meeting.  It’s toward the end of the week, so there is plenty to report, but it still allows for at least a full day to pick up anything that has shifted or needs some quick fixes.  

So if you’re feeling lost in your work, draw someone a map. 

[thecorporatecreative]

Deadlines and Personal Projects

I have always had a tenuous relationship with deadlines. In certain contexts they are my greatest motivator, creating a sort of Mission Impossible-like urgency that has me firing on all cylinders.  In other contexts, they are like a nag.  Something that keeps pestering you, but never really gets you to accomplish the tasks.  And when you finally do finish the tasks, it’s more out of exasperation than actual desire...and it shows.  

This becomes even more of a struggle when the project is a favor for a friend or family member.  They don’t want to bug you, but at the same time, they could really use your expertise. 

1) Everyone is a client and everything has a deadline.  As a creative, I get projects from many friends and family members that “don't have deadlines”. Or the deadline is “flexible”.  Eff that. If it is EVER going to get done, it needs a set of concrete deadlines.  And just because they are a friend or a family member shouldn’t make them less important. So, when you kickoff a project, treat them like the client they are and ask more questions.  Do you have a conference or networking event that you’ll need these business cards for?   Is this family photo going to be a birthday gift? A Christmas gift? What’s the first thing this logo is going to show up on? Your website? Your letterheads? An ad? 

2) Your honesty is key.  Be honest about your personal bandwidth. If you legitimately won’t be able to get to this project until next November, then tell them.   They’ll appreciate your forthrightness and you both won’t have a years worth of underlying tension. If you are delaying the project, even if it’s a personal favor, you’re negating the “favor” aspect of this. 

If they are cool with it not getting done until next November, then by God, set that as your timeframe.  Set a calendar appointment to chat again in October, and re-kick this off then. 

But, if they can’t wait until you’re actually available, then offer advice on where to go, who else to ask, or what company might offer a similar service.  Even if the result isn’t as great as it could have been if you had done it, at least it got done.  Also, they’ll be more likely in the future to respect your boundaries. 

3) Respect Your Own Boundaries. This is true in all aspects of life, but if you don’t respect your boundaries for time, expectations, or space...no one else will respect them either. If a project is out of the scope of your skill set, and you have little time/desire to make it part of your skill set, then nut-up and turn it down. Or at least offer some advice on who they might talk to next.  

4) Always have an actionable next step. Every conversation you have with your “client” should end with a sort of What’s Next wrap-up.  What are the deliverables and when are they due?  You both should know that information so the other can follow up if things don’t get delivered by the expected time.  You’re both responsible to keep this on track, so hold your client accountable to the things they need to provide.  

[thecorporatecreative]

Why My To-Do List Lives Offline

We live in incredible times. Project management software with automated notifications, scheduling, delegation.  Mobile app to-do lists that are gps activated to remind you that you need to pick up your dry cleaning.  

These are ridiculously amazing things.  And truly, I wish they worked for me. But...they just don’t.  I don’t claim to be a traditionalist, nor necessarily an old soul. But I am damn stubborn. Sometimes just have to appease the way I work best.  And for me, written to-do lists are how things get done.  

I work in an office that runs on Basecamp, a project management app that I have a volatile love/hate relationship with.  Some of my day is guided by this, and that’s fine.  But the realistic, actionable items I’m going to do today are written down on my trusty clipboard.  Even if they are already in Basecamp. It is the final word it in what I have to do, for a few reasons. 

1) Not everything that is meticulously laid out in Basecamp is going to be my highest priority that day.  

2) Verbal conversations with others offline tend to have the higher priority, more actionable items.  

3) I actually tend to remember my list better after writing it down.  

4) there are few things as satisfying as checking off a checkbox.

5) I’m much more apt to be realistic about a tasks value if I have to keep re-writing it on a fresh to-do list each morning.  (more on my to-do list system in a another post)

Finally, face to face conversation is super important to me.  Many of my best ideas and collaborations come from those moreso than an online conversation. If I have a more “analog” method of recording thoughts, ideas and tasks, it allows me the singular focus on that conversation rather than going through the stream of online distractions.  

[thecorporatecreative]

Personal Rule

Never drink your coffee on the go.  You are not in so much of an effing hurry that you have to do a NASCAR style fill up on caffeine.  Sit down. Drink better coffee.  Savor said coffee. 

[thecorporatecreative]

Pulling an All Nighter - A Humble How-to

Unfortunately, some late/all night work sessions happen post-college. It’s a fact of life in some jobs, and rather than trudge through it unknowingly, make the most of it to get what you need to done and get back to sleep.   

1// Don’t work late if you don’t have to

This seems relatively obvious, but truly, if you aren’t on a crazy deadline...don’t keep yourself up longer than you need to.  Working late is not a badge of honor.  It’s a slippery slope to early aging, disease, and just plain misery. The more you do it, the less productive you are at all hours. 

2// Working late should be the exception, not the norm. 

Sleep is a growing commodity the older you get, and it’s best to recognize how important a consistent sleep schedule is to your productivity, health, and happiness. To truly be able to be effective when you are working late, you need to have been relatively well rested prior to doing so.  

3// Set your to-do priorities. 

Know EXACTLY what needs to be done and by when.  Lay this out as clearly as possible in a to-do list, so even in your soon to be Zombie state, you’ll be able to tell what is complete and what is yet to complete. There is nothing more frustrating than staying up late to finish things, only to spend hours working on something that wasn’t really a priority.  

4// Embrace the snacks. 

You’re going to be burning calories using your brain, so FEED THE BEAST. Make sure you’re not hungry, but also not super stuffed.  Food comas are not going to help your objectives. Also...hydrate.  But...with water.  Not beer, not soda, not juice. Just water...and perhaps a bit of...

5// Coffee.

Look. Coffee is the good old fashioned gogo juice of many a famous writer, artist, office dweller. Like your snacks, you’re going to want enough to keep you going, but not too much.  Jittery does not equate to productive.  So 4 shots pounded fraternity-bro style are not wise. Also, your to do list is going to be complete.  At which point you’re going to want to actually sleep.  10 cups of coffee are pretty hard to come down from in a reasonable time. 

6// Keep warm and comfortable.

You’re going to be here for awhile.  Wear whatever makes you comfortable, but importantly, make sure your body temp is well regulated.  Wear slippers, or at least socks. Any part of your body that gets cold is going to be draining you of those valuable thinking-calories.  

7// Take breaks.  

Look, you’re not a machine.  To be effective, you’re going to have to give your mind, your eyes and your poor spine a rest. Set a timer. Get up at least once an hour. Go to the bathroom. Dance to a song. Get your body moving and blood flowing, if briefly.  Studies have shown that even a brief 10 minute break/walk can increase your brain activity pretty significantly.  

8// Celebrate and Get Some Sleep 

Once you’re done, do another dance, do some fist pumps, and...well, hit the hay. Don’t fall into the social media cycle. Just drink some more water and go to bed.  Then have an extra cup of coffee the next morning.  

Work well.