For freelancers and for everyone who are working, we would always want to be productive in everything we do. We do not want to waste every second of the day for we want to finish as many tasks as we could so that we can proceed to the next activity. With the limited time we have and the tons of tasks to do, we really need to be self-disciplined in order to be productive. We have here a few tips to help you increase your productivity.

1.Be organized.

Be organized
Image: Darren Hester

You will not be a productive person if you couldn’t learn how to organize stuff. Organize your files by using folders in your computer. Organize everything, including printed designs and even those which were declined by some clients. You’ll save a lot of time if you could easily find everything in just a few clicks.

2. Sharpen your skills.

Sharpen your skills
Image: xribly

It is important that you perform activities that could hone you better as an artist. This way, since you are already well versed in your field, you could do certain task easier and faster. Another thing, you can produce a better work for your clients and if you really improved a lot, you can even increase your rate.

3. Do not defer activities.

defer activities
Image: Denis Vrublevski

Some tasks may look easy and you would say that since it will take only a little time, you’ll do it later. Putting aside tasks isn’t a good idea for it will result to a lot of unfinished activities. If a task doesn’t take long, then do it. At least you’ll be more productive coz you have done something already.

4.Be inspired and motivated.

inspired and motivated

If you work with motivation and inspiration, for sure you’ll be able to do a lot of things. Another advantage is that your output looks better. Also, you’ll never notice that you have actually worked on a lot of tasks already. Inspiration and motivation are great keys to be a better designer.

5. Breakdown tasks.

Breakdown tasks
Image: B_Zedan

Instead of doing a major task in one sitting, break it down into smaller tasks and do it little by little. It is easier if done this manner. That way, you’ll not only come up with a good project but you will also be able to finish a major project without even noticing it.

6. Follow the list.

Follow the list
Image: Great Beyond

Some of us keep a list of tasks to do for a day or for a week. If you do that, make sure that you will follow it. It is one of the best ways to stay productive.

7.Plan tasks in order of priority.

priority
Image: *midtownsky* is on hiatus

In making your list, you will of course write it according to your priorities. Do the most important one first and do not be skipping the important tasks.

8.Set a timer for your tasks.

timer
Image: eyeseenicee

To make sure that you’ll finish a task for a certain time, set a timer. This way, you could work on all of your tasks on time and this could also help you to do away with distractions.

9.Do your most dreaded tasks first.

dreaded tasks
Image: Ambro

Before you go to tasks which you can enjoy while working on it, accomplish the ones you hate doing first. So you won’t have to worry about it anymore and you could spend time doing on other tasks without being bothered about the task you hate.

10. Master keyboard shortcuts.

keyboard shortcuts
Image: chibi-L8

Keyboard short cuts can save a lot of your time. There are different shortcuts for a certain program. So, try to learn that stuff and for sure you’ll find it useful.

Since work is one of our priorities and we all want to be as productive as we could be, you may use the tips we have given you. But if you still have other tips to add, feel free to leave a comment and share your own tips to us. We hope this article have helped you a lot to increase your productivity as a designer.

Ronald Bien

About the author: A Graphic Designer and the founder of Naldz Graphics. He launched Naldz Graphics to help the Design Community in providing quality design resources and tutorials.

7 comments

  1. I totally agree with the 10th one. For example i’m using Photoshop a lot and knowing its keyboard shortcuts makes my work less time consuming, more productive and professional-looking. Nice post by the way. I don’t do all of these steps in my workflow process but i hope i will start doing them all soon…

  2. No.9 Dreaded tasks – always get these done first. Everyone in our studio set aside 30 mins first thing in the morning to complete the “dreaded tasks”. Nothing better than crossing these off your list.

  3. Whoa! Great, Think am gonna go a long way with this one. Thanks dude.

  4. I tried to be organize as much as possible but when i have multiple clients I get messed up but great tips I keep that in mind

  5. Bookmarked! *really need to improve my productivity*

  6. Great article I really enjoyed this. However the only thing I’m lacking is keyboard shortcuts, Gosh I’m such a noob!

  7. Really useful tips, thanks for the suggestions…

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