SCHEDULE FOR MAKING

 
 

Modes of Working

The maker's (DAILY) SCHEDULE

I’ve used this schedule for many years and it’s the key to getting things done and advancing my business goals each day.

It’s dead simple.

I make things in the morning and I manage things in the afternoon. Making is anything design-related, writing, video production, filming, editing, scripting, graphics, sketching or model making. Managing is all the rote business-related tasks: email, meetings, site visits, phone calls, etc.

After adopting this schedule religiously in early 2017, my creative output increased exponentially and I never looked back.

If you're going to try this, I recommend giving it at least a few weeks to acclimate (your contacts will need this too); I promise you'll see a difference. The key here is to prioritize YOUR creative goals, not the goals of others.

MORNING

5AM (I used to do 4, but the real point is to be awake before everyone else)

Rise, coffee (Starbucks French Roast) + 30g protein (usually 3 links of Jones' microwaveable sausage). Coffee is always prepped for brewing the night before (remove any point of friction that will keep you from rising early).

5:15AM - 1:30PM +/-

Begin working on creative tasks (outlined from the night before) This can be:

  • design

  • sketching

  • model making

  • writing/scripting

  • editing (video, photo, or writing)

  • graphics tasks (photoshop, lightroom, instagram, pinterest)

Transition

1:30PM - 3:00PM +/-

Leave the studio to exercise (it’s usually a hike - sometimes bike/snowshoe - weather permitting). Listen to podcasts for cross-pollination. This is a time for idea generation and deep thought.

AFTERNOON

3:30PM - 5PM +/-

Managing, which can be:

  • phone calls, skypes, google hangouts, interviews

  • emails

  • meetings

  • writing specs, schedules, contracts

  • drafting tasks (CAD)

  • budgeting

  • invoicing

  • marketing (website updates, linkedin, etc.)

5 - 7PM +/- 

I may take a break around 5PM to: Learn / Read / Play Music (guitar)...something enriching that’s unrelated to architecture. Then I wrap my day with more low-horsepower mental tasks:

  • Re-check emails

  • Respond to YouTube/LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram comments

Reflect on day's accomplishments (what did/didn't I get done). List out the most important design + management tasks I'll be digging into the following day. (Weekly schedule + goals are always set in Notion on Sunday evenings). The end of the day check-in is a time to make sure I'm on track to meet my weekly goals.

EVENING

7 - 7:01 PM (commute 17 paces back home)

Dinner + relax