Productivity = Daytime^(-1) * Caffeine

Just in case you didn’t quite follow along, productivity is inversely related to daytime hours and is compounded by caffeine. At least it is for me.

I’ve always believed that the daytime is meant for living. You know, experiencing the world, meeting people, soaking up the sunshine. It has always seemed counterintuitive that people slaved away in cubicles during the most beautiful hours of the day. For me, some of my best “work” is done during the day. I get inspired by conversations, sights, and sounds. I get to meet other business owners. I get to engage in volunteer work.

The bulk of my production work is done at night. See, during the day, my email box queues up with requests from my clients…website fixes, inquiries, support requests, etc. Some of my clients are very much like me and think aloud in their emails, and sometimes they end up resolving their own issues before I ever get involved. (A win for all!) However, I find that it is easier for me to provide support in bursts in the evening hour when I am not being inundated with requests and emails/calls flying back and forth. Contrary to popular belief it is not because I am avoiding responsibility or human contact…it is just easier to work when I’m focused on batches of projects. (I do my best to answer urgent requests or acknowledge receipt of emails via my mobile.)

As a freelancer I have to budget my time wisely. If I keep jumping from task to task I’ll get nowhere quickly. But, if I allow like projects to accumulate, I’ll be able to process them quickly since I generally work in zones…sometimes I’m in the coding zone. Sometimes I’m in a design zone. Sometimes I’m in the social media zone. And sometime’s I’m in a copywriting zone.

How do you manage your creative or productive energy? Any tips you want to share?