My Productivity Tips for Overworked Webbies

Posted on 15. Feb, 2009 by Jack in Productivity

If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed I’ve been overworked. I mean, really really overworked. My buddy and co-worker Tom Jaeger and I have been trying to launch a few of our modules and addons over at SmoothFunction for a few weeks now and are no further than we were in mid-January. Client work always comes first, as you all are well aware. A few weeks of consistant 60-80 hour weeks gives you a few insights into how to cope with Project Overload.

I’m not saying I’m a pro at at — in fact I’m nearly burnt out the state of catatonic coma. However, I’ve been able to last longer on this stint that ever before, and I owe it to a few strategies i’ve been employing:

Stay up late, don’t get up early. Some people like getting up early to get a jump start on their deliverables, but this only gets me into trouble. When you think something is going to take 3 hours and it takes 7, there’s no buffer in the morning. At least you can work into the night and get it DONE. Try and leave/stop working early the next day if that was your big push.
Don’t drink TOO much coffee. It’s tempting to keep pounding the Joe but eventually it catches up to you. Last week I started shaking and had a tough time staying sitting and staring at my MacBook Pro. Mix it up. Drink a coffee in the morning, water in the afternoon mixed up with juice or a soda. Keep protein intake up. Have a beer to cut the stress in the late-afternoon/evening. Sustainable energy — not bursts.
Bounce between types of tasks. Coding ExpressionEngine for 4 hours? Switch to some design if you can for a break. It’s better than bugging out and work is still getting done. Obviously this doesn’t work too well when you have but one project, but hey — that’s not my problem.
Watch movies. Pull up a movie on Hulu in your second monitor or on the tv if there’s one nearby. This doesn’t work for everyone but it helps keep me from overloading with the task and hand and gives a nice diversion now and then when there’s a good part. Plus, it’s better than episodes of tv shows as you can’t quite tell how fast time is moving.
Listen to abstract music. Artists like Lemon Jelly or Deep Forest that are mellow/relaxing yet have a cool energy to them help smooth the passage of time without getting you repeating the chorus every 45 seconds. Like number 4, it passes the time outside your conciousness.
When all else fails, quit your job. Just kidding. I think. Maybe buy this shirt instead.