Avoiding Digital Rabbit Holes: Focus and productivity strategies for digital design.
By: Kacie Guthrie
Tags: Productivity, Website Development, Digital Design, Focus

If you’ve arrived at this article, it’s probably because you’ve experienced the feeling of stalling out in the middle of a creative digital project. Whether you’re making an illustration or building a piece of software, digital products can be endlessly reworked and changed. The work can sprawl, and there’s no clear stopping point. Blend that with a little procrastination and it can be challenging to get anything finished.

I’ve always liked making things with my hands. I’m a ceramicist and a woodworker, and one of the things I like about it is that at the end of the process, I’ve made a thing. It might not be perfect, but it’s finished. Then I go on to make the next thing and I try to make it better next time. I can tell how far along I am in the process and can usually guess how long it will take. When I first started working in digital design, I found that so much of what I knew from the process of making things in the physical world didn’t apply anymore. I had to relearn how to stay focused, prioritize tasks, and decide when something was finished.

As someone who gets distracted very easily, I wanted to share some of the strategies I use to get things done faster.

1. 80/20, 20,80 — Keep sight of the big picture

2. Make lists

3. Set a timer

4. Time-sinks — Tasks that take longer than you expect

5. Prime time

6. Go back to analog

7. Limit your options

8. Walk away

9. Decide when it’s finished

80/20, 20/80

You may already be familiar with the 80–20 principle. When completing a project, it takes 20% of the time to do 80% of the work, and it takes 80% of the time to do the last 20% of the work. In the context of building a website, the 80% is big picture things like structure, outlined content, general vibe, basic setup. The last 20% is more focused on details and styling.

At the beginning of a project, you want to make sure you are spending your time almost entirely on 80% (big picture) tasks. If I’m making a sculpture of a face, I’m not going to make a ball of clay and then spend an hour getting the details of the ear just right before I’ve roughed out the rest of the features. Stay in the big picture. Focus on the content and the purpose of the site.

Why it matters

As you work on your project, it might seem like that finish line just keeps getting further and further away. You progressed quickly at first and then everything slowed to a crawl. This happens to me with nearly every project. Don’t get discouraged! You are in the last 20% (details and styling). This part takes much longer than you think it should, so adjust your expectations and plan your time accordingly.

The humble list

It sounds obvious, but this is how professional developer teams get things done. They make tickets for issues that need work and then work on them one by one. The list you’re working from should have tasks that are all about the same level of complexity.

Why it matters

Once you’ve started building, it can be frustrating and distracting to try working on a site where there are a lot of unfinished or broken elements. Make a list of issues that need attention. Then prioritize which ones feel really important and focus on getting them done in order. It also feels amazing to have a whole list of crossed-off items at the end of a session.

How to do it

If you want to get fancy and use a kanban board app, there are a lot of free online resources like Trello. Most of the time, though, I like keeping it simple with post-it notes or a paper list.

Set a Timer

Often referred to as the Pomodoro Technique, using a timer breaks up your work time into focused intervals with deliberate breaks. Often, people will use 25 minutes of work with a 5-minute break. You don’t have to stick to the 25 on/5 off interval. I adjust the interval depending on what I’m working on and how lengthy my attention span is that day.

Reasons I love using a timer

Helps me if I’m having a hard time getting started for the day . I say, “I’ll just work on this for 20 minutes.” Usually, that first 20 minutes is all I need to get engaged.

. I say, “I’ll just work on this for 20 minutes.” Usually, that first 20 minutes is all I need to get engaged. Helps me remember to check in with what I’m working on. If I’ve gotten distracted , I can get back on track and make sure I’m working on the big picture 80%.

, I can get back on track and make sure I’m working on the big picture 80%. Helps me keep track of how much time I’m spending on a task . That way I don’t accidentally spend an hour on something trivial. Plus, if I tell myself I need to get something done in 25 minutes, I can usually get pretty close.

. That way I don’t accidentally spend an hour on something trivial. Plus, if I tell myself I need to get something done in 25 minutes, I can usually get pretty close. Helps me remember to stand up and move around. I personally get very cold when I do a lot of computer work and it makes me a special kind of cranky and miserable.

Some things really do take a lot of time

Knowing which tasks are secret time-sucks is useful for gauging if you’re spending a productive amount of time on a task or if you are way off in left field.

Finding images and editing images

Finding the right image can be incredibly time-consuming. If you’re using an online resource for free or stock images, there’s no real shortcut for combing through image catalogs looking for exactly the right vibe and exactly the right content. Working with a photographer or photographing your own work will help you get more precisely what you are looking for, but you’ll invest more time in shooting and editing. A bad image is worse than no image at all, so don’t skimp on this step!

Copywriting and editing

I’ve always identified with the adage “write long to write short”. Give yourself the time to write more content than you need, then edit mercilessly.

Prime time

If a website is a priority for you, you need to give it some prime time. Do yourself a favor and block out time to work when you are at your best. There’s nothing more frustrating than blocking out a prime time slot and then getting nothing done. Make sure your time is well spent.

Go back to analog

Just because you are making software for a computer doesn’t mean you have to only use computers to do it. Trying to figure out a layout? Try making a sketch. Want to organize your tasks? Try post-it notes. Our brains think differently when we put pencil to paper. Try switching it up!

Walk Away

Sometimes taking a break is just as productive as actively working. This is a strategy I use all the time for doing visual work and writing. I’ve found that I can’t muscle my way through getting a visual design right. If I’ve been struggling with colors or layouts and not getting anywhere, I’ll walk away and come back the next day.

Why it matters

Usually, I can see something I couldn’t see before, and more importantly, I’m often more willing to let go of an idea that wasn’t working. If you’re the type of person who just wants to keep plowing forward until you get it right, try giving yourself a “productive break”.

Limit your options

There is nothing worse you can do for creative work than giving yourself too many options. If you’re struggling to move forward, ask yourself if you’re trying to make too many decisions at once. I will either give myself a parameter, such as: try working with just two colors. Or I will stop and go look for inspiration. Find an example of a site you really like and then figure out what you like about it.

When is it finished?

If you’re building a website. It’s never really finished. They are living things that need to be updated and can be changed endlessly. But, you will need to make some decisions about when to stop working on specific parts. It’s all about going back to what your website is trying to accomplish. Does it accomplish this outcome? Ok, then move on.