How A Graphic Designer Can Use Their Time While Quarantining

Now more than ever, we have the time to do things we that we have been putting off “till later”. 

Later is now here. Now is the time to act, now is the time to be proactive

Let’s make the most of the time. here is a look at what my schedule looks like (roughly) (Also, its okay if need this time to just love on yourself. These are hard times.)

8:00 A.M.

These days I wake up a bit later than the regular 6:30 A.M. still that makes sure I’m getting a good 8 hours for my body to feel well rested and prepared for the day. After getting out of bed, I head straight to the bathroom and get ready for the day. A nice hot shower, moisturizing, and brushing my teeth are all part of the daily routine. I head on over to my desk and open up Notion where I write out my list for the day of tasks I have to accomplish, which I then prioritize by what needs to be done. After I am set for the day, I grab my v60 and take 5 minutes to make a coffee and do some breathing exercises. It “clears the cache” in my head after writing the list of tasks.

9:00 A.M.

At this time, I usually begin my wfh (working from home) developing and designing content for social media networks. I stay connected with coworkers using applications such as Skype, WhatsApp, and the Office Suite. Staying connected and in communication is vital now more than ever in order to relay information that needs to transmitted to the social media networks. I set reminders every half hour to get up and do some stretches or a mini-workout. It keeps me moving while I am stuck in the house. 

12:30 P.M.

At this point, I break for lunch for about 30 minutes. It’s really easy in these times to get your diet go or your food choices in general, but it is at this point that you can begin to develop healthy eating choices and habits. Remind yourself of the time you have to look up a quick recipe or choose the veggies and dip instead of the chips. Also, because this is a break from work I am intentional to leave my phone on my desk as I move to the kitchen. Be intentional about not being near any devices, (phones, laptops, tv) your brain will thank me later. 

2:30 P.M.

Work is officially over at this point. I take about 10 to 15 minutes to step away from my desk and do some push-ups, sit-ups, and squats to get the body moving again. Here is my chance to reconnect with my family, see how everyone is doing, talk with them, face-to-face, maybe play a board game together or some phone game. After family time, I choose a book and go to town on reading for about an hour to an hour and a half. I keep some notes of some things that stick out to me. This usually helps me decompress from the screen-viewing all day. 

5:00 P.M.

I would say I break for dinner around this time, but it differs from day to day. Like lunch, I would suggest not bringing your phone with you or any device for that matter. Let your mind have a break. I usually take around 30 minutes for dinner depending on what I make. Also, be careful what you feed on digitally. It can be pretty toxic if you follow unhealthy sources of news, content, and the likes. From time to time, check on yourself. See if the accounts you’re following are helping you or hurting you. Make hard decisions to let go of accounts that were once funny or amusing that now leave you dry and empty. After dinner, I give myself 30 minutes to practice learning my french. I think languages are beautiful and I’ve spoken english and spanish all my life. After losing my french back in high school, I thought it was time to pick it back up and hopefully remain fluent. I use the app called Duolingo to help practice. After that is up, I use this extended amount of time to work on any freelance projects currently on the go, and if not that, I am working through this course that teaches me how to use Webflow (the greatest website building platform there was) called “The Webflow Masterclass” by Ran Segal, to focus on growing my web design skills. This usually goes for 2 to 3 hours. 

9:00 P.M.

Our bodies are good at naturally winding down as the day winds down. Listen to it. I start preparing for the night ironically by making a coffee (iced if possible), alternatively you can have tea or a just some water. I use this time (roughly around 45 minutes) to batch catching up on emails, social media, and FaceTime anyone who is available. I have recently implemented this but just before I get ready to hit the bed, I open up my journal on my desk and log my day. How I’m feeling, what I’ve done, what I didn’t do, what went on, the thoughts on mind, just spill it. It’s been great for mental clarity and knowing that I can look back and read it one day to see how far I’ve come gives me joy. 

11:00 P.M.

I aim to be in bed by this time. As I prepare to go to sleep, I brush my teeth, wash my face and sometimes do some light stretches.

Bonus Tips

1. Stay hydrated — drink lots of water throughout the day (2 liter daily recommended); keep a bottle handy so you can always be drinking.
2. Remember to take a break every 1/2 hour — get out of your chair and stretch.
3. Learn a new skill — there’s many free online courses available right now. (I would recommend the Free Online Ivy League Courses)
4. Protect your eyes — if you have blue-light glasses, wear them. If not try ordering a pair online, they are fairly cheap and are proven to reduce eye strain in the long run. (check BarnerBrand out.)
5. Build a routine — they say it takes 21 days to make a habit stick.* Now is the time.
6. Start now — that dream job isn’t going to apply for itself. Edit your resume, make some calls, reach out to people. Act. 

*https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/02/how-long-it-takes-to-form-a-new-habit/

Afterword

If you’ve made it this far. Thank you.

It’s just the life of an everyday graphic designer, sharing his thoughts. So I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read about someone else. Just goes to show how caring you are. 

If you feel like this resonates with you or helps you in any way, let me know by hitting the “love” button, leaving a comment, and sharing with someone who might benefit from it!

If you want to follow me around like a creep (just kidding) you can catch me on Instagram, Twitter, Behance, LinkedIn, and Dribbble.

I am a freelance graphic design based out of Barrie, ON —check out my website: alexpresa.com