The surprising problem that impacted my performance as a designer

I was reflecting on my progress as a Product Designer in 2023 and jotting down some of my biggest problems.

One surprising problem came up a few times.

I wouldn’t have predicted this problem would impact my performance so much.

The problem was Procrastination

When I was procrastinating, I would find 100 other things to do.

I wold organize emails, send Slack messages, clean up my Figma file, and do anything but the task I needed to complete.

Then suddenly, my deadline is tomorrow, and I have nothing to show.

Overcoming procrastination has a huge upside.

You must identify the cause of your procrastination in order to overcome it.

To do this, ask yourself this question:

“Why am I procrastinating?”

• Are you tired and, therefore, lacking creative energy?

• Do you need more creative input from others?

• Do you need to schedule some focus time to work without distractions?

• Are you aiming for perfection?

Identifying the root cause of your procrastination allows you to find a solution

You’re tired or lacking energy 🥱

Trying to think creatively whilst you’re tired is extremely difficult, as your brain isn’t in the right frame to explore solutions.

I can’t do creative thinking if I haven’t had a good night’s sleep.

I’ve also identified my most creative (and energized) time of day. For me, it’s 6 a.m.-11 a.m. I do all my creative thinking during this time.

Do you know when you feel most creative?

Do you need creative input? 🎨

As a designer, it’s easy to get into the habit of working solo without input from others.

However, design is a collaborative sport.

I have found that involving somebody else in what I’m working on helps me break out of the procrastination cycle.

Even if I meet with another designer to discuss the task, I am working on, talking out loud and bouncing ideas off someone else unlocks the mental barriers I had.

Do you prioritize focus time? 🕰

It’s difficult to do certain design tasks when distractions keep popping up - whether emails, Slack messages, checking your phone, or anything else.

Implementing the Pomodoro timer into my workflow was one of the most impactful things I did for my productivity. I have the timer going now as I write this newsletter.

I put my phone on " do not disturb, " and I switched off all my laptop notifications. I set my timer for 25 minutes, and I don’t allow myself to do anything but work on the specific task at hand.

It forces me to focus long enough to get into a flow state.

Once I get into that state, then everything is smooth sailing!

Are you aiming for perfection? 💎

This one was a difficult one for me to identify.

Most of my procrastination happened when I was in the Ideation phase (where I came up with concepts).

I realized I had set myself a high bar for my concepts, and I felt like I could never hit it.

My ideas never felt good enough. I felt like I had to reinvent the wheel when designing.

However it’s rare that we are expected to find a new, never-before-thought-of solution for the problem we’re solving.

After reading a blog post that linked perfectionism to insecurity, I was able to identify this pattern of thinking.

After discovering this, I added a post-it note on my monitor that said to aim for 60% done. This way, I remind myself every day to aim for ‘done’, not perfect.

Turns out my 60% effort was pretty good.

Remember, overcoming procrastination requires continuous effort; it's not a one-and-done task.

However, if we start to build healthy habits around the things I have discussed, our productivity will exceed our expectations.

That's all for this week! I hope this helped you think of ways to reframe how you think of procrastination.