How to Start Your Work Day in UX

“Sorry, I am running late. Have to catch an Uber to Uber (office)” as he winked and rushed away.

This was my neighbour’s response to my morning greeting on his way to work. Working in design environments with giant tech companies is a novelty on its own. Being part of daily-used product environments is a celebrated status among millennials. But my everyday sight is colleagues walking up to desks with panicked eyes, clenching half-filled coffee cups and of course, the epic jump to your seat while signing into the machine activity. Day start!

1 Say hi to your colleague (not your machine)

Most of my colleagues walk into office thinking they wear an Invisibility cloak and their primary mission is to reach their work station. Working in digital equilibrium environment does not mean you greet your machine first. Catch up with a colleague or water a plant or sip a coffee by the window… one must embrace work environment!

2 There is always going to be too much to do

It’s always mailbox first planning second. This has to stop at some point. Everyone dreams of a productive day but does not plan for one. The mail these days is like your social media feed, you get hooked on to one thing and that becomes your day (did you just nod to that?). The idea is you need to collectively plan your day with a graph of quality versus time. At the end of the planning, you should be at a state where you look forward to all of it (…. maybe not to the level of binge-watching Stranger things), rather than how will I complete this!

3 Don’t blame your calendar for your work day

Your productivity has patterns. You need to understand MAXIMUM-IN-THE-ZONE productivity. Your calendar is a tool to help you increase your productivity, not deter it. To do this, you could:

1. Learn from what works in your calendar.

2. Understand your constraints with the calendar like coordinating with different time zones etc.

3. Avoid “worry-Wednesdays” and make it “wise- Wednesday”. The midweek could be a challenging work day as it juggles between accomplishments and milestones.

So start your day with some #meandcalendar time.

4 Work with one Bae at a time

As I mentioned earlier working in digital engulfed environments are overwhelming. This is going to be harder if you’re going to two-time between your desk station and phone. Being available through multiple devices brings you more things to do like checking emails, replying to Skype messages or zapping through memes on Instagram. So decide your bae (desktop or phone) and give it your undivided attention.

“You Don’t Have to Go Home from Work Exhausted!” — Alan Cooper. Bottom line, make the start of your day the productive point of making you a healthier, happier and a better designer.