The alarm clock has been put back and sitting in traffic on the morning commute is a thing of the past. I am benefiting from an extra hour in bed and enjoying the short walk over to the working from home office set up; although I did learn the hard way that getting out of bed 30 minutes before the 9 am start was not a good idea.
So first things first, it’s very important to give yourself enough time to get up, get showered, dressed, maybe even make a little breakfast and grab a drink so you’re in the right frame of mind to get started when the clock hits 9 am and your stomach isn’t rumbling by 10 am.
So you’re ready to work but how do you keep your creativity up when your team isn’t around you?
Communication and Collaboration are Key
The usual office set up surrounds you with fellow creatives, ideas are bounced around all day and morale is kept high with the support of your team. If you’re not all around the table coming up with ideas, you’re sliding over to your colleague’s desk to get their thoughts on your latest idea.
Fast forward to today, we are now alone sitting at a makeshift desk, facing an indefinite amount of time working from home, which can be a very daunting thought. But, we are very lucky to be living in a time when technology is developed so well, we can collaborate from anywhere in the world and this is essential to keeping the creativity alive while sitting in new surroundings.
The tools we have at our fingertips right now means the team is only ever a click away and I’m finding myself talking more than ever!
Working with Web-based Software
Luckily, the design industry is well adapted to versatile working and there is a wide range of web-based software out there that allows us to sign in anywhere and any time, meaning these channels are still available from your desk, sofa or even bed without compromising on performance.
Applications such as Basecamp allow us to post an update in a dedicated job that will notify each team member involved, so we can instantly share files, our progress and collaborate with the whole team in one place to keep things moving. Log each milestone through a dedicated ‘to do’ or get some thoughts on your latest idea through Campfire.
We can even still prototype and collaborate with our clients with ease. Tools such as Invision allow us to share our designs digitally and collaborate online, meaning the service we give our clients isn’t compromised at all.
Video Conferencing from Home
We are kicking off each day with a quick video call that brings everyone together. Along with checking out the setting of everyone at home office workspace and the occasional pet gatecrash which brightens the day, it offers a great opportunity to go over the schedule for the day and share everyone’s progress on their latest projects. Ideas can be shared, successes can be celebrated and pain points can be brought up and worked on as a team.
Multiple calls are made throughout the day to work on individual projects and the days are ended the same to check on progress and keep everyone in the loop.
No More Office Distractions
As great as it can be having the team around, somedays you just need a little peace and quiet and working from home can allow you the space you need to get your head into the project and focus without any distractions. Writing blogs is certainly easier outside of the busy office and can see an increase in the speed of work.
So to round it up, the key to keeping the creativity alive while working from home is to keep collaborating, keep listening, keep talking and keep sharing. Just because we are now working from mini offices all over the place, it doesn’t mean we can’t still keep the creative atmosphere of the office alive and support one another.
At Fifteen Design, we carrying on at home where we left off at the office, providing top-class customer service and stunning digital designs. Contact us to find out more about how we can turn your traffic into conversions with creative design solutions.