Wherein I pluck out pearls from some of the panels I attended.
“Just start writing”
– said Erin Kissane, during Writing, BetterThe irony is that I can’t figure out how to start this off. I guess the answer is, if all else fails, go for self-reflection.
This is my main struggle with writing. I’m a persistant persistent editor, a constant tinkerer, a incessant perfectionist, so it takes me forever to formulate a paragraph. In the words of Barry Schwartz, I’m a maximizer, not a satisficer, so if something can be improved, I’ll try to improve it. This seriously hinders my ablity to put text to page. Unless I feel that I’ve got a plan for how the words will form a coherent story, I’m wary to start.
This is actually true of a lot of endeavors for me. I have a difficult time starting any kind of project if I don’t know the overall plan. (Ethan Marcotte also said, at this panel, “the truest form of terror is a blank Photoshop document”. Amen.) Erin’s point is worth remembering; I think I need to paste it up above my monitor.
“Be a Design Vigilante”
– said Rob Weychert, during Field Guide to Design InspirationThis nugget sums up the talk, and really most of SXSW, for me. Find the time to do something cool. Rob, along with Jason Santa Maria, spent the hour talking about ways they get inspired, and more importantly, outlets they have for all that inspiration. Creativity begets creativity. It reminded me of the few totally unnecessary creative projects Sarah and I have done over the last couple years—namely the clue hunt—and how exciting it was for us to flex that creativity.
Sometimes—er, often—I find myself putting off projects because I don’t feel I have the time. But I’m just starting this endeavor. The fact is, if things go well, this is the least busy I’m going to be for a while. This is the time I need to seize on any sliver of unbillability and do something cool.
Unbillability. Sounds like a ragtime band made up of high-priced consultants.
I’ve been hanging out a bit with my designer friend Neil. He’s applying for grad school and wanted to practice the interview by walking me through his portfolio. I was stunned by how much of his work is personal pet projects he’s done for friends or his girlfriend. A moment’s thought reveals why: no boss or client to answer to. Creative freedom. From these exercises, he can stretch his legs and grow as a designer.
“Use the grid, but be flexible.”
– said Khoi Vinh, during Grids are GoodIn other words, embrace constraints, but don’t let them get you down.
I just realized the name of Khoi’s panel is a play on the Gordon Gecko quote. I’m suddenly looking forward to his 2008 talk, “Give ‘em Helvetica, Harry!”
“Forget the notion that technology should adapt to people. It should be vice versa.”
– said someone during Why we Should Ignore UsersAn argument evolved in this panel between practitioners of the persona-based user research vs. activity-based user research. Actually it was more of a pile-on by the activity camp, to which all of the panelists belonged. They practically dared any persona fans to come to the mike and defend their precious cause. I think one guy did, but kind of apologetically, then passed the buck to his higher-ups.
It all made me scratch my head. I ain’t got no degree in Interaction Design, but I’ve picked up a few things over the years from some of the smarter people I’ve worked with. No matter what you call it, the gist is the same: determine what your users want to do, and make it as easy as possible for them to do it. Everything else stems from there.
Somedays I wonder if I should go back to design school and get a formal education about all the stuff I’ve learned in passing over the years. If it’ll consist of learning a half-dozen new ways to say the same old thing, I think I’ll save my time.
“Maybe we should all work in our pajamas”
– said Jim Coudal, during Making Your Short Atttention Span Pay Big DividendsI’ve written about this one a little bit already. It was my favorite talk at this year’s conference. The line above was in reference to an Edgar Allen Poe quote:
“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
My problem is not giving myself time to dream—my mind wanders plenty—but rather feeling guilty about it when I do. What I need is some time that I’ve put aside for daydreaming. Which leads me to…
“Plan your work and work your plan”
– said James Archer, during The Business Side of Web DesignIt’s easy for me to look at my master to-do list and get overwhelmed. It’s also easy to forget that that list will never ever be empty. Should never be empty. If it’s ever empty, either something’s gone horribly wrong, or I’ve retired.
In the meanwhile, I need to stop making that to-do list the first place I look anytime I find some free time. Just because I have things to do, doesn’t mean their always the most urgent. Also important is finding time to daydream (see above), do those non-billable projects (see higher above), and whatever else it takes to make my business grow.
Getting a toehold into this new way of thinking is possibly the most difficult step. Last week, I took a stab at it by making up an hour-by-hour schedule for 8 AM – 6 PM of every day, plus a little extra in the evening and weekends. The crucial point here is that each day has some fun time built in, time I wouldn’t get to otherwise, and I think I’ll be better for it. It’s a little crazy, I know, but OCD wasn’t designed for the sane.
“Let email accumulate”
– said Timothy Ferriss, during The 4-hour WorkweekMr. Ferriss reeked of smugness—a higher caliber smugness than you normally find in the SXSW halls—so I couldn’t stand his presentation sales pitch for too long. However, I did come away with this gem.
I know that email can be a time-suck, but it never occurred to me to just… turn it off. Now I check it in the morning, shut it down and check it mid-day, and shut it down again until about 4. After just one day of doing this, it’s easy to realize how non-urgent most emails are. I now do most of my email in big batches at the end of the day, and it feels ten times healthier.
That’s enough for one post. More to come in part two.
March 30th, 2007 at 9:23 am
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