Scheduling for Creatives

Course details

Whether you're a freelancer or an in-house designer at an agency, the success of your creative projects is dependent not only upon the quality of your work, but also by your ability to consistently meet deadlines. In this course, explore practical, actionable strategies that can help you and your team tackle scheduling with confidence. Instructor Justin Ahrens has led Rule29—a design firm recognized by AIGA—for over 15 years. Throughout this course, he provides tips and techniques for starting and ending your day, creating a balanced workflow, and identifying the daily habits that help you win. He also discusses how to juggle scheduling for your team, and work with your clients timing. To wrap up, he shares a few helpful tools that can keep you organized and on track.

Learning objectives
Creating a balanced workflow
Increasing productivity around tight timelines
Delivering bad news early
Determining when you are most creative
Daily habits that help you win
Working with easily distracted employees and team members
Bringing clients into the schedule

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome

1. The Everyday Schedule

02 - Understanding the daily reality
03 - How to start the day
04 - Creating a balanced workflow
05 - Increasing productivity around tight timelines
06 - Deliver bad news early
07 - How to end the day

2. How to Schedule You

08 - Understand when you are most creative
09 - Daily habits that help you win
10 - Signs that you need to adjust your process

3. Understanding the Team Schedule

11 - Setting the ground rules
12 - Working with easily distracted employees and team members
13 - Juggling scheduling, hiring, and profitability

4. How to Manage Client's Timing

14 - Understanding your role in the project schedule
15 - Bring clients into the schedule
16 - What to do with the schedule killers
17 - It s time to have the talk with your client
18 - Be calm and give options

5. Some Tools That Can Help

19 - The ancient art of having a team conversation
20 - How to keep your list organized
21 - Team tools that will help you dominate the scheduling maze

Conclusion

22 - Next steps

Scheduling for Creatives

Authors

Justin Ahrens