Name: Chips & Gravy Studios
Based: Stoke-on-Trent
Website: www.chipsandgravystudios.com
As a creative designer I work from a home office. I’m also a light sleeper and wake up around 5.30am every day.
So, instead of struggling to drift back off to sleep, reading or scrolling through my phone for a while, I use this time when the house is quiet to work. I grab a coffee and work for a three-hour period, when I won’t be distracted by client emails and phone calls.
Starting my work day early means that I can either finish a little earlier and spend time with my partner and daughter when they finish university and school respectively, or I can take a midday break for a couple of hours to get out on my mountain bike or simply go walking.
Since I’ve started organising my work day like this I find it easier to get work done. The zero distraction few hours in the morning helps me to work efficiently, and clients comment that it’s refreshing to have mockups in their inbox when they start work as opposed to midway through the day.
If I choose to spend a couple of hours doing exercise, the time away from my desk (and likely the endorphins) improves my mental state for the rest of the work day. If I choose to spend my extra couple of hours with my family – well that’s just great!
Kevin Shannon is the creative designer at Chips & Gravy Studios
