What Our Weeks Look Like

Always adapting, and always a work in-progress.

What Our Weeks Look Like

Thoughts
a small studio
By 
April 29, 2022

Always adapting, and always a work in-progress.

We used to have a lot of meetings. I think it may have been the growing pains of moving to a remote studio and the pressure of trying to maintain a collaborative and social atmosphere while virtual.

Time tracking helped us realized that each person on the team was on a minimum of around 8-10 hours of meetings a week. As much as we love seeing each other and hanging out, this amount of meetings was disruptive for everyone, increased screen time and generally just cut down on precious creative flow opportunity.

You can see below roughly what our standing meetings looked like before we made some changes.

Major Changes

  1. The first thing to go was the morning stand-up. This was kind of like a scrum but without a scrum master, so a bit chaotic and honestly it felt like we were just repeating and confirming information that could be found in each client slack channel. We’d run through each project, what everyone was working on and went yup yup. It felt like we were doing it because we read that that’s what you should do. It did not fit for us at all and when we removed it, everyone got their mornings back.
  2. The second major change was the Internal review. This was an opportunity for John to give the thumbs up on all client work before the client critique came around on Thursday. At first, the internal review was on Wednesday, which didn’t leave enough time for revisions and iterations and was unfair for the designer. We thought that was the issue so we moved it to Tuesday so the designer would have all day Wednesday for iterating. Except once revision were made, there was no additional time to give it that final pass, so a lot of the time there ended up being an impromptu review before the critique that took more of everyone's time. Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t working and we think in hindsight it was too rigid of a process. It felt like the designers were not only presenting to the clients but they also had to have a formal presentation ready for someone internally. Our time can be better spent collaborating when together, not presenting in this one sided way.
  3. So enter Office Hours! The solution with about 1 year under its belt. Now we have 1hr on Tuesday, Wednesday that's an all-team meant for progress sharing, asking feedback, providing feedback, problem solving, group inspo pulling and even sometimes.... some live design, eek. Because each office hours holds discussion on all ongoing projects instead of compartmentalizing them we save a lot of time and as a lovely byproduct; everyone is included.
  4. We introduced the Loom alternating weeks so we could not only embrace asynchronous communication, but so our clients could also have some flexibility with feedback. It’s really great because we set up our meeting cadence so that 2 projects have the opposite on/off weeks as our other 2 projects; making max 2 in person critiques each Thursday. Before we used to have sometimes 4 x 1hr client critiques all on Thursday and it was a stressful bottleneck, let alone the scheduling chaos of it all.
  5. 1:1 meetings turned to an optional meeting that can be done digitally. We have a SBI report that we fill out before our 1:1 meetings and now, there is no pressure to meet on zoom if you’re having a chaotic week or just aren’t in the mood to chat that day. We want it to be there if you need it, but it’s entirely up to that individual.
  6. Moving to an async Friday was one of the most recent steps we took to eventually move to a 4 day work week. The goal here is to have a standing Friday morning Office hours there for people that wake up on a mission and want to get a lot done (let’s say they didn’t have a great Wednesday, you might decide to make up for that on Friday, or not). So Friday you are not responsible for being online or in contact with anyone unless you agree to attend a meeting - then we obviously expect you to be here. But as of now, we don’t book any meetings on Friday so everyone can have that day of flexibility back.

Below you can view the current standing meetings we have each week. Not only are we accommodating EST, PST and AEST, but we’re now down to about a max of 6.5 hours of recurring meetings a week (sometimes less depending on client workload). All the other time is yours to plan and use however works best for you and your work style.

Our goal is to get down to <5 hours/ week and become as asynchronous of a studio as we can be so that we can live and work, but mostly live.

my-creative-marathon

My Creative Marathon

5 Marathon Training Lessons That Apply to Your Craft

Read the Article
my-creative-marathon

My Creative Marathon

5 Marathon Training Lessons That Apply to Your Craft

vulnerable-brilliance

Vulnerable Brilliance

Cultivating creativity and innovation for the long-term

Read the Article
vulnerable-brilliance

Vulnerable Brilliance

Cultivating creativity and innovation for the long-term

think-mobile

Think Mobile

Designing for the ultimate mobile experience? essential tips to keep in mind.

Read the Article
think-mobile

Think Mobile

Designing for the ultimate mobile experience? essential tips to keep in mind.

design-for-good

Design For Good

Design goes beyond looking good or being trendy...

Read the Article
design-for-good

Design For Good

Design goes beyond looking good or being trendy...

just-my-type

Just My Type

How typography helps you pass the vibe check

Read the Article
just-my-type

Just My Type

How typography helps you pass the vibe check

the-value-of-celebrating

The Value of Celebrating

Let’s do some high-fiving once in a while!

Read the Article
the-value-of-celebrating

The Value of Celebrating

Let’s do some high-fiving once in a while!

jbw2023

wunderbread

One week, one brilliant build to help you pass the daily vibe check.

Read the Article
jbw2023

wunderbread

One week, one brilliant build to help you pass the daily vibe check.

das-recap

Designers Are Scary! Recap

We hosted the first event in a free series designed to even the odds.

Read the Article
das-recap

Designers Are Scary! Recap

We hosted the first event in a free series designed to even the odds.

2023-internship

Hiring Summer Interns!

Want to spend your summer with a small studio?

Read the Article
2023-internship

Hiring Summer Interns!

Want to spend your summer with a small studio?

serendipity

Serendipity!

Most celebrated discoveries are happy accidents.

Read the Article
serendipity

Serendipity!

Most celebrated discoveries are happy accidents.

creativity-is-remixing

Creativity is Remixing

Every design is a remix of the past, present, and future.

Read the Article
creativity-is-remixing

Creativity is Remixing

Every design is a remix of the past, present, and future.

chokehold-of-9-5

The Chokehold of the 9-5

It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it!

Read the Article
chokehold-of-9-5

The Chokehold of the 9-5

It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it!

4-lessons-designers-can-learn-from-drag-queens

4 Lessons Designers Can Learn from Drag Queens

Let the music play!

Read the Article
4-lessons-designers-can-learn-from-drag-queens

4 Lessons Designers Can Learn from Drag Queens

Let the music play!

we-are-hiring

We're Hiring!

Hello, is it you we’re looking for?

Read the Article
we-are-hiring

We're Hiring!

Hello, is it you we’re looking for?

side-affects

Which Side Affects You?

An entry point for expanding our understanding of the Roe v. Wade overturn and its impact on fundamental human rights.

Read the Article
side-affects

Which Side Affects You?

An entry point for expanding our understanding of the Roe v. Wade overturn and its impact on fundamental human rights.

pet-department

Meet The Pet Department

Meet the four-legged members of the Pet Department!

Read the Article
pet-department

Meet The Pet Department

Meet the four-legged members of the Pet Department!

squrl

A Tendency for Tangents, Turned Studio Tool

An ever growing discovery engine to hold all the incredible creations we come across as a virtual studio.

Read the Article
squrl

A Tendency for Tangents, Turned Studio Tool

An ever growing discovery engine to hold all the incredible creations we come across as a virtual studio.

studio-office-hours

Studio Office Hours

Taking a look at our daily collaboration sessions

Read the Article
studio-office-hours

Studio Office Hours

Taking a look at our daily collaboration sessions

studio-retreat-2022-bring-peace

Studio Retreat 2022Bring Peace

a small studio’s first retreat! Together we reflected on what it means to bring peace.

Read the Article
studio-retreat-2022-bring-peace

Studio Retreat 2022Bring Peace

a small studio’s first retreat! Together we reflected on what it means to bring peace.

what-goes-into-building-a-design-studio

What Goes Into Building A Design Studio?

What are the key building blocks of a small studio?

Read the Article
what-goes-into-building-a-design-studio

What Goes Into Building A Design Studio?

What are the key building blocks of a small studio?

creatorplus

The Future of Storytelling

A first-of-its-kind movie experience that brings you closer to the creators than ever before.

Read the Article
creatorplus

The Future of Storytelling

A first-of-its-kind movie experience that brings you closer to the creators than ever before.

cyxtera

Taking Data Centers Digital

Making data centers more accessible and actionable for remote managers and digital natives.

Read the Article
cyxtera

Taking Data Centers Digital

Making data centers more accessible and actionable for remote managers and digital natives.

dose

Building DOSE in 5 Days

Amidst one of the largest political awakenings, we paused all normal business operations to build DOSE.

Read the Article
dose

Building DOSE in 5 Days

Amidst one of the largest political awakenings, we paused all normal business operations to build DOSE.

sparkthink

Putting the Spark Back in Consulting

An ecosystem of online tools designed to amplify the process of discovery.

Read the Article
sparkthink

Putting the Spark Back in Consulting

An ecosystem of online tools designed to amplify the process of discovery.

shearshare

Connecting the Beauty Industry

Connecting salon & barbershop owners with all beauty professionals.

Read the Article
shearshare

Connecting the Beauty Industry

Connecting salon & barbershop owners with all beauty professionals.

fizzbuzz

Turning Dreamers Into Doers

An online, after-school, technology program designed to catalyze your growth.

Read the Article
fizzbuzz

Turning Dreamers Into Doers

An online, after-school, technology program designed to catalyze your growth.

our-remote-office-guide

Our Remote Office

We’ve been operating as a Remote studio since 2020 and this is what we've found works.

Read the Article
our-remote-office-guide

Our Remote Office

We’ve been operating as a Remote studio since 2020 and this is what we've found works.

how-about-efficiency-being-about-something-other-than-revenue

A Switch That Flicked

The long story of a small realization.

Read the Article
how-about-efficiency-being-about-something-other-than-revenue

A Switch That Flicked

The long story of a small realization.

what-our-week-looks-like

What Our Weeks Look Like

Always adapting, and always a work in-progress.

Read the Article
what-our-week-looks-like

What Our Weeks Look Like

Always adapting, and always a work in-progress.

my-productivity-playlists

My “Productivity” Playlists

We all have different methods for tapping into our productivity.

Read the Article
my-productivity-playlists

My “Productivity” Playlists

We all have different methods for tapping into our productivity.

why-we-should-always-define-the-words-we-use

Why We Should Always Define the Words We Use

When I first came to a small studio, it felt like I was learning to speak a new language.

Read the Article
why-we-should-always-define-the-words-we-use

Why We Should Always Define the Words We Use

When I first came to a small studio, it felt like I was learning to speak a new language.

how-to-work-with-us

How To Work With Us

Never business as usual.

Read the Article
how-to-work-with-us

How To Work With Us

Never business as usual.

who-is-a-small-studio

Who is a small studio?

We’re a collection of creatives using our gifts to bring peace to people’s lives.

Read the Article
who-is-a-small-studio

Who is a small studio?

We’re a collection of creatives using our gifts to bring peace to people’s lives.

first-impressions

First Impressions

I first came across a small studio the night of December 25th, 2020.

Read the Article
first-impressions

First Impressions

I first came across a small studio the night of December 25th, 2020.

our-newest-sr-designer-jane

Our Newest Sr. Designer, Jane!

Promoting Jane!

Read the Article
our-newest-sr-designer-jane

Our Newest Sr. Designer, Jane!

Promoting Jane!

mari-tautimes

More Than Family Business

A reimagined brand focused on lifting women higher in life and business.

Read the Article
mari-tautimes

More Than Family Business

A reimagined brand focused on lifting women higher in life and business.

welcome-sarah

Welcome Sarah!

We Hired Sarah!

Read the Article
welcome-sarah

Welcome Sarah!

We Hired Sarah!

asu

A Bridge to Sustainable, Impactful Action

Building a digital experience for the passionate team behind sustainability solutions that have a global impact.

Read the Article
asu

A Bridge to Sustainable, Impactful Action

Building a digital experience for the passionate team behind sustainability solutions that have a global impact.

tayne-experiment

Leading By Experiment

The only influencer platform that leads by experiment with extra-ordinary experiences.

Read the Article
tayne-experiment

Leading By Experiment

The only influencer platform that leads by experiment with extra-ordinary experiences.

webflow-virtual-world-tour

Webflow Virtual World Tour

Following the launch of our project DOSE, John gave a talk at the Webflow World Virtual World Tour.

Read the Article
webflow-virtual-world-tour

Webflow Virtual World Tour

Following the launch of our project DOSE, John gave a talk at the Webflow World Virtual World Tour.

dose-showcased-by-webflow

DOSE Showcased by Webflow

Webflow shared the project with their audience of nearly 100,000 Twitter followers.

Read the Article
dose-showcased-by-webflow

DOSE Showcased by Webflow

Webflow shared the project with their audience of nearly 100,000 Twitter followers.

salt-athletic

When Fashion Meets Hygienic Innovation

Bringing fresh style and innovation to the soccer community, with love.

Read the Article
salt-athletic

When Fashion Meets Hygienic Innovation

Bringing fresh style and innovation to the soccer community, with love.

ypos

A Landing Pad for Young Professionals

An engaged community of young professionals deserves a vibrant flag to wave.

Read the Article
ypos

A Landing Pad for Young Professionals

An engaged community of young professionals deserves a vibrant flag to wave.

voyce-threads

Standing for What You Believe In

Start meaningful conversations by showing off what’s on your feet.

Read the Article
voyce-threads

Standing for What You Believe In

Start meaningful conversations by showing off what’s on your feet.

Let’s talk strategy.

Schedule a call with our Identity Architect and see if it makes sense to work together.