Daily Routines

What makes for a good design? Beyond the general skills and knowledge of the designer, there are also hundreds of small, but crucial details that impact their personal life and work balance: timetables, material tools, playlists and productivity habits.

The ‘design myth’ of modernism—an empty room with white walls, dim lights, a huge Apple display, and flexible working schedule—is an object of constant criticism. Yet, in times of uncertainty, it’s also turned out to be a potential lighthouse. So does the timetable, something that a stereotypical creative brags about not having. Despite this common expectation, scheduling always emerges when interviewing professional creatives about work practices—be it a writer, an artist or a designer.

For this project, five Readymag users based worldwide described their daily routines, how they fight the fear of a blank page, playlists that keep them going, and offered advice on how to avoid burnout.

Here is what they told us.

Hi, I’m Becki. I’m 33 years old, and I’m an art director, designer, and illustrator from Brooklyn, New York. I currently live in New Jersey with my partner Daniel and our two cats, George and Olive. I started my design career in the production world designing for events and exhibitions, and later worked in publishing as a magazine designer. I currently work mainly in branding and online experiences. I’m also a classically trained illustrator and was once an accomplished cheesemonger. I co-founded and run a small woman-owned co-op and creative studio called The Bad Collective. I love swimming, single malt scotch, muscle cars, expensive face creams, collecting books and records, traveling, geology, restaurants, professional wrestling, and when dogs look like their owners.

I was born and grew up in Minsk. I studied physics and engineering in high school, but haven’t practiced either since graduating. Instead, in 2008, I shifted focus to web design—without education or experience. So, amateur would have probably been a fitting description for me!

In 2011, there was a political and economic crisis in Belarus, so I moved to Riga and started freelancing. Over the last 2 years, I think I feel I can finally describe myself as an ‘independent consultant’ instead of ‘freelancer’ I collaborate on several projects with Readymag, with genuine interest, as well as pursue my own editorial experiments.