One of the most basic and terrifying realities of agency life is the need to create on a clock; the simple, incessant internal (sometimes external) voice telling you, “Yes, now. Be creative now.”

This voice understands your schedule, that the close of the day is soon upon us, always, and more broadly, that you chose to pursue a life of creativity and will now pay the metaphorical professional piper.

(This is where you, creator of all-things-awesome, may begin to contemplate the potential incredible-everything that could be conceived in the figure of a metaphorical professional piper. For example, I’m thinking a goat-like being in sharp Hugo Boss business attire with an attaché holding a flute, but I digress. Which is to say, let’s collectively commit to resisting digression — a professional creative’s never-ending frenemy.)

So without further ado, a few tips from the UI team on honing your creative energy without wearing yourself out:

• Take notes: This is a simple, though undeniably important piece of advice. On the UI team, we are known for notes; whether in the form of words, penned drawings, or e-mailed bulleted lists, capturing the most pertinent points throughout the day is key to keeping sane on a creative team.
• Schedule, schedule, schedule: Map time upon your calendar for creating — setting personal daily deadlines to ensure iterative progress is made on the projects at hand. Creative folks have a tendency to suffer from the need to ‘feel done’ — the mostly ineffable sensation of completion that comes only when a piece of content or design has reached the pinnacle of doneness — which brings us to our final suggestion…
• Know when to say ‘enough’: While notes and scheduled deadlines will certainly help add structure to your day, you must also learn to accept the bounds of The Real World (not the 90s MTV jam, but the real thing, you dig) including client expectations and business needs; sometimes one of the most valuable skills a creative professional can exercise is the ability to complete and present work that remains in an uncertain state. Simply put, endless iteration is rarely an option, and 90 out of 100 is, at times, as good as it’s going to get.

With this handy collection of recommendations on part of the creative design and development team at Urban Influence, you may now go forth with confidence. Create. Create, and never look back! Now what was that thing about a metaphorical professional piper?