Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
James Roper
Your current job :
Artist
In which city are you located?
Manchester, UK
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
Hard, but never hard enough
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
Photoshop, Illustrator, my right hand
What does your office space look like?
A living room
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
I don’t really listen to music while working anymore, mostly podcasts. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Brett Easton Ellis, Tim Ferris and Joe Rogan.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work ?
I gotta get organized. Ya know, little things, like my apartment, my possessions. I should get one of those signs that says ‘One of these days, I’m gonna get organized.’
What tips would you give to improve productivity ?
Do anything like emails, online social media or meetings with people at either the start or end of the day. Leave the rest of the day free for work and work alone. It’s hard to get back into ‘the zone’ if your day is interspersed with other activities.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
Not think I’m better.
What is the best advice anyone has given you ?
If you procrastinate a lot, which I do, start working. No matter how minimal the effort, keep going, it will slowly snowball into something bigger, it’s the starting that’s key.
What is your best tip for saving time ?
Have a set meal plan and wardrobe, don’t waste energy thinking about mundane things. Unless of course you really enjoy fashion or cooking, fine, but try to find other areas of your life that can be cut out or bit’s of time wasting you can drop. I used to play games on my phone whenever I had a bit of time, on the bus or train, now I read books.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
6:40am Coffee and bite to eat
7:00am Weightlifting or Kung fu practice in the woods near my house
8:00am Shower
8:15am Deep stretching exercises
8:30am Meditation – 20mins minimum
9:15am Eat
9:30am Emails, social media etc.
10:30am Work on art till about 6:00pm
Then I drop any routine but make sure I’m in bed for about 10:30pm
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
Kindle
