Jeffrey Zeldman Quotes

Sustaining the energy and focus involved in doing a good job I think starts to - starts to gets tougher the longer you do it.

The enjoyment of work - to the extent that you have any - is likely highest in the first hours of the day when you are fresh, not tired, working on the most important things.

I procrastinate in spades. In my defence, I also try to have all other distractions solved before I can concentrate on writing. My small theory is that to write for three hours, you need to feel like you have three days. To write for three days, you need to feel like you've got three weeks, and so on.

I've always found when I'm healthy and happy I perform the best, not necessarily when I've done the most training.

What you quickly realize once you commit to getting more sleep is it can increase your productivity, it can improve your mood. And that doesn't just help you at work, but it helps you be the kind of person you want to be with your family and your friends and that's ultimately what matters most.

Trust me, I have had my days where I don't feel great about myself. You have those days where you kind of get down. But for the most part, I have been able to stay focused and happy and use my time wisely.

Your rhythm is what matters to you so much that when you miss it you're resentful of your work...So find your rhythm, understand what makes you resentful, and protect it.

I am convinced that a light supper, a good night's sleep, and a fine morning, have sometimes made a hero of the same man, who, by an indigestion, a restless night, and rainy morning, would have proved a coward.

Take it easy, but take it.

Flow is an optimal state in which you feel totally engaged in an activity...In a state of flow, you're neither bored nor anxious, and you don't question your own adequacy. Hours pass without your noticing.

The opposite of play is not work. It's depression.

But what I didn't recognize when I was much younger was this sort of...when you're on, when you're really on, go at it.

I think, in life, being nervous about something that's forthcoming is very helpful, whether it's an awards show or a family gathering or a job interview. If you're too calm and confident, then I think you aren't executing to the best of your ability. So I try not to let nerves get the best of me, but I welcome them because it tends to fuel me to try harder.

Writing's not precious to me. It's not a thing that requires specific environment. You know, it's my job. Just like anybody with a job, you have to do your job when you don't feel like it, regardless of how good or bad the conditions are, regardless of how good or bad you might feel on any particular day.

Write even when the world is chaotic. You don’t need a cigarette, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or inner peace to write. You just need ten minutes and a writing implement.

I value my health and my happiness. And I've realized exercise can give me both of those things.

Remember, don't start trying to relax; that is the most absurd thing in the world. And there are many stupid people writing books about relaxation. I have come across one book - the name of the book is YOU MUST RELAX! Now that very word 'must' is enough to keep you tense. Relaxation cannot be a "must," it cannot be an effort.

My secret for writing is going back to clarity. I'm very clear about what I want to accomplish-the goal-and then the next two are focus and concentration. And I've probably spent my whole life both practicing those two and teaching them. Focus. Focus on a single point and concentration. And concentrating on a single thing till it's done.

Make rest a necessity, not an objective. Only rest long enough to gather strength.

If you're not in the mood, you can't do that stuff right.

We have this idea that we need to be in the mood to write. We don't.

If you think of a school drawing while you work, your drawing will look like one.

The most important person on this earth is you. What are you doing to help the most important person in this world: you? To live right, you have to exercise, have goals and challenges.

I don't need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.

I understand when u feel overwhelmed style is the 1st thing to go, but its also the 1st thing you can pick back up to get you back on track.