When you start a design project – any project, be aware of the process itself. A simple but effective way of doing this is to number the pages. Number and date all the pages (no matter what format, including backs of beermats).

This simple act will help you figure out:

• Did I already think of this?
• Keeping page numbers is such an orderly thing to do that it will occur to you that writing a design brief is essential.
• What progress have I made over a period of time?
• How long have I been working on this idea?
• What do I need to do next? How long will that take?
• How have my ideas changed over a period of time?
• When did I have the pivotal sketch-thought that defines this project?

If you don’t number and date your sketches you might:

• Waste time by re working over stuff you have already done: again and again.
• Not write a design brief.
• Lose track of your own progress.
• Not know what you were doing the last time you worked on the project and forget what you need to do next.
• Not be able to calculate how long the project will take to finish.
• Forget how your ideas have changed over time.
• Not being conscious of the break through moment