Why routine is key for Creative Front-End Developer Jase Warner

Having autonomy over your working day is one of the key benefits of being a freelancer as well as choosing your working hours to fit around your schedule. For creative front-end developer, Jase Warner, having a routine helps his productivity when working on client projects.

Starting his freelance career in 2014, Jase has since gained some valuable lessons on upskilling, staying productive when working at home and asking enough questions before committing to a project. We spoke to Jase about his time using YunoJuno and what a working day for him looks like.

With so much experience and exposure to clients and their development projects, we first asked Jase about any that stood out for him as being particularly great;

One exciting element of my recent work has been developing themes using Shopify’s relatively new Online Store 2.0 approach. For example, this new method of building themes gives merchants the ability to add sections and app blocks on all pages. It has, in short, revolutionised the way in which developers can build Shopify themes.

When it comes to maintaining client relationships and their development projects, Jase shares;

Almost all of my clients require my technical support and consultancy on an ongoing basis. I’m very proud to say that some of my current clients have been with me as far back as five years ago.

Providing an excellent ongoing service is really important to Jase, who says he keeps on top of his own skills during those rare moments of downtime;

I’ve taken the odd course on Codeacademy to increase my knowledge on certain technologies. I also work on a couple of small open-source projects, which help to hone my skills.

When it comes to sharing advice to newer front-end developers, Jase shares his own words of wisdom;

Try not to fret too much if you find yourself looking at a quiet period on the work front. If no projects are pencilled into your calendar for the next week or so, motivate yourself to use that time to fine-tune your skills in a familiar technology or find a course on a totally new one.

Maintaining that work-life balance is hard for even the most dedicated freelancers, but Jase feels it all lies in having a strict routine;

Routine is key when working remotely. I always make sure that I’m showered and dressed in good time to be sitting at my desk, coffee in hand, by 9:30am. In the winter, a brisk walk after a quick lunch helps to blow away any cobwebs, and in the summer I like to go for a ride on my bicycle after work to make the most of the brighter evenings.

For anyone considering branching out or starting a career in development, Jase recommends looking out for;

Free online courses, or paid ones if you have the budget, and get stuck into some small projects to grow your skills. This might go without saying, but never cut corners and always ask yourself if the approach you are taking is the most efficient way to achieve the target.

As for the best advice Jase has personally learned so far on the job, he says;

Never be afraid to ask potential clients as many questions as you feel you need to before committing to a project.

And finally, we asked how it felt being a finalist in the Freelance Awards 2021, in which Jase modestly said;

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was listed as a finalist in my category. It’s always encouraging to know that your time and effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

If you’re looking for a creative front-end developer with bags of experience, why not book Jase here.