At my host company, ePrize, day in and day out we build (really, really cool) promotions. Each promotion is unique and tailored to the business it is created for, but one of the standard questions that’s asked during the build time is whether or not the site is equipped with reactive design. If a site is built with such, then it scales to the appropriate size when a user views it on a tablet or smart phone, negating the need for the consumer to awkwardly scroll around a large page looking for the portion he or she needs. Essentially, reactive design means that the site immediately recognizes the medium its being viewed on, and then it adjusts accordingly.
In my life, I’ve been trying to employ reactive design. I’ve found that if I remain as flexible as possible, I can maximize my productivity, as well as keep my mood up. The easiest places for me to apply reactive design are in running and reading – things having to do more with my personal life. Each morning, I wake up and run before work. Michigan weather, however, is not exactly accommodating. Some mornings it rains, and soon enough, some mornings I’ll wake up to a foot of snow on the ground. Recognizing my surroundings are not ideal for my daily jog, I either hop online and check work emails, or admittedly, sometimes I crawl back under the covers. Every week I have a prescribed number of miles I must run. Ideally, I follow a daily mileage breakdown that gets me to that goal. If rain gets in the way one morning, I don’t just skip those miles for the week; I juggle my schedule. Sometimes I switch rest days, sometimes I’ll run in the evening instead, or, if it’s a short day, sometimes I just add that run onto another short run later in the week. The point is – the mileage gets covered. My body recognizes the situation surrounding it, and reacts accordingly. Similarly, in the beginning of 2013, I vowed to read one book per week, or 52 books this year. This spring, I drove from San Francisco to Detroit, not exactly an ideal week to finish a novel. No matter. I’m not going to end the year at 51 books. I simply readjusted my reading schedule. Last weekend I vacationed in Tampa, and between the plane rides and afternoons at the pool, I was able to knock out two books in one week rather than my normal single novel. I reacted to the situation at hand.
As Challenge Detroit Fellows, we were encouraged to set goals surrounding each of our five pillars: work, live, give, play, and lead. Every month, we are asked to check in with ourselves and see how we are progressing towards accomplishing our goals. Many of my “work” goals were incredibly ambitious, and I found it difficult to begin knocking them off my list in my first couple of months at a brand new company. Contrarily, a lot of my “play” and “live” goals had to do with trying new Detroit restaurants, getting to know those in my community, and attending Detroit sports games and events. Just moving to the city, I was thrilled to watch the Tigers in the playoffs, gorge at Grand Trunk Pub, and sit down for a chat with the concierge at my building. Now that the baseball season has ended, I have found my favorite restaurants (BUCHAREST), and I know Al pretty well, I feel more settled in Detroit than ever. Things at work, however, are picking up and I have more responsibility than I thought I’d have at this point – I’m thrilled! Real life reactive design. As work demands more from me, other facets of my life are more calm. I see what’s needed of me, and I’m adjusting accordingly.