ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Down & Dirty with Dr. T is back with a new episode featuring Nishita Mohta, Creative Business Consultant, Design Educator, and author of the book “Inspired: The A–Z of Creative Unblocking”.
In this episode, Nishita explains what a Design Operations Consultant does and why design studios are increasingly looking for project management expertise. She shares how her work focuses on bringing structure to creative processes so founders can focus on growth and strategy.
Sitting down with Taapsi, she talks about how simple tools like Toggl can make time management easier, not by enforcing productivity, but by helping her stay aware of how her time is being used.
Highlights from the episode:
Project Planning and Tracking Systems: She discusses how she creates custom project planning and tracking systems, translating founders’ subconscious ways of working into usable frameworks for their teams and clients. Each setup is tailored to the studio’s specific needs.
Tools That Bring Structure to Creativity: To gain visibility into how her time is spent, Nishita turns to Toggl, valuing its intuitive interface and simple design. Alongside Google Calendar and Notion, it helps her manage anxiety and stay organised.
- Hands-on with Toggl: Nishita walks us through Toggl, the time-tracking tool she uses every day. She explains how she logs projects, adds descriptions, pauses for breaks, and uses detailed reports to track the time spent on client work. From stopping the timer when she takes a 15-minute break to pulling up project-wise reports, Nishita shows how Toggl fits naturally into her work routine.
Learn more about our research shenanigans:
Website: https://www.poocho.co/
Blog: https://www.poocho.co/resources/blog/
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/justpoocho
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@justpoocho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poochonetwork
Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction to Nishita Mota
00:04:28 Project planning & tracking systems
00:08:16 A consultant's daily structure
00:11:58 Essential tools & rituals for work
00:14:03 The importance of rituals & mindfulness
00:17:58 Mindfulness in practice & single-tasking
00:23:08 Why Toggle: design, functionality & reporting
00:27:06 Toggle's timer & reporting features
00:30:34 Goals feature (beta) & web/mobile sync
00:35:43 Feature request: distraction free mode
00:40:22 Google calendar vs. Toggle: intent vs. reality
00:41:43 Toggle's ideal user
