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The growing demand for website design can leave designers and programmers strained and stressed from project to project.

Luckily there are lessons to be learned from recycling that can save time and energy in the web design ecosystem and in the real world.

1. Create a Code Library

Seasoned web developers know their codes by heart but many do not take time to save some brain power and make room for creativity by developing a code library. More so, like many creative thinkers who are inspired by “organized clutter” they let their creations be on their desktop, My Documents folder, or wherever they choose to land on.

Consider to organize your web design library by naming files and folders accordingly like how you would label trash bins as biodegradable, non-bio, etc.  Don’t be afraid to be specific, generic names only lead to filing pandemonium and you’ll be too lazy to open and sort what you need.

With a code library, it is a breath of fresh air to start new projects and simply pull out scripts and graphics when you need them.

2. Re-Use Existing Codes from Other Designers

JavaScript libraries such as jQuery let you write less and do more, just like what their tagline claims. Save yourself and some electricity from researching and undergoing trial and error to make simple contact forms work, among many others.

Most experienced web developers enjoy the benefits of sharing codes in the cloud. You can always tweak and edit snippets of coding to suit your requirements.

3. Save Brain Power. Start an Inspiration Portfolio

Looking for inspiration may be the best way for designers to spend their early mornings – over a cup of coffee. However oftentimes you may spend hours tapping into your right brain without accomplishing any project as a result.

Find out what sparks your creativity and save the pages, images, resources to quickly find them later and avoid Googling for them again. Evernote gives everyone the ability to easily capture any idea or inspiration whenever they need. Furthermore, it makes all of the saved information easy to find. Why not give it a try?

4. Save Actions, Save Your Wrist

How much wrist power have you expended to apply your favourite effect or layering technique? It may only reward you with a painful repetitive strain injury like a carpal tunnel syndrome. Save yourself from these hurts by literally saving a set of actions that programs like Adobe Photoshop allows its users (see the detailed tutorial here and here’s the whole collection of them).

Imagine how much mouse clicking and keyboard tapping this will save. You can also opt to share your saved actions for others to use as well.

5. Words Can Be Recycled Too!

“It’s only words” that line from Boyzone’s hit remake resonates the unnecessary need to write the same stuff over again, especially when dealing with clients.

Why not consider a standard website brief or save your answers to frequently asked questions about your web design techniques? This will make you more efficient and even improve your response time, not to mention, saving your keyboard from stress. Here’s a good tutorial on creating canned responses to save your time.

Annie is a creative blogger for Credit Card Finder, the free tool to save your money by letting you easily compare credit cards.