This actually turned out to be the most efficient way to work. I did the storyboard before any designs were done, just read the script and started drawing a very rough board. That's the opposite of how it is done on every production I have ever worked on. The board artist always gets a model pack with all the location and character designs before starting on the board. But since I am boarding, designing and animating this myself, I have to be very efficient. The advantage of doing a rough board first, before the designs, is that I can see exactly what BG's are needed and where they can be reused, so I don't waste time on location designs of angles and shots that I will never use. And I can see exactly what characters need to be designed and how much design work to put into the character. I can tell right away if I don't need to draw a profile or back view, or in some cases if I may only need a close up, or a single pose. There is no wasted energy here.
