Work how you want to work
I’m working again.
I didn’t plan on taking 15 months of maternity leave, but through some big life changes like moving countries and pandemic lockdowns, I’ve been lucky enough to spend this critical quality time with my daughter.
I wasn’t in a hurry to rush back to work. Although I love what I do, I love being in control of my time even more. My career path looks like a roller coaster: find a compelling, challenging role, grow my skills, collect achievements that provide personal satisfaction, then feel the itch to move on to the next challenge (or to travel for two years). I may be a typical millennial in this pattern; we’re more likely to be disengaged job-hoppers than other age groups (although Baby Boomers did just as much job-hopping in their 20s.)
This trend of employees consistently being opened to new opportunities combined with the massive shift to more remote work puts well-deserved pressure on employers. Rather than blaming millennials, companies can invest in their talent programs that help shift people to new and challenges roles vertically and horizontally around the company rather than to somewhere new.
Work-life balance is just as important as ever, but the pandemic has opened our eyes to what exactly that means at a personal level.
For me, that means freelancing 15-20 hours per week during nap times, mornings with a babysitter (or daycare when it's open), weekends, and evenings when my daughter is with her other mama or grandparents.
I’m grateful to have such a flexible career and a supportive wife that lets me work these hours on projects I’m interested in. But even if you need a full-time role, it can pay always be on the lookout for your next move.
If you find this newsletter interesting, I would love it if you shared it and helped me reach even more UX-interested subscribers.
New and Improved Sketch Components
As I mentioned, I’ve taken a few months off, so this might not be news to many designers, but wow, the Sketch features launched in the last few updates are amazing. The global Components View, Color Variables, and layer Tints features would have saved me SO much time on my project from early last year. If you haven’t yet dived into using reusable symbols or text, layer, or color styles, invest an hour or two on reading blogs or watching YouTube. You’ll elevate your UI workflow, professionalism and save yourself time on revisions.
Deliver Any Message with Clarity and Impact
I recently read On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser, and it is one of my new favorite books. Although the title sounds boring, this instructional book is truly inspirational for anyone who writes for any part of their job (nearly everyone). Zinsser makes mastering the art of writing feel approachable by infusing examples from the best writers across non-fiction genres. Thanks to this book, I’ve not only started to read everything from blog posts to website copy to email newsletters with a more analytical eye, but I’m also working to be a more rigorous editor of my writing. As Zinsser says, “clutter is the disease of the American writer.”
Next on my list is Warren Buffet’s favorite book of all time: Business Adventures by John Brooks.
Your New Favorite Medium Publication: Lessons From History
I love Medium for its writing platform, its commitment to a great UX for readers, and the breadth of content for ideas and inspiration. But, as with most content platforms, I was feeling stuck in their recommendations echo chamber. After feeling exhausted with the hundredth “Do This One Thing in the Morning” post in my app, I went on the hunt for some new stories. Medium makes this easy with their Trending and Topics areas.
I landed on “Lessons From History,” a refreshing collection of tales from the past, most with timely relevance. Here are a few recent ones I’ve enjoyed:
Thanks for reading! I’m a UX designer and writer, and design-adjacent content writer. If you’d like to be featured in the next issue of UX Adjacent, send me a short bio and links to your website or profiles.