It’s important to have a network for career development, especially as a self-employed or freelance designer. However, over the past few years, I have had difficulty concentrating on work—not entirely due to the tempting calls from social media platforms, but also because of the endless back-and-forth messages. It is easier said than done to stay within a time limit for message responses; however, with full remote working settings, it is sometimes necessary to prioritise urgent or emergent tasks. I found myself spending loads of attention and fragmented time distinguishing the type of message it falls under.
In my experience as a designer, I've found that ordinary experiences are rich sources of ideas. Communication is the root of most fruitful collaborations, in my opinion as a contributor. Yet, I might be inhibited and eroded by my own beliefs, sacrificing my inner peace and mental condition to respond to others. This leads to putting extra effort into my personal time to restore and recharge, convoluted with the difficulties of separating private mode from work mode.
After listening to the podcast, I realised I haven't been working smart enough to learn how to protect my time and boundaries, both at work and in life. The ideology of making a highlight of your day and prioritising what delights is truly a fruitful thought. Another takeaway is how to communicate your responsive frequency to set up expectations intentionally.
My character is often described as "easy-going," tending to avoid having a firm or strong attitude regarding communication style, which is getting more challenging as I grow older. Seeking more joy than satisfaction, learning how to guard my heart by saying no in a soft tone is a new learning chapter and a belated 2024 goal.