Ten takeaways from my month avoiding social media — Last month, I randomly decided to log off from all social media and delete their apps from my phone. I wasn’t sure if taking time offline would have an immediate impact (spoiler: it did), but I was desperate for some perspective. Professionally, I was experiencing burnout and battling imposter syndrome…

How rethinking my dream client led to increased win rates, more fulfilling work, and greater success for my design business. — One of my big goals this quarter is to get better at qualifying leads. Maybe this is design business 101, but until recently I hadn’t ever considered vetting a client beyond a few choice qualifications: Do I like the client? Do they have money? Do I have enough time to…

Saying, “No,” to new projects became much easier once I shifted my focus from potential revenue to business opportunity. — I like staying busy. I try to plan work 2–3 months in advance. This gives me a good grasp on my schedule and keeps a steady flow of new business coming in. I pad my calendar for contingencies in case babysitting falls through or a quick-turn assignment from existing clients…

I used to think of my client survey as a way to save me time. Then I realized it was costing me something far greater: growth. — I’ll be honest, no matter how many perspective clients reach out to me, I still feel strange defining the relationship. It’s not like there’s a moment where we look into each other’s eyes and say, “Wow, are we really doing this?” The goal is to get on the same page…

How my first design manager taught me to get the most out of meetings, coworkers, and projects without looking like a total ignoramus. — Backstory Lemme tell you about the best manager I ever had. I met Heather randomly during my in-person interview at ESPN (a grueling 8-hour day jammed with 30-minute interviews and almost no toilet breaks). I remember nearly running face-first into Stephen A. Smith at the lunch line and getting my picture…

A year after leaving my dream job at ESPN, I’m finally able to reflect on everything I learned and how it shaped my career. — I tell the story a lot, but just in case you’re new here… When I first considered a career in design, I had a conversation with my wife, Emily, that went a little something like this: ME [frustrated with work]: I think I want to really pursue this design thing. …

I read 19 books in 2019. Okay, technically I listened to 17 books and read two on my phone. I don’t remember the last time I actually… — I finally finished a few design-specific resources that had been left on my virtual shelf way too long (Design Is a Job by Mike Monteiro and Run Studio Run by Eli Altman, among others), but for the most part I spent a lot of time learning about soft skills, leadership…

(or it's better to be really good at one thing than okay at a lot of things) — I’m always looking for new vendors. I probably spend 2–3 hours a week scoping out new profiles on Dribbble or bookmarking portfolios I want to revisit. I’m subscribed to a Slack channel called #fire, where friends share new work from talented designers I’ve never heard of. My desktop houses a…