#31 / Focusing on Basics and Control When Feeling Down
Hello my friend! 👋
Last week, I had a couple of days where I was feeling a bit down. But by Friday, I took proactive steps to lift my spirits. I started my day with a workout at the gym, followed by a nutritious lunch of low-carb, high-protein foods and plenty of vegetables. During my lunch break, I took a relaxing walk by the seaside and basked in the sunshine. Later, I met with a job-seeking designer over coffee and offered some career advice and support. In the evening, after picking up my daughter from school, we spent some time skateboarding in the schoolyard and chatting with other parents. To top off the day, I played the game “Stray” for a while.
Some of the reasons for my low mood were beyond my control. However, focusing on what I could control throughout the day - like my diet, exercise, soaking up the sun, socializing, and helping others - had a noticeably positive impact. My mood and overall state of mind quickly improved.
The biggest takeaway from this week for me was the effectiveness of concentrating on controllable aspects, tackling one thing at a time, and paying attention to fundamental needs when feeling low.
Here are a few things I’d like to share with you today 🙂
On collaboration with AI
Book review: Design Is A Job
From Weeks to Minutes: How Technology Accelerated My Workflow
Transform Videos into Blogs with ChatGPT, Step By Step!
On collaboration with AI
Think of working with AI as a three-part process, like three concentric circles.
In the center circle, you’ve got your goal. It’s the most important part. You need to know what you’re aiming for – like the message you want to send or the problem you’re trying to solve.
The next circle out is where AI comes in. It helps you expand on your ideas and refine them. This is where AI does its best work, helping you to explore different possibilities and directions.
The outer circle is the final step. This is where you review everything to make sure it fits together and is ready to go. You check the AI’s work, make adjustments, and finalize the details.
In this process, you start with a clear purpose, use AI to develop it, and then wrap it up with your final review and touches.
Book review: Design Is A Job
During my business trip, I finished reading “Design is a Job.” What an eye-opener! This book was published a long time ago, probably over a decade. If I had come across this book when I was running a design consultancy, many of the pitfalls I faced back then might have been avoided, especially experiences with delinquent clients and the challenges of collecting payments. I reckon I could have avoided at least half of those issues.
The book is written from the perspective of the founder of a design company. It covers how designers should interact with clients, handle feedback, collaborate with other designers, negotiate contracts, and even covers topics like hiring an attorney for collections, dealing with client disputes, hiring, and firing. It’s packed with practical tips and insights from a seasoned pro in the design industry. It discusses various pitfalls that are almost inevitable. Had I read this book back then, I’m sure many of its teachings would have been applied in my ventures.
It’s not just for those wanting to start their design company. It’s enlightening for in-house designers, design freelancers, or even non-designers who collaborate with others in the entrepreneurial world. One of the book’s profound takeaways for me is when you’re grappling with client demands or facing communication challenges, the problem often lies with you. Maybe you failed to communicate effectively with the client from the beginning, didn’t guide them to provide the right feedback, or you didn’t filter out undesirable clients. And if they’re perpetually delaying payments, it’s because you’ve allowed it, fostering their behavior. Solutions can often be found by looking inward.
In retrospect, I wonder why I even dealt with a client who went as far as having their spouse text me, claiming she had passed away, to avoid paying. Later, this client was arrested over unpaid debts. It wasn’t bad luck, but rather my failure to walk away when red flags emerged. Another highlight of the book is the emphasis on involving all stakeholders at the onset of any project, holding a kickoff meeting to gather input and feedback. More importantly, making them feel like they’re part of the journey. I’ve noticed senior designers at Xero, where I currently work, adopting this approach, likely influenced by similar readings. It’s especially crucial when collaborating with other designers or developers. In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone deeply involved in design. The author’s partner wrote another exceptional book on design research, which I also recommend: “Just Enough Research.”
From Weeks to Minutes: How Technology Accelerated My Workflow
Today at lunch, my wife sent me a clip of an interview she did using AirDrop. I used an app on my iPad to quickly turn it into written words and sent it back to her through email. The whole thing took maybe five or six minutes, and I did it all while sitting at the dining table.
It got me thinking, technology has come so far! Just a few years back, I was in New Zealand interviewing a guy who makes ice cream. That chat took about 20 minutes. Then, it took me a whole week to write down what we talked about! I had to listen to each sentence, write it, translate it into Chinese, and make it into a podcast. It was a lot of work. But now, a computer does it way better and faster.
Technology has made stuff so much easier, and it’s like we’ve got a lot more free time because of it.
Transform Videos into Blogs with ChatGPT, Step By Step!
Unlock the potential of your video and podcast content! In this quick guide, I demonstrate how to transform multimedia into engaging blog articles. Learn to make your content more shareable, improve clarity of thought, and enhance speaking skills with effective repurposing techniques.
In this video, I discuss the benefits of transforming video or podcast content into blog articles. I explain how this process can make content more shareable and searchable, help clarify thoughts, and improve speaking skills. I also demonstrate the tools and steps involved in converting video content into written articles. Watch this video to learn how to repurpose your video or podcast content into blog articles and enhance your content creation strategy.
Have a great one and see you soon!
**Bear Academy Newsletter@2023**
Bear Academy Newsletter
Non-crap tips and thoughts on design, product and technology ✨
🐻 Bear Who?
Hi there 👋, I’m Bear, a seasoned Product Designer with 15 years of overall design experience and six years in product design, transforming the user experiences for millions 📝
As an Apple Award-Winning Podcast Host at BearTalk and a Design Mentor at Springboard and CareerFoundry, I apply my self-taught design skills and science background to solve complicated problems and mentor budding designers 😃
In my downtime, you’ll find me reading, drawing, podcasting, and making videos about everything from tech to design and productivity 👨🎨
🤓 Work
💼 What I do:Product Designer at Xero
🌃 I also do:Design Mentor at Springboard and CareerFoundry / Founder at Bear Academy
🎤 Side hustle:Podcast host at Award-winning podcast BearTalk
💡 Goodies
Bear Academy - my courses around UX Design, AI, etc
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Beartalking.com - all my posts, English and Chinese
Youtube.com/@Bearliu - A video is worth a thousand words
💬 Contact
https://twitter.com/bearbig](https://twitter.com/bearbig) - Majorly I post in Chinese
bear@beartalking.com - The old fashion email way
LinkedIn.com/in/bearliu - My professional life