Design Tip in less than 3 min — On Ramps and Off Ramps
Our days as UXers are often hectic, meeting heavy and require lots of brain power. I don’t know about you, but somedays I leave work feeling like a zombie from The Walking Dead more than I feel like a UXDesigner. And this isn’t terribly uncommon.
I’ll hear similar stories from my fellow UXers in the field
“I just look up and see my day has been taken from me.”
“I am triple booked most of today.”
“I wish I could have time to catch my breath.”
To be honest, I could write a whole book on how we all need a break. Or, at least, rhythyms of rest in our lives. One of those rhythyms that I have foundt to be really helpful for me is what I call On Ramps & Off Ramps for my day.
On Ramp: Dedicated time, that I will not move to start my day.
Starting our days with inspiration and joy is key to building momentum and tackling the priorities on our to do list. I have found that one of the best ways to kick off with inspiration and joy is to dedicate time to my self-development/craft development when I start my work day.
This takes a few different shapes but usually looks something like:
- Writing on Design, even if it just stays in the drafts.
- Reading bookmarked Medium articles about topics in UX that I am interested in.
- Practicing new animations or familiarizing myself with tools in Figma that I don’t get to use often.
- Writing out what I want people to feel after they leave a meeting with me.
I usually spend about 30 min. winding up to my day and getting into the right mindset. This On Ramp practice has helped me tremendously in managing expectations on myself, and making sure I am not forsaking working on myself in the midst of busy project.
Off Ramp: Time to wind down turn on “after hours” me.
By the end of the day, I am feeling the mad dash rush to knock everything off my to do list. I can feel the anxiety of “Did I do enough?” creeping in while also seeing “Oh no, I am never going to get ahead!” making its way onto my horizon. To avoid these feelings, I find a way to end my day on a more positive note:
- Write out what I did get done today, and write ENOUGH after the final item.
- Read something that is not related to Design by related to something else I am passionate about (LOVE reading discussions on r/fantasy)
- Try a short meditation, and breathing exercises.
- Turn off my computer, and do NOT under any circumstances take it into my living room. (Gotta separate work and after hours Jake as best I can.)
In conclusion…
Take the time to wind up for your day, and wind down. Even if it’s not naturally built into your current schedule, make it happen and do not move it. Little things like on ramps and off ramps are rhythms of rest that keep our heads above water and connect us to our humanness in the midst of busy seasons.
