Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Hazel Jeon Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash

I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to never be out of school or work for more than a month at a time. So, when my contract job ended, I had no idea how to discipline myself without work everyday.

I’m a social person who is energized and inspired from the presence of others. Being at home all day, I could detect creeping signs of mild depression, feeling less and less motivated as time passed. I started hating myself for wasting so much of my time being unproductive. At the same time, I found it almost impossible to get myself out of bed to work. I thought, how many more jobs can I apply to? How much more can I refine my portfolio?

After some trial and error and talking to other designers in a similar position, I started finding a groove into my “no-work work” schedule. Building a structure in my daily schedule has helped me stay motivated and continue to create (becoming stagnant is my worst nightmare):

Side note — my day to day does not look like exactly like this all the time. Some days I might wake up a little later, run errands during the day or have an interview. Consider this as your skeleton of how you want to build your daily schedule. Remember to be a little flexible 🙂

My daily schedule:

8am: Wake up and get ready. Obvious right? Not when your office is your living room, that allows a pants-less dress policy. I find that I am much more productive and “in the work mode,” when I start the day as if I’m going into an office (with and HR who would not condone your previously mentioned outfit). Write a mental note of the things you want to get done for the day, make your bed, and get your mind mentality prepared to work, not relax.

8:30–9:30AM: Inspiration time! Read Medium posts, study interactions on Awwwards, look at Dribble and Behance projects, and read posts from Muzli. There is an infinite amount of information out there! The beauty of “inspiration” is that it’s just that. Looking at insect illustrations might not directly help with your wireframes, but it keeps your creative spirit going. Making time for inspo can energize you for the day and help you think of creative solutions for your work at hand. I actually recommend doing a 30 min inspo time if you are currently working a 9–5.

9:30–6:30PM: WURK. Assign yourself a project: re-design an app, refine your portfolio, write cover letters. This is your time to work on projects you would normally not have time for! I’m currently re-designing a beauty and wellness app to show that I have something different to offer than what my resume currently says. Think of this time as it were your JOB. Write a list of all the things that you want to get accomplished by 6:30. A very important aspect is to have a set time to end your work. This time allotment will help you prevent wasting time. I found myself working around the clock and staying up until odd hours. Truth is, you’ll be a lot more productive if you know when to stop.

15 min break (1st): Take a 15min break during the first half of your work shift. Make sure you take breaks! There is reason why these are mandatory in the state of California. I enjoy watching a TED talk or design Youtube videos. Some of my favorite Youtubers:

The Futur I luv Chris Do
Zimri Mayfield — He’s a pusher. He pushes himself (for the love of design).
Mike Lock
Vlog Brothers — I realize that they do not relate to design, but if you limit yourself to learning only design, you are not truly pushing yourself as a designer! (How many times can I say design in one sentences). They are creative and analytical thinkers, who always makes me realize and see things in a different way.

Keep inspiring yourself while you work. I recommend watching the video on your phone and walking around the house so you’re not sedentary throughout the day.

20–25 min break (2nd): Take a slightly longer break during your second half of your shift and take a nice walk. Never underestimate the power of a walk. Take this time to clear your mind. Chances are, you will probably come up with many more ideas by walking than if you were to sit in front of a computer for 20 minutes.

6:30PM: Stop working! Put the pen down and close your laptop. Pretend your SAT mediator is standing over you to end the test. Eat a delicious dinner and enjoy a chat with your roommate (or your cat. I’m not here to judge). It’s good to allow your brain to rest.

9–10:30PM: Read a book. Reading is a fantastic way to normalize your sleeping patterns (shut off those laptops and phones!). Moreover, a book allows you to refine your knowledge about design, business, marketing, strategy, you name it. Make yourself a competitive candidate. Learn things you wouldn’t otherwise have time for. My current short list:

Creative Confidence by David M. Kelley and Tom Kelley (I actually already read it and it’s amazing!)
The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann and E.M Ginger

Some other ideas of how you can fill your day

Do a challenge! I found a designer who’s done three 100 day challenges to refine her design skills! 100 Day Challenge
Take a class. Having done both, I highly highly recommend taking an in-person night classes over an online class. You learn so much more in-person. Plus, you can ask questions!
Go to meetups. I personally have not found meetups to be hugely helpful but I have friends who swear by them.

Weekends

One of the main things I learned was to treat weekends like weekends. Days were flying by and blurred together. I couldn’t tell the difference from a Wednesday to a Sunday. I would feel guilty about going out when I didn’t have a solid 9–5.

but,

Social life is important! Weekends and friends are half the source of creative energy! I only work only 3–4 hours during the weekend and spend most of my time with friends getting dinner, hiking and more. The world is your oyster!

Biggest lesson: Do not feel like your life is somehow “halted,” while you wait for a job. Your life is not defined by where you work or what you do. Don’t forget to enjoy life and the fact that you’re not held down by a 9 to 5 everyday. There is a company who WILL find value in you as a designer. Best of luck! 🙂

How to creatively energize and motivate yourself while being “in between jobs” was originally published in prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How to creatively energize and motivate yourself while being “in between jobs”

Cool stuff, every week

More Articles