280: Preparing for a feature launch as a designer

In this episode, Charli and Femke give an elaborate reply to one of the listener's requests: whether deadlines should be taken seriously. The hosts share real stories of how they approached deadlines in different projects, how unrealistic deadlines should be handled, what to do in situations when a deadline cannot be met, how to discuss deadlines and set reasonable expectations, and how one's perspective on them changes depending on their role in the project.

Show Timestamps:

01:13 Intro

02:34 Charli’s workshop and life updates

04:21 Femke’s life update

07:01 Question submission from a listener about deadlines

07:14 Femke and Charli share how they approach deadlines in different situations

11:52 What is the importance of deadlines?

17:02 Charli elaborates on why she does not like fake (buffer) deadlines

19:00 Situation when the deadline is absolutely non-negotiable

26:08 Femke and Charli discuss milestone approach to projects rather than working towards one big hand off

29:08 Conclusion

Show links:

Charli's live workshop in New Zealand

Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”

Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

In this episode Charli shares her personal experience of how she got burned out from her side projects. She talks about the subtle signs and symptoms that indicate burnout and how to confront them. Charli decided to drop her side projects and restructured her life to recover from burnout.

Charli and Femke touch upon how burn out can affect your career choices, the importance of diversifying your daily activities and hobbies, why burnout is so prevalent in creative professions and the importance of defining what is healthy balance for you.

SHOW TIMESTAMPS:

1:18 Femke shares her latest life updates

2:21 Charli shares her latest life updates

3:26 Charli reflects on how she realised she has burnout and how she confronted it

6:53 Charli delves into how stopping her side projects affected her full-time job

7:55 Charlie talks about how publicly announcing that she stopped her side projects affected her relationships with people

9:40 Charli shares what she does with the extra time and headspace she has now

11:59 Charli reflects on how she recognised she has a burn out

13:21 Charli gives advice for listeners who think they might be burned out

14:25 Femke talks about the importance of defining what healthy balance is for her in order to avoid burnout

15:54 Femke shares if she ever experienced burnout in her career

16:49 Femke discusses if burnout lead her to decisions to change her jobs

17:11 Charli shares how burn out affected her career choices

19:32 Charli shares if she learnt anything new about herself after she stopped her side projects and started spending more time on her hobbies

20:17 Femke discusses her perception of identity in relation to work

21:40 Charli talks about how burnout can happen outside of job context

24:05 Charli and Femke discuss why burn out is so prevalent in tech industry

SHOW LINKS:

Charli's live workshop in New Zealand

Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”

Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Welcome back, design enthusiasts! We're kicking off 2024 by bring you up to speed on our latest adventures and aspirations.

🌟 Life Updates: Tune in as we share the latest updates from our lives – from career milestones to more personal things, we're laying it all on the table.

💼 Career and Side Project Plans: Get ready to dive into our ambitious plans for the year ahead. We're talking side gigs, big dreams, and everything in between. Charlie is sharing her plans to organise an in-person meet up in New Zealand, her plans for the upcoming book, while Femke reveals the upcoming course you might still have the chance to sign up to.

🎨 Hobbies: But wait, there's more! Discover our latest passions outside the design world. From creative writing to sewing, we're exploring new passions and keeping the creativity flowing. Who knows? You might just find some inspiration for your own creative journey.

So, grab your favourite beverage, cozy up, and join us for a candid conversation about life, design, and the exciting adventures that lie ahead.

SHOW TIMESTAMPS:

1:15 Recent updates from Charli

2:48 Recent updates from Femke

4:02 Sharing vision, plans and projects for 2024

9:13 Anything new we would like to build this year?

9:27 Charli’s live workshop in New Zealand

10:20 Femke shares her plans for the upcoming year

14:40 Thoughts on task delegation

17:02 Charli’s career goals

18:08 Charli’s book updates

19:50 Charli shares how she started doing creative writing

21:31 Discussing our hobbies

24:11 New hobbies for 2024

25:36 Femke’s plans while being on maternity leave this year and how it can affect her content

SHOW LINKS:

Charli's live workshop in New Zealand

Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”

Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm