#34 / Three Simple Strategies for Tackling the "Should-Dos" You've Been Avoiding

Jan 14, 2024

Hello my friend! 👋

At the end of 2023, I did something I’ve always been a bit reluctant to do but found absolutely necessary: getting my finances in order.

Honestly, I’ve never been great with numbers. Sure, I’ve read a few books on financial management, but I never really put that knowledge into practice. However, this year, when I took a closer look at my financial income, I realized something pretty cool. My current income sources are exactly what I had hoped for years ago: diverse and not dependent on just one stream, and I’ve even managed to earn a bit of passive income. This helped me map out my financial plans and strategies for 2024.

I’m sharing this because we all have areas we’re not good at or scared of. But if it’s something you just can’t avoid, there are ways to tackle it. First, set a deadline for yourself to get it done. Second, consider seeking professional help – hire someone or spend a bit to get a ready-made solution. And third, reevaluate whether you really need to do it.

That’s a little insight from my week.

Here’re a few things I’d like to share with you today 🙂

A Designer’s Income Review & Strategy for 2024!
Book recommendation: Drawing Some Awesome
Multitasking and context shifting
Guillermo del Toro’s "Cabinet of Curiosity
Walking with your meetings

A Designer’s Income Review & Strategy for 2024!

Review my last year’s financial income as a designer, discussing income streams and strategies for smart financial planning.

Book recommendation: Drawing Some Awesome

I stumbled upon the drawing guide “Drawing Some Awesome” quite by accident. I saw a book in the library that disguised as a children’s book, but turned out to be a serious guide on drawing.

Many of the drawing techniques I’ve previously read about emphasized realism, like sketching, doodling, and so on. There weren’t many that delved deeply into using imagination. Kim Jong-gi’s sketchbook does touch upon it, but that’s very professional. This book systematically explains the process of collecting materials, brainstorming ideas, continuously training your creative muscles, and eventually turning them into complex commercial artworks. And it does so in a very engaging way – through storytelling. It’s truly unique and quite digestible.

From my personal perspective as someone who enjoys drawing, I learned many practical techniques from this book. For instance, using a sketchbook to gather materials, drawing a plethora of expressions for characters after their design is finalized, finding inspiration in everyday objects, repurposing them, and adding them to my imaginative resource bank. There’s also the intentional training of one’s imaginative muscles, and more. These techniques are definitely worth learning.

However, after finishing the book, I realized that I haven’t been drawing much lately. I should pick up my sketchbook again!

Multitasking and context shifting

I listened to a podcast on the Huberman Lab about multitasking. It confirmed my idea that you shouldn’t check social media or look up stuff when you’re moving from one thinking task to another. The problem is that new info can mess with your focus and slow down your thinking. Our brains aren’t like computers; they need time to get ready to start or stop something. It can take a few minutes, maybe 2 to 10, to really get into what you’re doing. So, when you’re switching from one task to another, you should give yourself some time to gear up or wind down. The key when you’re doing a bunch of things is not to cram in another task during these switch-over times.

Like, say you’re working on something that needs deep thought, like writing a post or going through a document. When you take a break, don’t start scrolling through social media or news apps. Also, avoid hopping onto Slack or answering emails. Doing that just adds to the mental load and forces your brain to spend more time shifting gears.

Guillermo del Toro’s "Cabinet of Curiosity

I borrowed Guillermo del Toro’s manuscript collection, “Cabinet of Curiosity”, from the library. This book shares its title with his series on Netflix. It includes del Toro’s manuscripts, exhibits, and his thought processes, inspirations, and various materials used during movie creation. The collection reflects his fascination with the dark and Lovecraftian styles. Particularly intriguing is his study, filled with various monsters, figures, works, and even a life-size wax figure of H.P. Lovecraft, who was 1.9 meters tall. You can imagine the atmosphere in that room!

The book features various manuscripts from del Toro, including settings for classic works like “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Hellboy”, and “Pacific Rim”. These contents are absolutely fascinating; an artist’s notebook is truly a treasure trove. Del Toro’s works are well worth exploring, not only his recent “Pinocchio” but also “Pan’s Labyrinth”, which is a must-watch masterpiece.

Walking with your meetings

I tried something cool this week - walking while tuning into an all-hands meeting. It was great! Got a solid 40-minute walk and caught up with all the latest updates at work.

In a big company, we often have these info-packed meetings like all-hands or quarterly updates. Usually, you don’t need to talk much, but there’s a ton of stuff to listen to – business strategies, team achievements, new updates, you name it.

So, why not take these meetings on the go? Most of us have mobile plans with plenty of data. This way, you can use that data and get some exercise too!

I find walking helps me focus more on listening and less on distractions like comments or emojis popping up on the screen. Plus, I can still glance at the slides or catch up on details later by watching the recording.

I totally recommend giving this a try. Let me know if you’ve done something similar!

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

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