Being an Empath in a Design Space
4 tips for navigating the workspace
If you’re an empath, like myself, you experience a heightened sense of empathy, often to the point of taking on the emotions of others. Of course, it doesn’t get to a point where I cry at commercials, but I will change the channel or distract myself for 5 seconds before pressing the skip button on YouTube if an ad is too intense for me.
As an empath, your heightened sensitivity gives you more insight and the ability to see the world through another’s eyes, to understand on a deeper level how they are feeling, what they’re experiencing and what they need; and these are crucial tools for designing processes and interfaces that are successful.
This article is not an appeal to pity empaths or a guide on how to treat empaths at work, but rather a set of guidelines to help empaths navigate the workplace.
What's an Empath?
In simple terms being an empath means that you have the gift — though, at times, the burden — to sense what those around you are feeling — almost taking on their feelings, and because of this intuitiveness I always thought I was psychic (well I actually still believe I am 😁)
How to survive the workplace as an empath
1. Create healthy boundaries
Taking control of your work life is very important and creating healthy boundaries is especially useful for ‘empaths’ — as they might be tempted to say yes, all the time. Of course, there’ll be some days where you must put out fires at work but that shouldn’t be a problem if it’s not a regular occurrence. Let’s look at some of the ways you can create boundaries at work.
Block out your calendar
Blocking out your calendar is one of the most effective ways of creating boundaries and taking control of your time. If your calendar always looks empty, it looks like you’re pretty open and people can book anytime they want.
So, what I do is block out at least 2 hours of focus time in my calendar where I zone out and work, and of course every now and then I have meetings clashing with my focus time, so I‘m flexible and move it around or use the Propose New Time feature in my calendar so a meeting can possibly be moved to when everyone is available.
Don’t block your entire calendar, give gaps for people to still have access to you.
I picked up this technique from José Torre ‘How can you find time to design’
Learn to say no
Once you’ve started blocking out your calendar, it’s important to start exercising your ability to say no. Knowing when and how to step away from situations, and what to prioritise is the key to being more productive and making an impact at work.
I’m not saying you should always decline meeting requests, or not help your colleagues, always assess the importance of the situation, do you really have to jump on a call, or can it be Slacked or emailed? For example, if someone needs your support but you are swamped with other priorities don’t be afraid to point them to other forms of support.
I, personally, had to learn this the hard way, but stop thinking that you can fix everything for everyone! Not all problems deserve your emotional labour, so learn what to say yes to and what to say no to, it will save you a lot of trouble.️
Setting boundaries can be a very hard thing to do but it does get easier with practice. Remember if you don’t set boundaries, and you burnout it’s your fault.
2. Plan for the expected and unexpected situations
Planning is important for everyone, and it can be useful for ‘empaths’ so they are prepared for what they are getting into, this could be a presentation to stakeholders or a conversation with your manager. Because when you’re overwhelmed by emotions you might forget to mention something important, so always be prepared. If you are uncertain about the agenda of a meeting, reach out to the organiser and ask what the agenda is, so that you know what you’re getting into.
Of course, you won’t be prepared for everything, sometimes unplanned situations pop up and you are expected to put out the fire. Remember humans are not machines and teams thrive on emotions so use your empathic aura to your advantage and connect with your colleagues.
If you’re not sure how to approach certain situations, reach out to your peers or line managers for advice.
So don’t be afraid to reach out to bounce ideas and ask for guidance, people are always willing to help. And like everything else, the more you do it the better you’ll get at it and create a habit of it.
3. Get away from your desk
With mostly everyone working remotely nowadays you might feel tempted to go full-on and not even stop to breathe because you are working from home.
You should consider taking a break, take a walk, go to the nearest botanical garden be with nature for 15–30 min, that usually breaks my creative block and recharges my energy levels
An article from The Atlantic by Derek Thompson ‘A Formula for Perfect Productivity’ found that a human being can’t concentrate for more than an hour on a single task without a break, so please take a break.
I usually block out lunch time in my calendar daily, so I’m guaranteed to have a break in my day.
Recharging is very important not just to empaths but for everyone, so take some time off away from your desk, I usually use the first half of my lunch break to take walks, and of course a good playlist, usually (Zito Mowa and Selville Radar playlists are my usual go to — try them!) 🎧
4. Reach out
This might be quite a mission for more introverted empaths but learn to reach out to people, this will help you see how other people tackle some situations you might be dealing with and get tips and tricks, don’t ever make the mistake of being in your own bubble at work.
At Absa, our Head of Design encourages us to find gaps in his calendar and set up coffee chats, this is a nice opportunity to pick his brain, learn from his experience, and just let loose and talk about anything outside of work.
Good working relationships will make your job more enjoyable, and you won’t have trouble waking up in the morning to do your work
The more you learn how to navigate dealing with different situations and personalities, the more you can embrace your empathic side, and see the many positives that come alongside the challenges. You have a gift, and now’s the time to master it.
I wish you peace and lovely things
