How to avoid losing your sanity as a designer

or a few tips to keep from cutting off your own ear

From the tight deadlines of MVPs to the occasional clients from hell, being a designer in today’s startup scene can often be quite stressful. Over time this stress can put a serious damper on your creativity or even lead to depression. In our modern, fast-paced world, stress may not always be avoidable, but there are certainly many ways that we as designers can stay productive and still keep our sanity.

The following are a few suggestions or activities that I have found to be beneficial to my own mental health and creativity.

Hit the pause button on work

Most everyone in the startup tech scene is constantly working. Whether it’s late hours in the office, grinding on freelance projects, or even something meant to be fun like a weekend hackathon, many of us never give ourselves a break.

Keep regular office hours

Thankfully my current employer, philosophie, is good about not keeping people around late into the night, but for many startups and agencies this is not the case. Don’t feel guilty taking off when everyone else sticks around well past dinner. Just make sure you actually get your work done when you are in the office. Which brings me to my next piece of advice…

Don’t bring your work home

Many designers tend to spend all day in the office only to come home and open their laptops right back up. They will spend the rest of the night stressing over what they couldn’t finish during the day only to be completely burnt out the next morning.

Sometimes you just can’t avoid getting struck with inspiration for a logo or comp you had been staring at all day. Instead of pulling the laptop out of your backpack, write it down or make a quick sketch and tackle the rest at work.

Freelance should be fun

Sure making some extra cash is great, but two jobs is tiresome and stressful for anybody. Toiling away all night on some boring freelance project not only takes away from your much needed downtime, but can also be draining on your creativity that you need for work the next day. Keep your side projects fun (or even stupid) and close to your personal interests.

Take a break from your tech

We wake up in the morning and immediately grab our iPhones to check our email. At work we sit for hours staring at our displays only to come home to spend the rest of the night glued to our MacBooks mindlessly scrolling through Reddit or Facebook. When we finally fall asleep we are right back where we started, thumbing through our iPhone until the need for sleep finally wins.

Take frequent short breaks

By now i’m sure you are all well aware of the toll sitting is having on our bodies, but by restricting our bodies blood flow, we are also denying our brain of those feel good hormones. If you start to get in a bad mood that will only lead to more stress and less creativity.

But there is good news. Studies have found that standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour can completely negate the affects of the last hour of sitting. So put the display to sleep and stand up.

Are you back? Good, because it gets better. A Stanford study has found that by going for a walk you can boost your creativity by up to 60%! So taking a walk around the block every hour will not only keep you healthy and in high spirits, but also help you solve whatever problem you have been stuck on for the last hour. Just don’t forgot to leave your phone on your desk.

Forget your phone

Speaking of leaving your phone behind, this is something I have been doing more and more lately — yes, on purpose. Don’t sacrifice what little time you have to enjoy dinner with friends, a view of the ocean, or just a walk around the block by spending the whole time staring down at your precious device.

Next time you go for a walk, leave that device on your desk. If you are meeting friends for dinner, hide your iPhone away in your car’s glove box before going in. Chances are you won’t miss anything important, and you will get that much-needed break from the constant barrage of texts and emails we receive throughout the day.

If you really feel that uneasy about an empty pocket, consider picking up one of these.

Time to find a hobby

Nothing better to do with your evenings then binge watching House of Cards (guilty), Facebooking, or even something productive like freelance? Well, maybe it’s time for a hobby. Specifically one that gets you off the couch and away from the computer screen, like learning an instrument, drawing, practicing yoga, or whatever it is you choose.

Taking part in some form of a creative hobby will not only lead to you being healthier and happier, but also more creative and engaged in the office. It also gives our mind and body the leisure time we so badly need to recharge.

But most importantly, ask for help

If you are feeling stressed, or even just having a creative block, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether it’s in the office or at home, most of us have friends, families, and coworkers who are always willing to lend a hand if you just ask.

Help in the office

Far too often we as designers can be way too stubborn to ask for help when creativity and inspiration is nowhere to be found. Instead we get stressed out, trying the same solutions over and over until we finally call it quits for the day or just say a design is “good enough”.

Instead of toiling on that color palette you can’t get quite right, or that stupid modal that is driving you insane, ask one of your fellow designers (or hey, even an engineer) to come take a look. Even if they don’t have the idea you are looking for, chances are they will throw one or two that you can springboard off of to get you out of that funk.

Help at home

A lot of the advice above may be a bit light-hearted, but stress and depression are very serious and it’s something that people don’t always feel comfortable talking about.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking about your issues with friends or family, consider meeting with a psychologist. Being able to open up about the stress of work and share that burden with a stranger will make you feel much lighter and worry free. And since I’m no doctor, they can also provide you with even better advice on how to manage your stress and avoid falling into depression.

Go the f*k to sleep

My final suggestion for all of you night owls is to go the f*k to sleep. Sleep is one of the most important factors in keeping stress, anxiety, and depression under control. Every night we should strive to get a solid seven to eight hours to fully recharge, which will result in more energy and productivity, but most importantly less stress.

And with that I’m going to sleep.