July 16, 20246 min irakurketa

🎯 Doing what you know you have to do · The Bunker #93

Hi friend 👋🏻!

A Newsletter in which we talk about UX Design and the Freelance Journey, dedicated to those who are starting out in both worlds and who feel identified.

From The Bunker, we accompany you on the way.

Today, we will talk about a topic I have been pondering for a long time.

Sometimes time passes and you don't realize the things you are doing and what they are turning you into. Ten years ago, I would have told you that I was the least consistent person in the world and everything felt like a chore.

As time goes by, you mature, you meet people, you get involved in new projects and dreams, and you develop new skills without even realizing it.

Nowadays, I look back twelve months and I have become very good at one thing, and I am grateful that I happened to become good at this particular thing. And I'm talking about: Being good at doing what you know you have to do, even if you don't feel like it.

It's really easy to do only what you feel like doing. Many will tell you that life is meant to be enjoyed, so you shouldn't be doing things you don't feel like doing.

And hey, I agree – If you don't want to hang out with your friends to stay home and watch Netflix, that's great, do whatever you feel like doing at the moment. I think it's not worth doing things you don't feel like doing.

But when it comes to a professional level, or when we talk about things you know will be good for you, this is when we need to embrace discomfort and learn to dance in the rain.

Let me give you an example: Koala UI is a project I have been working on for many months. If you look at the product now and see everything it encompasses, if Koala didn't exist and someone told me, "You start doing this tomorrow," – I would feel incredibly lazy, honestly.

Is it a good thing? Yes, why?

It will provide me with passive income.
I will be able to specialize better in Design Systems.
I can better develop and perfect my organization and project management skills.
It will help break the trust barrier with new clients, almost as proof that I am a good designer and can do things well.
Portfolio: It demonstrates that I am an entrepreneur, that I go beyond my designs.
Meet new designers, new users.
And a long etcetera that you can imagine.

Does it make me lazy? Man, try starting a Design System with more than 5,000 components tomorrow. But you and I know that this was going to be something very positive to start.

So since I know I have to do it, even if I don't feel like it → I do it without looking back.

Now, we need to be smart here. It's not about getting involved in things that will always make you feel bad. It's about starting that thing you have been thinking about for a long time and for various reasons, you haven't started.

It makes you dizzy and even lazy, but let me tell you something:

At least for me, I am more afraid of missing the opportunity by not trying than of failing after trying. At least I tried. The fear of missing it scares me more than losing.

Everything worth it in life is difficult → Otherwise, everyone would do it.

Everyone, or the vast majority, are lazy people. Everything you consume on Twitter, YouTube, and the like is not reality. Reality is your buddy who complains about going to work on Mondays and can't wait to get home to eat chips and watch a series.

And most importantly: If you want to start something huge, find a way to break it down into pieces and make it enjoyable.

Let's focus on this last aspect: This is the key to everything. Everything that seems super positive for you and you don't want to do because of laziness or because you think it is too big for you, several things:

Make it small.
Nothing is ever as big as you think.

When I started Koala, I obviously thought that making a Design System was too much work, but I tried to divide it into small parts.

First week: Styles.
Second week: Basic components.
Third week: Make everything work and prepare some components.
Fourth week: Start preparing the first basic components.
Fifth week: Start preparing some main pages.
Sixth week: Order the logo.
And so on.

When you break everything down, and above all, you mentally prepare yourself that this will be something in the super long term, that's when you calm down a bit. I am super calm knowing that Koala will not be the best product now, but in 2 years. When I started Koala, I knew it would not be a 10 out of 10 product. But six months later, today I can say it is a 10 out of 10 project.

In six months, I have been able to perfect it to the maximum and add a thousand more things. I started with the essentials, launched a BETA, and over time we are adding, improving, and perfecting.

But this is the key, organizing yourself, having patience, and mentally preparing that this is going to be long-term; otherwise, you will never start anything in life.

I hope this encourages you to start the project you have wanted to start for so long, your YouTube channel… Start, organize yourself, and have patience. If you want everything the next day, you will get overwhelmed and frustrated for not seeing results.

Until next time,

Jordi Espinosa.

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