Episode 455: UX designer without a mentor and I get bored too easily and stressed too easily

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1.

A listener named Dakota asks, 2.

I’m a UX designer, and I’m constantly looking for growth opportunities. I’m having trouble finding mentors to help challenge me, as every time my boss/senior designer leaves the company, I assume their work and we don’t backfill their spot or my old position. 3.

This leads me towards podcasts like this as I’m trying up-skill and to learn how to be a better team member and support other roles. 4.

I’d love your perspective on working with product/ux designers. What have the challenges been? What makes you love working with a designer? Have there been times where you’re both arguing for the best user experience, but fail to agree on what experience is best? 5.

6.

Hey guys! 7.

It seems like lately, I only work in two modes: 8.

1. Stressed and tired

2. Bored and disengaged

9.

I often get to own large, urgent initiatives. I spend weeks or months on them. This work is fascinating! I end up being stressed, tired, and counting days until my next vacation. 10.

When they finish, I go back to regular tickets - ones that take a day or two, maybe a week to complete. 11.

And its great! For a few days. Then the boredom sets in. I pick through the tickets, trying to find something interesting. I finish a ticket and realize there are another 4 hours before the end of the day. I start to miss the rush of working on a complex puzzle, even though it’s terrible for my work/life balance. 12.

A month or two pass, and a new complex and urgent initiative comes in. The cycle continues. 13.

So my question is: Is this a common feeling? Are there ways to find a “easy-work/hard-work” balance? Do you have any advice on not overworking when urgent tasks come in, and not dying from boredom when there is no interesting work? 14.