#80: Updated tools for self-reflection for people who don't have time (like me)
Diagramming and writing as an antidote to chaos
Hello friends and new subscribers,
As an introverted person, it’s quite hard for me to connect with people, even those that I find to be ‘like-minded’. I am just eternally awkward and perhaps shy. It’s not a problem, really. I’m pretty used to it by now. Besides, on the off-chance that a connection actually does happen, it feels like a much bigger victory than it actually sounds.
I suspect this is one of the reasons why I have an online presence; it’s not that the internet is more natural of an environment for someone like me. It’s that it solves a unique problem that has followed me my entire life: From my writing to my design work, how can I constantly improve my work and my craft? How can I get the feedback loop that I need in order to make this happen?
Of course, I can always join a writing workshop, or a design and a tech bootcamp - or even go to a university to pursue higher studies. I can do all of those and I’ve actually done some. They’re all great experiences, I’ve enjoyed every single of them. In a true contrarian thinking, I love remote work and building virtual personas but there is nothing like the in-person learning environment. Maybe sometime in the future I will consider doing more of those again.
In the meantime, I have another thought on this. In order for me to fulfill my goals and learnings, I need a system, not just tools and short-term plans. This is where the concept of designing a lifestyle became so appealing to me. It is guided by this main question:
How can I continuously iterate my life so that I can:
…reach my personal goals and milestones without burning out?
…be present for my family - like really present?
…achieve a level of reasonable independence (financial, first and foremost)?
…have the stamina for learning and improving because it is fun?
All big and worthy things I’m constantly - and I mean constantly - think about. When it comes to personal goals, there is no perfect playbook. At some point in your life, you just know. You just know what’s going to work for you and what it isn’t. It is far too common to make a mistake or two. What is less common is to pivot. When you’ve invested too much into one thing—even if it’s costing you more in the long run—it is terribly difficult to count your losses and let go. This is why it’s worth reflecting on these things every often, as often as you can. Things change, by choice or by natural circumstances. It will be extremely hard to keep up, and maintain your sanity without any form of self-reflection.
My 2 main forms of self-reflection
Diagramming and white boarding
Every time I need to get an idea out of my head, I turn to whiteboarding almost immediately. The tools can come-and-go. I’ve used everything from Invision Freehand (defunct) to Figjam and even to an actual white board I bought online. Tools aren’t the most important thing here; it is the habit of putting something out of your head and into a tangible thing like a paper/screen when you need to think.
A few mini-case studies on this:
Freelancing vs full-time employment table: Whenever I am in-between jobs, I’d always seriously consider contracting or freelancing as a way to earn some income. In one of those times, I sat down and evaluated the those two options based on the 6 data points or factors I truly care about. Up to this day, I still use this every time I need to rethink my choices in regards to my work-life.
Freelancing vs Full-time employment table by yours truly
A blueprint for my life’s work: This is a big one. I’m really proud I sat down and started this a few years back. The whole idea was that I wanted to see the big picture of my career, beyond my cv and my portfolio. Why I do what I do? What is driving me? What are my blockers to my self-defined success? It is important for me to understand all of those in order to make the best decisions moving forward. It’s also a good reminder that I’m pursuing a long-term path. I don’t need to win every single game I play. I just need to keep on going long enough to really matter. (If you want to read more about these types of diagramming work, I’d highly recommend this book: Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value Through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams
by James Kalbach and Jim Kalbach. Highly influential in my thinking on this!)
Writing, public and private
Diagramming isn’t the only way to get ideas out quickly. I also turn to writing a lot as primary form of self-reflection. Long term readers of this platform would know I do talk about this a lot. It is important to me that I’m able to do this and treat this as seriously as my day job. It’s not always possible to do this, nor to maintain a some sort of a structure, if you’re anything like me: first time parent, working outside of the home and currently going through the toddler phase. In other words, my personal life is too demanding right now.
In a pre-kid world, my setup looked a bit like this:
Actual notebooks (work/company, personal)
(20%) Mobile apps (Apple Notes, Bear) for quick and on-the-go thoughts/notes
(80%) Desktop apps (Notion, Google Docs) for long-form writing and publishing (Substack, LinkedIn, Medium)
Other forms: audio and video for a multimodal approach to data/thought collection
I would collect my thoughts and the research materials (book quotes, podcast notes, excerpts etc) and process them thoroughly elsewhere. It’s a framework that worked for me and actually contributed a lot to my writing practice overall. However, it is time-consuming and rigorous. I felt like a student the whole time I was doing this, it’s weird actually but in a good way. I had a hard time explaining to people what I do on my free time. All I know is I had the grandest time doing this. (See also: https://nikkiespartinez.substack.com/p/59-visual-thinking-and-the-messy and https://nikkiespartinez.substack.com/p/47-what-my-content-diet-looks-like)
Obviously, at the moment, some flexibility and agility is needed in order to make this sustainable. I can still write, and I can still do some research on my own. Albeit, my time is severely limited but it really just means I have to make it worth it. I have to be a bit more cautious with how I choose to spend it.
Currently, this is what my writing setup looks like:
I still keep a notebook but it is strictly for my full-time job. Don’t really have the luxury to write on one for my personal work.
(80%) Mobile writing apps dominate my writing practice. Since becoming a mother, I’ve leveraged my phone if I ever want to get any writing out. Although I still have a strong preference for a laptop, I had to make use of what is most accessible for me. Ideas are tool-agnostic. It doesn’t discriminate. It only wants to be captured, in order for it to mean anything to anyone. Right now, I use Apple Notes a lot.
(20%) Desktop apps. On the rare chance that I actually get to sit down and have some time to write, I would still use my laptop. This is where the cloud can really help speed up and optimize this process.
Unlike before, I avoid writing from scratch now. I have to absolutely use my existing notes (from 2nd bullet form) and use those as a starting point. I’ve tried many things, a bunch of hacks even. So far, this is the only thing that has worked for me.
Ending thoughts
It’s a real source of comfort knowing that all of this—from the diagramming tools to the writing practice and framework— they’re all temporary. They’re evolving just as I am. They’re being designed just like my life and my lifestyle choices. They’re products of my needs and constraints. Tools are only as good as the brain that uses them. I’m not as attach to them as I am with my goals and everything else that governs how I live my life. I have no doubt there will be some changes now and into the future.
That’s what these tools are for: help us navigate the inevitable changes that will happen. Maybe in some way also, they’re a good reminder that no matter how bleak things get, you always have a voice. You have a say in regards to the things that matter most to you. You are never helpless for as long as you have the intellect to use those tools to meet the goals you desire.
Thank you for reading working title,
Nikki
✨
If you have a spare moment, I’d love to hear your opinion on my newsletter. This will help me understand what to write about and curate better. I am also on Notes, where I post previews and premature ideas that fuel my writing streaks.
Enjoyed reading this Nikki. You’ve grown so much - di ka na ma-reach! Hahaha. Keep writing and sharing. I may not comment ever so often but I do appreciate your insight - loved the diagrams!