CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO

Dealing with the same tasks every day, walking the same way every day, and sticking to used solutions ­­ will reduce your ability to think out of the box. I thought — and I wanted to add some research and teaching to my „normal business“ as a freelancer in order to gain a second foothold. That’s why I started teaching in online courses for a German educational institute.

TEACH TO LEARN

Teaching others will ultimately result in teaching yourself. My course covers the Sketch app (for websites and apps, not the 3D software) and UX/UI basics. As I expected, the first concept I wrote for this class had to be rewritten from day one and through to the end, but it was worth the effort and the only way to find out what actually works best. The old “learning by doing” is still the best advice. You have to “get going to get rolling”. As for the title of this paragraph, there is no choice between teaching or being taught, because trying to be a good teacher ultimately leads to learning something yourself. In summary, the difference to "normal commissioned work" is greater than expected, and it means rethinking and thinking from a different perspective, which is that of a student.

LEAVING THE COMFORT ZONE

Leaving your personal comfort zone usually pays off early. As soon as we realize that things are less difficult than they first appeared, and the stress curve turns into a plateau of well-being, we can pat ourselves on the back – we have climbed another mountain. And this applies not only to the teachers but also to the students. Forcing yourself to learn something new may be exhausting, but it is also rewarding. You should take care for yourself by taking breaks. Energy that has been used up must also be recharged. Everyone has to find their own rhythm here – between hours, days or perhaps weeks, depending on the complexity of the challenges. To adjust to or recover from discomfort, a comfortable retreat is an important support.

AN INFINITE CYCLE

1. It is always a good idea to try something new, because it will help you to identify your own comfort zone and to leave it consciously!

2. Please keep in mind that leaving a system or breaking rules requires that you discover a system and learn the rules in the first place!

3. Return to 1.