24 ways_ make out like a bandit

8/6/2019 24 Ways_ Make Out Like a Bandit

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/24-ways-make-out-like-a-bandit 1/5

24 WAYSMAKE OUT LIKE A BANDITby Jina Bolton

If you are anything like me, you are a professional juggler. No, we don’t juggle bowling pins or

anything like that (or do you? Hey, that’s pretty rad!). I’m talking about the work that we juggledaily. In my case, I’m a full-time designer, a half-time graduate student, a sometimes author

and conference speaker, and an all-the-time social networker. Only two of these “positions”

have actually put any money in my pocket (and, well, the second one takes a lot of money out ).

Still, this is all part of the work that I do. Your work situation is probably similar. We are

workaholics.

So if we work so much in our daily lives, shouldn’t we be making out like bandits? Umm,

honestly, I’m not hitting on you, silly. I’m talking about our success. We work and work and

work. Shouldn’t we be filthy, stinking rich? Well okay, that’s not quite what I mean either. I’m

not necessarily talking about money (though that could potentially be a part of it). I’m talking

about success — as in feeling a true sense of accomplishment and feeling happy about what

we do and why we do it.

It’s important to feel accomplished and a general happiness in our work. To make out like a

bandit (or have an incredible amount of success), you can either get lucky or work hard for it.

And if you’re going to work hard for it, you might as well make it all meaningful and worthwhile.

This is what I strive for in my own work and my life, and the following points I’m sharing withyou are the steps I am taking to work toward this.

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work & an unremitting devotion to the

things you want to see happen. — Frank Lloyd Wright

Learn. Participate. Do.

The best way to get good at something is to keep doing whatever it is you’re doing that you

want to be good at. For example, a sushi-enthusiast might take a sushi-making class becauseshe wants to learn to make sushi for herself. It totally makes sense while the teacher

demonstrates all the procedures, materials, and methods needed to make good, beautiful

sushi. Later, the student goes home and tries to make sushi on her own, she gets totally

confused and lost. Okay, I’m not even going to hide it, I’m talking about myself (this happened

to me). As much as I love sushi, I couldn’t even begin to make good sushi because I’ve never

really practiced.

Take advantage of learning opportunities where possible. Whether you’re learning CSS,

Actionscript, or visual design, the best way to grasp how to do things is to participate, practice,

do. Apply what you learn in your work. Participation is so vital to your success. If you have

problems, let people know, and ask. But definitely practice on your own. And as cliché as it

ways: Make Out Like a Bandit http://24ways.org/2009/make-out-like-a-bandi

5 22/04/2011 19:08



may sound, believe in yourself because if you don’t think you can do it, no one else will think

you can either.

Maintain momentum

With whatever it is you’re doing, if you find yourself “on a roll”, you should take advantage of

that momentum and keep moving. Sure, you’ll definitely want to take breaks here or there, butremember that momentum can be very difficult to obtain again once you’ve lost it. Get it done!

Deal with people

Whether you love or hate people, the fact is, you gotta deal with them — even the difficult

ones. If you’re in a management position, then you know pretty well that most people don’t like

being told what to do (even if that’s their job). Find ways to get people excited about what

they’re doing. Make people feel that they (and what they do) are needed — people respond

better if they’re valued, not commanded. Even if you’re not in a management position, this still

applies to the way you work with your coworkers, clients, vendors, etc.

Resolve any conflicts right away. Conflicts will inevitably happen. Move on to how you can

improve the situation, and do it as quickly as possible. Don’t spend too much time focusing on

whose screw up it is — nobody feels good in this situation. Also, try to keep people informed

on whatever it is you need or what it is you’re doing. If you’re waiting on something from

someone, and it’s been a while, don’t be afraid to say something (tactfully). Sometimes people

are forgetful — or just slacking. Hey, it happens!

Help yourself by helping others

What are some of the small, simple things you can do when you’re working that will help the

people you work with (and in most cases, will end up helping yourself)? For example: if you’re

a designer, perhaps taking a couple minutes now to organize and name your Photoshop layers

will end up saving time later (since it will be easier to find things). This is going to help both

you and your team. Or, developers: taking some time to write some documentation (even if it’s

as simple as a comment in the code, or a well-written commit message) could potentially savevaluable time for both you and your team later. Maybe you have to take a little time to sit down

with a coworker and explain why something works the way it does. This helps them out

tremendously — and will most likely lead to them respecting you a little more. This is a benefit.

If you make little things like this a habit, people will notice. People will enjoy working with you.

People will trust you and rely on you. Sure, it might seem beneficial at any given moment to be

“in it for yourself” (and therefore only helping yourself), but that won’t last very long. Helping

others (whether it be a small or large feat) will cause a positive impact in the long run — and

that is what will be more valuable to you and your career.

Do work that is meaningful


5 22/04/2011 19:08



One of the best ways to feel successful about what you do is to feel good and happy about it.

And a great way to feel good and happy about what you’re doing is to actually do good. This

could be purpose-driven work that focuses on sustainability [http://sustainableparty.com/] and

environmentalism [http://www.storyofstuff.com/] , or work that helps support causes

[http://bakingforgood.com/] and charity [http://www.charitywater.org/] . Perhaps the work simply

inspires people [http://fiftypeopleonequestion.com/] . Or maybe the work is just something youare very passionate about. Whatever the work may be, try working on projects that are

meaningful to you. You’ll do well simply by being more motivated and interested. And it’s a

double-win if the project is meaningful to others as well.

I feel very fortunate to work at a place like Crush + Lovely [http://crushlovely.com] , where we

have found quite frequently that the projects that inspire people, focus on global and social

good, and create some sort of positive impact are the very projects that bring us more paid

projects. But more importantly, we are happy and excited to do it. You might not work at a

company that takes on those types of projects. But perhaps you have your own personal

endeavors that create this excitement for you. Elliot Jay Stocks wrote about having pet projects

[http://24ways.org/2009/a-pet-project-is-for-life-not-just-for-christmas] . Do you take on side

projects? What are those projects?

Over the last couple years, I’ve seen some really fantastic side projects come out that are great

examples of meaningful work. These projects reflect the passions and goals of the respective

designers and developers involved, and therefore become quite successful (because the

people involved simply love what they are doing while they’re doing it). Some of these projectsinclude:

Typedia [http://typedia.com/] is a shared encyclopedia of typefaces which serves as a

resource to classify, categorize, and connect typefaces. It was founded by Jason Santa

Maria [http://jasonsantamaria.com] , a graphic designer with a love and passion for

typography. He created it as a solution to a problem he faced as a designer: finding the

right typeface.

Huffduffer [http://huffduffer.com/] was created by Jeremy Keith [http://adactio.com/] , a

web developer who wanted to create a podcast of inspirational talks — but after he found

that this could be tedious, he decided to create a tool to automate this.

Level & Tap [http://levelandtap.com/] was created by passionate photographer and web

developer, Tom Watson [http://tincorporated.com/] . It began as a photography print store

for Tom’s best personal photography. Over time, more photographers were added to the

site and the site has grown to become quite a great collection of beautiful photography.

Heat Eat Review [http://heateatreview.com/] is a review blog created by information

architect and user experience designer, Abi Jones [http://jonesabi.com/] . As a foodie, she

is able to use this passion for this blog, as it focuses on reviewing TV Dinners, FrozenMeals, and Microwavable Foods.

Art in My Coffee [http://artinmycoffee.com] , a favorite personal project of my own, is a

photo blog of coffee art I created, after I found that my friends and I were frequently


5 22/04/2011 19:08



posting coffee art photos to Flickr, Twitter, and other websites. After the blog became

more popular, I teamed up with Meagan Fisher [http://owltastic.com] on the project, who

has just as much a passion for coffee art, if not more.

So, what’s important to you?

This is the very, very important question here. What really matters to you most? Beyond justworking on meaningful projects you are passionate about, is the work you’re doing the right

work for you, so that you can live a good lifestyle? Scott Boms wrote an excellent article,

Burnout [http://www.alistapart.com/articles/burnout/] , in which he shares his own experience in

battling stress and exhaustion, and what he learned from it. You should definitely read the

article in its entirety, but a couple of his points that are particularly excellent are:

Make time for numero uno, in which you make time for the things in life that make you

happy

Examine your values, goals, and measures of success, in which you work toward the

things you are passionate about, your own personal development, and focusing on the

things that matter.

A solid work-life balance can be a challenging struggle to obtain. Of course, you can cheat this

by finding ways to combine the things you love with the things you do (so then it doesn’t even

feel like you’re working — oh, you sneaky little bandit!). However, there are other factors to

consider beyond your general love for the work you’re doing. Take proper care of yourself

physically, mentally, and socially.

So, are you making out like a bandit?

Do you feel accomplished and generally happy with your work? If not, perhaps that is

something to focus on for the next year. Consider your work (both in your job as well as any

side projects you may take on) and how it benefits you — present and future. Take any steps

necessary to get you to where you need to be. If you are miserable, fix it!

Finally, it’s important to be thankful for the things that matter to you and make you happy. Passit along everyday. Thank people. It’s a simple thing, really. Saying “thank you” can and will

have enormous impact on the people around you. Oh. And, I apologize if the title of this article

led you to thinking it would teach you how to be an amazing kisser. That’s a different article

entirely for 24 ways to impress your friends!

Like what you read?

Tweet this article [http://twitter.com

/?status=Make%20Out%20Like%20a%20Bandit%20http://24ways.org/200921]or

Leave a comment [#comments]


5 22/04/2011 19:08



About the author

Jina Bolton is an interaction designer at Crush + Lovely, and resides in San

Francisco. Jina coauthored Fancy Form Design (SitePoint, 2009) and The Art

& Science of CSS (SitePoint, 2007). She enjoys making pretty websites, and

then she likes writing and speaking about it.

Jina received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Arts and Graphic Design

from Memphis College of Art. She is currently working towards her Master of Fine Arts in Web

Design & New Media at Academy of Art University. Jina enjoys traveling, likes art in her coffee,

and digs sushi and robots.

Photo: Dustin Diaz/Flash Bullet

In association with:

24 ways is an edgeofmyseat.com production. Edited by Drew McLellan and Brian Suda. Assisted by Anna Debenham and

Owen Gregory. Design delivered by Made by Elephant. Possible only with the help of our splended authors. Grab our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for daily updates.


24 ways_ make out like a bandit

Documents