How And Why To Make Side Projects Work At A Digital Agency - 1 views

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  #1 digividia on 29 Apr 24

   

  love being a web designer and I'm incredibly thankful that I decided to join this industry many years ago. Still, despite my love of this profession, there have been a number of times during my career when my passion has waned and I've found myself simply going through the motions instead of fully applying myself to my work. This scenario is likely familiar to many of my fellow web designers. It is called burnout.
  
  TALK TO YOUR PEERS
  If anyone can understand your feelings of burnout, it is fellow web professionals. They have likely experienced something very similar and they may be able to give you advice on how to handle the situation. Sometimes, simply talking to others is the catalyst you need to break out of a funk and get excited about your work again.
  
  Attending a web conference is one of the best ways to meet and interact with other web professionals. Listening to presentations from some of our industry's best and brightest, and then being able to discuss that content with fellow attendees at lunch or at an after-conference party, always gets my creative energies flowing. I have never returned to the office after a conference and not been full of fresh ideas and excited to get back to work! Of course, conferences do not happen all the time, nor are they inexpensive to attend.
  
  TEACH OTHERS
  About six years ago, I began teaching website design and front-end development at my state university. When I took the position, I thought that it would be a refreshing change of pace that would allow me to share my knowledge and experience in a whole new way. The reality of what I got out of the experience far exceeded my expectations going in. For me, teaching helped me remember the energy I had when I first started in this industry. It's easy to let the weight of project deadlines, client problems, and the day-to-day challenges of the job drown the sense of enthusiasm and excitement you had when you were working on websites in the early days of your career. I see that energy in my students and it is infectious. You can't help but have it seep back into your work as well!
  
  INGREDIENTS
  2 tablespoons butter
  1 pound sirloin steak
  35-40 ounces DeLallo Vodka Sauce (it's about 1½ jars)
  2-3 large zucchini (or you could use regular pasta, but zucchini is so good!)
  INSTRUCTIONS
  Heat the butter in a large heavy duty skillet over medium low heat until lightly browned but not black (this just adds flavor to the steak).
  Cut the steak into bite sized pieces. Turn the heat up (higher heat is good!) and add the steak to the butter in the skillet. Let the steak sit in the pan for about a minute without stirring - this helps it get a nice sear on one side, like you see in the picture. Flip the steak pieces and cook for another minute or two, until both sides are well-seared. This should only take 2-3 minutes - because of the size of the steak pieces, you really only need to sear the outside and the insides will continue to cook just enough once you remove from the pan.
  Remove the skillet from heat, transfer the steak to a bowl, and wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove excess grease. Add the sauce to the pan. Stir in the steak and simmer for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the zucchini noodles or pasta.
  Spiralize or cut the zucchini into noodles, or cook the pasta, depending on what you're using. Top with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">love being a web designer and I'm incredibly thankful that I decided to join this industry many years ago. Still, despite my love of this profession, there have been a number of times during my career when my passion has waned and I've found myself simply going through the motions instead of fully applying myself to my work. This scenario is likely familiar to many of my fellow web designers. It is called burnout. <br /> <br /> TALK TO YOUR PEERS <br /> If anyone can understand your feelings of burnout, it is fellow web professionals. They have likely experienced something very similar and they may be able to give you advice on how to handle the situation. Sometimes, simply talking to others is the catalyst you need to break out of a funk and get excited about your work again. <br /> <br /> Attending a web conference is one of the best ways to meet and interact with other web professionals. Listening to presentations from some of our industry's best and brightest, and then being able to discuss that content with fellow attendees at lunch or at an after-conference party, always gets my creative energies flowing. I have never returned to the office after a conference and not been full of fresh ideas and excited to get back to work! Of course, conferences do not happen all the time, nor are they inexpensive to attend. <br /> <br /> TEACH OTHERS <br /> About six years ago, I began teaching website design and front-end development at my state university. When I took the position, I thought that it would be a refreshing change of pace that would allow me to share my knowledge and experience in a whole new way. The reality of what I got out of the experience far exceeded my expectations going in. For me, teaching helped me remember the energy I had when I first started in this industry. It's easy to let the weight of project deadlines, client problems, and the day-to-day challenges of the job drown the sense of enthusiasm and excitement you had when you were working on websites in the early days of your career. I see that energy in my students and it is infectious. You can't help but have it seep back into your work as well! <br /> <br /> INGREDIENTS <br /> 2 tablespoons butter <br /> 1 pound sirloin steak <br /> 35-40 ounces DeLallo Vodka Sauce (it's about 1½ jars) <br /> 2-3 large zucchini (or you could use regular pasta, but zucchini is so good!) <br /> INSTRUCTIONS <br /> Heat the butter in a large heavy duty skillet over medium low heat until lightly browned but not black (this just adds flavor to the steak). <br /> Cut the steak into bite sized pieces. Turn the heat up (higher heat is good!) and add the steak to the butter in the skillet. Let the steak sit in the pan for about a minute without stirring - this helps it get a nice sear on one side, like you see in the picture. Flip the steak pieces and cook for another minute or two, until both sides are well-seared. This should only take 2-3 minutes - because of the size of the steak pieces, you really only need to sear the outside and the insides will continue to cook just enough once you remove from the pan. <br /> Remove the skillet from heat, transfer the steak to a bowl, and wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove excess grease. Add the sauce to the pan. Stir in the steak and simmer for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the zucchini noodles or pasta. <br /> Spiralize or cut the zucchini into noodles, or cook the pasta, depending on what you're using. Top with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.</div>

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