I dove straight into freelancing when I finished school because I loved the idea of being in complete control of my creative destiny. What I didn’t realize, was that that path could be a very lonely one. At the start of my first year, I moved to a new city (where I knew no one) and worked from home all day long. I quickly realized that I needed a more vibrant and enriching daily design experience. How was I going to learn and grow if I couldn’t chat it up with a desk mate or designer buddy? All this changed a year later when I moved into a shared studio! Lesson learned.

Hide your personality. So much of what we create is a compilation of ourselves — our experiences, our taste, our humor, etc... Let your work shine but don’t forget to let your personality out a bit too!

I have recently figured out that guiding the client through the feedback process is incredibly beneficial. I used to just let them word-vomit their random thoughts out into the world and would try to make sense of it on my own. Now, I ask them very specific questions that helps everyone stay on track. I remind them that good feedback relates to goals and user needs. Bad feedback is subjective and prescriptive!

I am constantly reminding myself to relax — mentally and physically! Taking care of yourself is key. You would think this would be obvious but you’d be surprised. Whenever I get stressed, blocked, or doubtful... I tend to work even longer and harder hours, in an attempt to solve the problem(s) as quickly as possible. I have to chose to take a moment and put everything into perspective. I must remind myself that I will always arrive at the end solution, whether I stay up until 3am hacking away at it or if I get a good nights rest and pick it back up in the morning. The healthier route is the best route. A relaxed mind and body yields efficiency.

Breaking the Time Barrier  by Mike McDerment (FreshBooks cofounder and CEO).