Before Time Runs out: what I’ll be doing as a designer before the year ends.

December 16thy. Holidays are in the air and we’re finally at that point where everybody is wrapping up activities for the year. Soon, it’ll be a new year and, of course, the grand plans to make next year exceptional have started. But while everybody is postponing all activity to the new year, have you thought about what you can do to better prepare for next year? Well, I have, and here is a compilation of what I’ll be doing over the next few days.

1. Get up to date: Last October, Adobe released Adobe Creative Suite 2023. Until now, I’ve been unable to update all my software to these new versions. I plan to update all my work software before January 1. I also intend to educate myself on the design trends for 2023. Envato seems to have a fantastic video on this, so I’ll start by checking that out. I’ll also explore Midjourney more, probably considering how to build this new wave of Artificial Intelligence into my process.
2. Review my goals and objectives for the previous year: I’d love to take some time out for somber reflection. Just me, a writing pad, and my brain having conversations about how this year has been and how what I’ve achieved connects to what I set out to do on January 1. I’ll take note of my achievements, express gratitude for them, and think of how to do better.
3. Reflect on past work: I’ll take some time to go back to my work folder. Look at all the stuff I created throughout this year. If possible, I’d chuckle and smile at the superb ones. I’d take note of things I should improve on, new skills I need to learn, and areas of improvement. And yes, I’ll also use this opportunity to upload all my new projects to Google Drive. I don't know why I keep finding it hard to back up my files.
4. Review my portfolio: Does my current portfolio reflect my skill level and the kind of opportunities I’m trying to attract? I’ll use this question as a metric to review my portfolio. I’ll bring down projects that no longer reflect well on my skills and intent and put up fresh new work that is on fire.

When I’m done with this, I’ll call the year a wrap, and I can finally sit back and drink Pepsi. I’ll leave the planning for next year to next year, abeg. What are you looking to do before your year ends? Can you share it with me? Please, let me know if you found this helpful and share it with one person who can find it inspirational.