#Reflection
Honest self-evaluation, retrospective thoughts, and hard-won lessons, the single most-used tag on the whole site, twenty-four posts spanning career, family, health, and the kind of moments that only make sense afterwards.
How to advance early on in your UX/UI design career
Relax, this isn't a "buy my course" article, I promise you. No funnel, no upsell waiting at the end, just what's genuinely worked for me across almost 20 years of working as a UX/UI designer. Just what I wish someone had told me earlier on.
Fighting the system and breaking my phone addiction
Scrolling Facebook, I noticed something: mostly ads, barely a friend in sight. What followed was months fighting a phone addiction, iPods, dumb phones, screen time settings, before one small NFC device actually broke the habit for good.
From instant coffee to a precision Italian espresso machine
A smart plug wakes my espresso machine at 4am, hours before I do. This is the story of how a jar of instant coffee, a mate in Perth, and one life-changing French press turned into a four-shots-a-day habit I still can't shake.
Surf workout: Flexibility, stretching & mobility training
Improve mobility and recovery with surf-specific stretches, a minimal home gym setup, and small daily habits, like surf skateboarding, that stick once motivation fades. Built around what actually works, not just theory.
Surf workout: Pre-surf stretching & warm-up routine
The system that gets me out the door on cold mornings, wetsuit on before I've even checked the cam, gear packed the night before, no room left to talk myself out of it. Plus the actual warm-up and stretch routine I run through every time.
Surf workout: Post-surf stretching, nutrition & recovery
The stretch routine, hydration timing and nutrition habits that make recovery actually happen, especially in winter when it's the last thing you want to do. Built around the same gluten and dairy-free rules as everything else here.
Surf workout: Pop-up & core strength training
Free 10 minute surf pop-up & core strength training workout, plus a full 32 exercise session, to fix crunching toes, a back foot landing too far back and a pop-up that took me well over a dozen steps. Built around a shoulder and knee injury.
From chaos to calm: infinite flow & feedback loops
How one direct piece of feedback from a content designer turned my tangled, chaotic Figma files into a genuine three-part system, chaos, calm and clarity, one I still rely on for every project. A shift that changed how every project since.
Molly’s love of books & her fall from grace
When a library fine landed with my name on it instead of hers, my 15 year old had to find her own way out of an $80 mess, and back into everyone's good books, including her own, without help. No lecture, just what actually happened next.
30+ best stand-up comedy specials of all time to watch
One person, a microphone, and an hour to win over a room full of strangers, there's something captivating about a great stand-up special. Here's a personal, ranked list of 30+ of the best, crowd-pleasers to career-defining sets.
One wrong booking ended up with five cards on the table
Everyone has values. Few people can actually name their own core values without stopping to think hard about it. Here's how one wrong online booking led me to finally find mine, and why I wish I'd done it sooner. A five minute exercise that.
How I’m wired: ENFJ, CliftonStrengths & pattern recognition
Personality tests are one of those things hiring managers love to ask about. Rather than hunting through old emails every time, here's how my ENFJ result, CliftonStrengths top 10, and neurodivergent thinking all point the same way.
9 inspiring design documentaries & movies for designers
Nine documentaries about design, creativity and craft that are genuinely worth your time, covering graphic design, typography, urban planning, advertising and indie game development from people who obsess over the details.
Designers “should”… choose their own adventure
A pushback on the "designers should" genre of advice, this one included. Whether it's coding, degrees or portfolios, here are some honest alternatives to help you make up your own mind instead of following someone else's rulebook.
Best things to see & do in Wellington, New Zealand
When friends and family fly in from overseas, this is the list I actually send them, the best places to eat, where to find good craft beer and a decent coffee, and what genuinely fills a few days in Wellington, New Zealand.
How to brew the perfect cup of tea
Boil water, add tea, wait, done. It should be simple, but watch how differently people actually make a pot of tea and you'll quickly see it isn't. Here's the step-by-step French press method a good friend taught me years ago.
Where to buy vinyl records online & in-store in New Zealand
Twelve places I actually buy from, big Auckland institutions, one-person operations run off a Facebook page, and a few worth knowing about for the rare stuff. What each is good for, and the shipping deals worth waiting for.
How to use Discogs to build your vinyl record collection
I just finished adding my entire record collection to Discogs, the largest online music database where collectors buy and sell with each other. A look at the collection itself, my home listening setup, and how it all came together.
Baked chicken recipe based on the KFC 11 herbs & spices
Four cheeseburgers and a Coke for five bucks fed a whole afternoon of bodyboarding as a teenager. This baked version of the KFC 11 herbs and spices recipe scratches the exact same itch, minus the deep fryer this time around.
Surfing, friends & travel: What I’m thankful for in 2019
It's only when you pause and properly look back that you realise how many memories got packed into a single year. Reflecting on the moments that made 2019 unforgettable, surfing in Wales, six countries, a new album, and turning 40.
Two months off work over the NZ summer school holidays
Every school holidays, I take at least a week off instead of putting the kids into holiday programs or after-school care. Here's how Molly, Charlie and I sit down together and plan what we get up to. No holiday programs, just time actually.
Looking for the ideal Wellington UX/UI Product Design role
"What's the problem you're trying to solve?" That's usually my first question when exploring a new opportunity, and honestly, the answer carries a lot of weight. Here's what my ideal Product Design UX/UI role would actually look like.