As a web designer, you are constantly worried about meeting deadlines on time while producing high quality content. Hard-working and dedicated to your job, you have the tendency to engage in more than one project at a time, multi-tasking in the best way that you possibly can. The responsibilities of being a web designer are numerous and sometimes they can be overwhelming; in such situations, it is only normal to ask yourself when you are going to finish the layout of a website, write the content for another project and also find the time to breathe. This is why you need to look after your health, because you have chosen a job/career that can be very pleasant and rewarding, while stressful and over-demanding.
The biggest mistakes that web designers tend to make whereas their health is concerned
If you have seen a TV commercial made for various types of medication, then you will notice how they present the list of symptoms, so that you can easily recognize whether you are suffering from such problems or not. Borrowing this model, you should know that there are several symptoms that represent red signals, all of them leading to what the medical professionals present as the burn out syndrome. As a web designer, especially once who is passionate about working, you run the danger of over-stepping the limit and ending up tired, bored or stressed.
Web designers do not lead a peaceful existence and they are always under the stress of deadlines. One of the biggest mistakes that they tend to make is accepting other projects when they know that it is difficult already to handle the ones they have. Also, another mistake is choosing projects that are overly-complicated, above their level of experience. This puts extra pressure on them and only leads the trap for disappointment and frustrations. There is always the danger of losing a project because it could not be finished in time, so you might also want to pay increased attention to how many projects you contract. Plus, you have to think about the quality of the final work, because there are many web designers who tend to prefer quantity over quality, which is obviously a very big mistake.
Temptations to avoid
Whether you have experience in working as a web designer or you have just started your career, you will still have to think about a lot of things. For example, at first, you might be tempted to finish one project after the other, without allowing yourself the necessary time to breathe, relax and, why not, think. Also, you might be tempted to choose projects that are offered mostly by anyone, without verifying their reliability and trustworthiness. Assessing such factors might not seem so important at the moment but you have to think long and hard; otherwise, you will risk working for projects that are never going to get paid.
Being the smallest fish might be a good thing at the start of your career because you do not have any responsibilities or they are very reduced in number. However, the field of web design is constantly expanding and it would be the biggest shame to remain the small fish, regardless of how big the temptation might actually be. Allow yourself to constantly search for progress and reach a new different level on a regular basis; in this way, you will gain even more experience and you will learn the best way in which to avoid temptations. Work hard, work good and you will certainly have an increased resistance to temptations, whether we are talking about the personal or professional experience.
Solutions to maintain your health while working as a web designer
Follow the health tips presented below and you will never have any health problems in your successful career:
- Set yourself a fixed schedule for working, with breaks in-between (for every 50 minutes spent working on the computer, you need 10 minutes of break).
- Sit upright and do not slouch while working on the computer, otherwise you might end up with a serious problem in your spine (scoliosis for example).
- Wear glasses that guarantee eyesight protection.
- Allow yourself the time to complete a task and do not go back and forth from one task to the other; you will feel yourself tired and frustrated for not being able to finish.
- Exchange opinions with other people who share the same career or job as yourself; do not believe that they are going to steal your ideas but rather try to get a feedback from them. In this way, you will reduce the amount of stress that comes with completing complex projects.
Conclusions and recommendations
We live in stressful times and this doesn’t make a reference only to web designers. However, this job can place a lot of stress on the people who have chosen it and one’s health could easily deteriorate if the pointers above are not followed. Do not wait for a miracle solution to fall out of the sky and learn how to take care of yourself; preventing the appearance of work-related illnesses is always better than having actually to treat them. By protecting your eyes, you reduce the risk of cataract. By protecting your back, you reduce the risk of scoliosis. The list of reasons could go on for a really long time but the important thing to remember is that your health is essential.
The computer might be one of the biggest innovations and an invaluable tool for web designers but it can also damage our health. So, the next time you are signing up for a new project and you want to start designing a website, please think about the tips and information that was presented here in this article. An ancient Latin saying reminds us that a healthy mind is in a healthy body, so try to always remember this piece of advice. It is useful for your future career as a web designer.