Feeling Overwhelmed— Information Overload ep. 6 w/ Melinda Livsey

Help! I feel overwhelmed with consuming content but don't know what to do with it. How do you prioritize what to read, what to save for later, and what to do right now? Design therapy with Chris Do.

Another in-depth conversation with designer and business owner Melinda Livsey.

Melinda Livsey
Marks and Maker

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Annotations
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02:05 Q: What are you currently working on that has you overwhelmed?
04:15 Go Deep: Try to master one concept at a time.
06:00 Q: Where can I apply this information today?
08:20 Action beats intent.
09:00 Q: How do I mine/scan a book for the most helpful information?
12:10 Do the things that you keep procrastinating on.
13:50 Backpack Example: Select resources and content that can help you today.
16:36 Q: When I'm being selective, do I start with my current struggles, or things useful for the future?
20:00 You don't want to get good at things you are not passionate about.
23:20 Q: How has this experience impacted you?
24:55 Q: Were you afraid to come on the show?
25:10 If you are willing to set aside your fears, you will gain much greater.
27:27 Q: Why did you feel that you had to prove yourself?
32:00 Summary

Books Mentioned:
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Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
101 Things I Learned in Business School

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Credits:
Executive Producer– Chris Do
Host– Chris Do
Director– Aaron Szekely
Cinematography– Aaron Szekely, Stewart Schuster
Editor– Stewart Schuster
Annotations & SEO– Isaiah Nwukor
Typefaces: Futura, Din
Futur theme song— Adam Sanborne

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*By making a purchase through any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us on our mission to provide quality education to you. Thank you.

[acfosterpost]

"You don't want to get good at things you're not passionate about." This has been my journey. I just started modifying my path and I'm feeling more enthused about my career than I have in years- and producing a real volume of work in my off hours.

[ErwanHingre]

Like the honesty about the subjective relevance of this channel's content, I face the procrastination/information overload issue and it helps a lot

[rafiktekari]

10:51 "Crip: your design skill is good enough, so I would recommend you to spend more time on marketing yourself and being where your clients are"
That's beautiful advice, It's is hard to judge myself but I believe applies to me and to many other designers.

[ZacSpace]

So, stumbled on your channel not too long ago and just discovered this series and boy these have inspired me so much! I’m not a designer really though a woodworker but these I can see how they can help me and the business I am trying to build. Can’t wait to go deeper in this series.

[angelsantiago]

I can definitely relate to a lot of the things Melinda had issues with - that overwhelmed feeling, self-doubt, and that voice inside my head always saying you're not good enough. Great video guys!

[TawfikManham]

oh no ! gonna miss Melinda Livsey, thanks for taking our position with Chris and doing this for us, Big Thanks to Chris and team

[RonaldSurya]

Thank you Melinda & Chris Do for keeping this series real and relevant for the rest of us!

[neoexplains]

Just wanna say thanks for new episodes!!! This is my favorite show of yours. I am busy right now but I will watch it tomorrow :)

[VizualeyezProductns]

3:54


The questions about output vs input is so thought provoking. If Chris were to ask me those questions, I would feel like I wouldn't know how to answer those either. I love this real life/role play. I can feel Melinda's nervousness. This channel is my favorite discovery this month. I'm seriously digesting these videos right now and loving every bit of it.

[TheSarahshow]

This is my favorite video on the internet. Thank you, Chris. For being you. And for sharing yourself with us!

[monicasdesignprocess]

This is definitely something I used to struggle with. There was so much I wanted to learn and do when it came to design. But now I focus more on what do I need to know now to do the next step in this moment.

By the way, I really appreciate Melinda's role in this series. She's standing in for all the worries, frustrations, and questions we have. Thank you!

[insightdesignsolutionsinc.]

Low self worth/low worth others put on us are afflictions so widespread we’ve all learned to be masterful actors in order to hide perceived weaknesses. Melinda and Chris—your strength/authenticity is very refreshing.

Also loved understanding your methods of information intake. Fantastic distinction between taking everything in and learning with a goal in mind (initially). TY Futur❣️

[souadghaffari]

I am good enough! I love how transparent Melinda is, that makes her represent each one of us in the show

[PhillipClayton]

This was a pretty deep show, for a moment I was waiting for a back story, missed it by...that much lol. That being said "You don't want to get good at things you're not passionate about." is very profound, that's a worthy quote.

Good stuff.

[reemsaleh]

Chris it would be very helpful to make a series to talk about starting a small company, making a business plan, finding and attracting investors or taking a loan and hiring professionals. Also if you please could talk about collaborating with other artists or companies in making a design project.

[mranthony]

I can relate to everything she's going through 100%. Sometimes I'm so overwhelmed at just the thought of everything I know I need to get done and sometimes I just shut down. I often find myself isolated at home, thinking of my art and how can I make money, is my work good enough, am I smart enough, career coach vs. mentor...and on and on and on...before you know it, on goes the ps4. I'm sure I'm not the only one this happens to. word of advice - you're not alone

[Rob_Tenorio]

What I struggled with was confidence in my skills. I needed someone to say I was good enough so I can especially relate to the last segment of content in this video. This whole series has definitely been an eye-opener for me. Thanks again for sharing and knowing that there are others that share the same journey. Action beats intent - I will never forget that

[jameswatson-hmtw]

This episode hit home when he said "do you recall a time someone said you weren't good enough?" I had flash backs to the times when people said I was either too dumb or lazy, these statements have been one of the major factors to my success in life.

[qmagix]

The best episode so far.
Chris, those last 10min (when you start to ask questions back) are pure gold and I wish you could make a whole episode like that.
I hope to see much more episodes with Melinda and you because it's very authentic and personal.

Thank You!

[felixdesign]

I am a first year student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, in the bachelor of design, and I have to say I've felt an overwhelming need to prove myself to my peers (My family mostly). One night I broke down crying because I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue Design or if it was just my inability to escape a path forged by my family's contribution to my early passion for drawing. But after that night I pulled my head in and started focusing on design like I hadn't before. It was at my most vulnerable that I was most honest with myself and that I was able to discover for myself that despite having tried many different paths in high school like maths, languages, and English, this is what I really want to be. Since then I don't try to prove myself, but I simply grow each and every time I do a job. Love your videos you guys! Keep em coming!