Overview

I have now been asked this question, as a matter of record, over 100 times.

No I mean it, I’ve been keeping track.

Why? Because everyone wants to make it right now, literally everyone, and I think a lot of people make the mistake of deluding themselves into believing that a normal amount of work will magically allow them to make six-figure salaries in UI/UX. Not gonna happen.

Today, I’m going to share with you the #1 way to get better, how EXACTLY it works, and how you can use it to your greatest advantage.

The #1 Way to Get Better: Do More Work

This is not sexy. It is not fun, new, or hip. It is boring, tedious, monotonous, exhausting, like doing infinite layup drills and shooting from the free-throw line in an empty gym.

Endless portfolio projects, endless case-studies, endless studying in general as you slowly march towards a totally automated future in the covid-apocalyptic nightmare that waits for us in 2022 and beyond.

You feel like no one cares, because no one is watching, and you worry that you’re just wasting your time.

I’m here to tell you that all that is absolute BS, you shouldn’t ever listen to that negative head-talk, and here’s why:

>> The fastest way to scale your success is to scale your work

Let me tell you this from experience, I QUINTUPLED my income when I learned about this, I’m not even exaggerating.

If you are willing to do more work than everyone else who is competing in your category, you will win. Period.

This is not wishful thinking or some toxic grind culture ridiculousness, it’s the absolute honest truth. If you want to scale your success, scale your work both in breadth and in depth.

I am telling you right now that I have won contracts simply because of the volume and scope of my work, but I wouldn’t have any of that if I wasn’t getting up early and making it happen every day.

You have to be willing to pay now for your success, so that you don’t have to deal with the absolute agony later of not having enough resources.

>> You won’t have access to leverage at first

I’m going to tell you right now that if you’re just starting out, you will have exactly ZERO access to leverage.

No one knows your name, no one is going to take you seriously, don’t worry about it, do your work anyway.

The reason why is because your work now becomes your leverage later.

>> Your volume of work appreciates into leverage over time

Google “Nick Lawrence Design,” and tell me what you see at the top of the search listings.

It’s not Nick Lawrence the interior designer (he’s up there, but not at the top), and it’s not the book series, and it’s not the OTHER Nick Lawrence (who is also a designer go figure). I’m sure they’re all wonderful people, but if you Google those three terms together, you find me.

Why? Because I OWN my niche in this industry, and that’s what I am telling you that you need to do for your success.

All of the work that I have done over years has appreciated into leverage that I can now use, and that same formula can absolutely work for you too.

How? Check this out:

1. Start writing about what you do publicly.
2. Practice your UI/UX skills every. single. day.
3. Update your LinkedIn to be full and complete.
4. Update your portfolio to your latest and greatest work.

What this does for you is creates a network of both accountability, and ownership of your personal brand.

People need to know:

• Who you are
• What you do
• Why they should trust you, and
• What they can expect from you

No one should own your personal brand but you and you are solely responsible for how your personal brand is perceived by the world on an ongoing, consistent basis.

So what does this all mean for you?

It’s 2022, it’s competitive as hell out here, and no, it’s probably not gonna get much better.

Do not focus on trying to compete with others, focus instead on creating what you really, truly want. Specialize in your area of highest interest and passion, and knock it out of the park.

• UI design
• UX design
• Research and concept validation
• Content strategy
• Information architecture
• Concepting and ideating
• Wireframing and prototyping
• Testing & approach validation
• Design specification and documentation
• Developer handoff & implementation assistance
• Revision & continuous improvement

Where are you at on all of these things? Every piece of our industry? Know your strengths and by God know your weaknesses!

I’m telling you that no matter where you came from: you can have more than you’ve got because you can become more than you are!

Focus on creating a body of work that can serve as a deep reservoir of credibility and leverage for when opportunities present themselves.

This is how you lay down a foundation of success for yourself as a designer.

• If I asked you right now: “show me your portfolio,” what would I see?
• Would you feel good about showing it to me?
• If not, why? What could you be doing better?
• Now, how can you take your body of work and multiply it both in quality and in quantity by 10x?

These are the questions you need to be asking yourself on a regular basis, and you need to be aiming for consistently, if you want to ensure your ongoing success in this industry.

Doesn’t matter if you don’t hit it, I would way rather you aim high and miss than aim low or worse, not at all, and hit.

No such thing as passive success; if you weren’t born into money, you have to create leverage the old-fashioned way: work smart, work hard, and work daily.

No, it’s not sexy, it’s not fun, it’s not a pretty picture. “Ughhh, great, thanks Nick, so you’re saying I need to do even MORE work?”

→ Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying, because at the end of the day, you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.

You don’t get your goals, you get your musts.

• You will earn what you MUST earn and not a penny more.
• You will rise to the position you MUST rise to and not a rung higher.
• You will create the future for yourself that you MUST create, and not the one you only fantasize about, but the one that you plan and do about.

So I am telling you right now, from the bottom of my heart, if you want to succeed in 2022 and beyond, please do yourself a huge favor: cut the BS, and get to work.