Being a senior professional sounds like you know what you are doing.

But it’s not always the case.

The only thing that being senior indicates is the years you’ve done the same job. They are still things I get wrong and I like to improve on.

Here is a list. Let’s keep it short so I don’t appear too incompetent.

#1 Let the client lead

I’m the professional. I’m the person that should lead the design process.

I sometimes forget that. Get enchanted by the idea and we end up in a 2-hour brainstorming call that leads to nowhere. Instead, I need to show the way of doing things step-by-step. Creating a backlog where we capture random ideas that we might or might not do in the future.

Only if I cannot forget that next time I get in front of an exciting new idea.

#2 Go template-less

If you are following the same process, why not use templates for everything?

If you know what you are doing, you are following the same process. And I have a collection of templates that I have collected or created over the years. And every time I pick and choose, I modify them or create a new structure on the fly. Templates for marketing material, sales calls, client onboarding, collecting insights, user interviews and design review. You name it — could be a template for that.

There is no good reason why not.

#3 Accepting inessential work

I can do good quality brand identity work. But should I?

If I’m hired to design a software product, why do I keep saying ‘yes’ when they ask me, “can you do the logo as well?” I know. It’s a fun job. But if you say yes too early to too many inessential product tasks, you lose. You lose credibility. You are seen as the guy that can make your ugly slide deck look slick. And before you know it, you have one more job as a personal assistant to someone.

No thanks.

I still think about the templates. I might do something about that. I just did a quick search and I don’t see a good solution out there.