Unpacking Design

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-12--How can we be more aware of the actions we make to create the life we want?Everyone is searching for the right path to take in their lives. We each strive for the future that we've imagined for ourselves.Often the future we dream of doesn't align with what we truly want. Other times our daily actions don't focus us on our vision.In this episode, Tim discusses how to reverse engineer the steps to build our desired future. He unpacks the ways we can think of our lives like a book and how those steps we take can help us discover the future we've always dreamed of.--Episode Mini Lessons:No one knows where they'll end up, only where they've been and the moment they're inDiscover your life through the actions you takeEvery book has several peaks and valleys.Learn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self--If your life were a book, your actions would be your pen--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-11--How can empathy be your life's superpower?One of the most difficult skills to apply in our interactions with other people is to accept them and their situations. This becomes even more complicated when we try to do so in a way that's true to ourselves. Oftentimes, people will either say what the person wants to hear or will bluntly say what they're thinking. However, this can drastically change the dynamic of the conversation from a discussion to an argument.In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes and how that single act can unlock a variety of opportunities for connection in our lives.--Episode Mini Lessons: Everyone has their own problems to deal with. The way you react to someone will make you a leader, a follower, or a roadblock. Not everyone cares about the same things you do. Be the ‘Helpful' one in your lifeLearn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self--Make empathy your superpower--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-10--Why is it important to ask a deep-diving question rather than one that provokes a binary “yes” or “no” response?In America, the education system has become a machine of tedium. Students learn to answer direct questions with binary responses, and in turn, ask questions that lead to the same outcome.However, in our careers, it's difficult to learn and grow at a faster pace when all we do is ask questions as though we're asking for permission to do something.In this episode, Tim unpacks the importance of asking better questions to become a more self-sufficient and confident creative.--Episode Mini Lessons:Avoid the binary way of working that we've been taught throughout our livesLearn to ask insightful questionsBecome an independent designerLearn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self--Never ask for permission. Ask for guidance.--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-9--If we were the hero of our own story, how would that shape the decisions we make and the life that we live?We get to choose the skills that we develop, the ways that we spend our time, and the journeys that we take.By becoming the hero of our own story, we gain the power to choose what paths to take and how to manipulate them for maximum effect.In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss how our experiences provide lessons that we can influence the course of our lives.--Episode Mini Lessons:The Hero's Journey can be your own, but you need to understand what it is first.Experiences will provide us with paths, adventures, and choices across the course of our lives.An adventure implies an end, but a hero's journey transforms from one phase to another.Age will make you wiser and more reflective."The person I chase. It's me, in 10 years."Learn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self—Become the hero of your own story—in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-8--How do we ensure that our financial well-being is maintained and growing alongside our lives and career?There's one important part of life that many designers are never taught—financial well-being.If you were to ask a colleague or a friend for financial advice, you might receive wildly different responses from person to person. But, even so, no one's plan will be right one for you. We each need to research and develop what your own plan should be.In this episode, Tim breaks down why it's important to learn about personal finance and how to get started.--Episode Mini Lessons:Figure out where you currently stand with your personal financesDetermine your values and live within themLearn how to invest and start as soon as possiblePractice negotiatingLearn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self--have a financial plan--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-7--How do we identify burnout and avoid experiencing it ourselves?One of the fears that many designers share is reaching a point in their career where they completely burn out.But the fear isn't burning out, it's the time it takes to recover from it. Some designers take months or years. Others will switch careers completely.In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of understanding what burnout in the battle against it, how to overcome burnout, and how to prevent it from happening again to you in the future.--Episode Mini-Lessons:No one starts at burnout.Burnout is treatable and can be overcome, but it isn't easy.Burnout targets well-meaning, high-performing creatives.Put on your oxygen mask first. Take care of yourself first so you can adequately take care of others.Burnout can happen again.Learn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self, burnout is real, in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-6--How much time should go into planning a project before working on it?Most people fall on either side of the planning and executing spectrum. They either have trouble taking action or start their projects without a plan. Everyone has a sweet spot somewhere between both. When you find yours, creating content and developing projects becomes streamlined.In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of maximizing our effectiveness as designers by embracing better habits, better balance, in planning and doing.--Episode Mini Lessons: Find balance between planning and doing Determine what you personally need to plan and what you can pursue with less planning Just try new things without overthinking them Know the difference between developing a system versus a planLearn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self--Plan less and do more-- in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-5--Why is it important to know who you are and lean into it?From the moment we begin to form memories, to the moment we retire, there are several lives we will have lived.In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss the idea that we don't owe the world anything including the need to prove ourselves. When something doesn't resonate with you, be willing to say no to those opportunities.--Episode Mini-LessonsThere is no one in the world quite like you.You are not your work.The experiences and qualities you offer the world make it a better place.You don't owe the world anything and that includes proving yourself.Letting go is not giving up.Learn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self--Lean into who you are and let go of who you aren't--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-4Everyone talks about the need to be authentic, but how do you find what makes you… you?These days there's an abundant amount of information that some people are developing and others are repeating.In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of educating yourself to improve the quality of the conversations you start. The cycle of practicing, learning, applying, teaching, and repeating is critical for discovering our own voice and sharing thoughtful points in discussions with other people.--Episode Mini-Lessons:Read, research, and educate yourselfDetermine your position and base it on the researchTeach based on experience combined with what you learn through researchAlways continue to research, learn, and teachNever take your voice for grantedLearn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self, Find Your Voice, in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-3Why is it more important to focus on practice over the end product?In a world where we are bombarded by media depicting only success, it can be difficult to motivate ourselves to keep going when we fail.When we show up consistently, we may encounter a healthy mix of success and failure. Along the way, it's important to find meaning in the grind (not the achievements) to keep us moving forward.In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss consistency and how they found their pace with all of their side hustles. Everyone starts with multiple interests. We eventually find what resonates with us the most through the process.--Episode Mini-Lessons:We all start somewhere, so show up today and do your best. Then show up tomorrow Fail, fail, and fail some more. Learn from failure.Apply your lessons and move forward to the next thing. and do it all again.Find meaning in the grind, not the achievementConsistency long term will help you more than sprinting. Show up and find your pace.Find yourself through the practice of a singular focus.Learn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self, Practice Matters More than the Result, in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-2How do we learn to speak clearly so we can communicate our ideas efficiently and effectively?One of the things most people are afraid to do is public speaking. Imagine being in front of a group of people waiting for you to tell them something that they didn't know. We're afraid because we haven't practiced speaking enough to develop the confidence necessary to thrive.In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss the importance of practicing speaking with other people in different situations. They talk about the importance of clearly articulating ideas and learning to acknowledge when something great has been said rather than restating it in your own words.--Episode Mini-Lessons:How to get rid of filler wordsFind comfort in silencePractice speaking with other people in various situationsClear communication is one of the toughest skills to learn, but it's the most valuableEveryone has something to sayLearn more about Tim's lesson to his younger self--Speaking with clarity--in this episode of Unpacking Design.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-1Why is it important for us to pace ourselves through our lives and careers?There are so many projects creative professionals want to pursue in their careers and personal lives. Those who chase long-term endeavors often face an impasse. They begin to juggle too much at once or they lose the motivation to do what once empowered them.Trying to do all the things at once will lead to mediocrity or burnout. Neither situation is where you want to be.In this episode, Mike shares his story about burning out in his own career when he was juggling a full-time job and multiple side hustles. He shares the importance of focusing on one important thing at a time to improve your results and your enjoyment of the process.--Episode Mini Lessons:Trying to do all the things at once will lead to mediocrity or burnout. Neither is where you want to be.Learn to Embrace the Stillness. Live in the moment instead of pressuring the future to happen in the 'perfect' way.Life is long. There will be enough time to taste many different things deliberately.Treat your life in seasons.Create goals, but be open to serendipity.Take care of yourself to do more profound, meaningful, and better things.Learn more about Mike's lesson to his younger self--Pace yourself--in this episode of Unpacking Design.

This season is all about a single theme -- "Life Lessons to My Younger Self"Starting July 15, 2021, we'll be releasing a new masterclass episode every two weeks, twelve episodes in total. Each episode, we'll dive deep into a lesson that Mike and Tim would teach their younger selves--6 for each.The intent is to provide a comprehensive look at topics that we believe can help emerging professionals and creatives avoid the missteps we took years ago.We hope you'll join us for the adventure.

A big announcement for the show!First, the show will be taking a break for a few weeks. Ugh. I know.Second, the reason the show is going on hiatus is to fine tune the future vision we have for the podcast moving forward.After 150+ Episodes and over 3 years, we believe that the show is due for a change.You are the best audience we could ask for and we hope you’ll stick around for the next leg of the Unpacking Design journey.Listen in to this episode where you can get more details from Mike about what the heck is going on with the podcast.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/154What book has influenced the way that you think about your approach to your life and finding clarity to the things that you do?Mike introduces a new topic that Unpacking Design will start focusing on in 2021 – books. Mike and Tim will bring several books to the table and talk about how they’ve inspired their life, career, and projects. The first book in this series will be Start with Why by Simon Sinek.Starting off the discussion, Mike shares his personal experience of how the book, Start with Why, helped him get through his period of burnout. He gives a summary of Simon Sinek and his book to give context to the conversation. He describes a specific example that Sinek gives in his book and Ted Talk about Apple and how they don’t sell a product, they sell an idea.Tim shares his thoughts on Sinek’s Ted Talk and his book by talking about the ways that the companies that were discussed in his writing has influenced the way that Tim thinks about his approach to business and life. Mike shares why he pursues all of the endeavors in his life and the impact he wants to have in the design community and the world.The transition the discussion to the self-development movement that followed Sinek’s book where a lot of other books focus on similar ideas, but aren’t as articulate as Sinek’s. They talk about the way that the book was written, the examples that were used, and the logical explanation of each chapter of the book.Learn more about Start with Why by Simon Sinek and how it can influence your approach to life, career, and projects in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/153If there was a social app in its infancy where you could start building a community, would you join? That’s exactly what Clubhouse is in 2021.Tim starts this episode off with a brief introduction to the invite only app that’s currently in beta and only available on iPhones. Tim goes over the overall idea of the app and how it functions so that a new user could quickly understand how to navigate in the app. Mike talks about his initial experiences with the app and asks Tim about his experience as an introvert using an audio based app that focuses on group conversations.Tim talks about the invite only aspect of Clubhouse where a user has to be invited by someone else who knows them. This creates an atmosphere of professionalism and increases the authenticity of the people. He also shares the ping feature where a user can bring a friend into a room by notifying them. This can work for big in-depth discussions where someone can ping an expert to join a room to talk about the topic at hand.Mike and Tim discusses the conversations that occur in the app and the way that moderators and others are inviting and interested in hearing from others. It creates a stage and ambiance where people who are introverted, like Tim, feels comfortable joining conversations and making meaningful connections.They transition the conversation to talking about the future of clubhouse in the social media space and whether it will continue to work in the future. Tim believes that it’s an app centered around creating positive communities filled with knowledgeable discussions and because of the way the app is being built, it will likely be one of the biggest ones in the future. Mike and Tim talk about the benefits of designers and architects getting into the app early while it’s still in beta and starting to build a community of their own now.Learn more about how designers and architects can benefit through Mike and Tim’s discussion of Clubhouse in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/152How much meaning does winning an award have to you? Why do you feel that way about awards?Mike starts the episode off with a story about the types of awards that exist in different industries and shifts to his personal views on awards. They used to be something that Mike would apply for to win an award and in some cases it was to build his portfolio and in others, it was related to ego. However, Mike now sees less value in awards and doesn’t focus his time on applying personally for them. Instead, he now looks for opportunities to nominate his friends and colleagues to receive the awards.Tim talks about the issue of awards in recent times where most awards are driven by applications and fees. In order to be entered, one has to pay hundreds of dollars and out of all the applicants, only one person can win the award. Tim shares his personal thoughts on awards that he would pursue, which would be awards that have a legacy, recognition of work, and meaning behind it.Mike dives into the idea of legacy and how the people who receive long-standing annual awards that are based on a nomination process only, are awards that stand out against all others. One example is the Pritzker prize award that one architect receives every year for outstanding work and thoughtfulness beyond the trends of the time.Tim transitions the discussion to talking about the idea of race and gender in the awards and recognition process. He dives into the issue of awards in the design professions where there has historically been a lack of diversity and how minorities have won the least amount of awards. Mike and Tim discuss this idea and talk about the need for more opportunities for everyone to be on an equal playing field to be nominated to receive an award.Learn more about how Mike and Tim view awards and how meaningful they are in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/151Have you ever thought about selling digital products online in a place like Etsy? What kinds of people and designers are on there and what are the differences in the types of products that they sell?Tim starts this episode off by framing the discussion around the different levels of designers who are selling digital products in an online marketplace like Etsy. He talks about the general population who are amateurs and self taught as a designer because they got into it as a hobby and eventually turned it into a business. Then, there are young designers who have a lot of energy and some ignorance of the things that they haven’t yet experienced or learned yet.Mike and Tim talk about the interesting idea that a majority of the general population who come up with digital products to sell typically make more sales than designers. Mike talks about the idea that the general population typically designs to solve immediate problems that they’ve encountered or see and are closer to their target audience. Designers are generally bad at business and not good at marketing themselves.Tim shares his thoughts that most of the general population will generally discover a cool idea that they’re excited to create and start the process of making that product. Whereas, designers are typically facing their fears of putting their work out into the world and selling it to others. There’s a fear that there’ll be bad feedback or criticism when the product enters the market place.Mike talks about his experience putting out a digital course for people to purchase and learn from. He planned ahead and didn’t feel like he was afraid of putting out the course and selling it because he put so much effort into creating the product and felt like an expert in the content that the course covered.Tim transitions to talking about the 3rd level of designers who sell digital products, which are at an intermediate level and above. Most designers who have experience as designers have developed confidence in their abilities to produce great content. He talks about the differences in quality of products between the different levels of designers, the price points that they decide to sell their products, and the financial upsides for designers who sell digital products.Mike talks about the focus of the different levels of designers who are selling digital products and how it drives the quality and the cost of their product. People who focus on the idea of making money from their products typically design lower quality products and look at selling the most products. Whereas, designers who have more experience in their craft will put more effort into creating their products, which results in better quality, but not always more sales.Mike and Tim end the episode with advice for people who are interested in developing and selling digital products. Don’t miss out on what Mike and Tim had to say in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/150How can the simple practice of owning and consistently journaling help designers grow in both their personal lives and careers?Tim starts this episode by sharing his method of daily journaling over the past year and a half. He talks about setting his goals in December of the previous year, writing it down on the backside of the cover of his journal, and dedicating one page a day to journaling. His focus for each entry is to reflect on events that occurred during the day. He writes down successful moments, events to learn from, achievements, and ends each entry with his one goal for the next day.Mike talks about his latest venture into journaling and purchasing field note books to write down his thoughts and ideas. He uses journaling as a way of finding clarity in his life by writing down his thoughts and reflecting on it through the process of writing. Journaling is a method of documenting the lessons that you’re learning every day and to have those lessons captured in a personal book for reference.Tim transitions to how he uses his journal for personal development and career growth. He shares a story about how daily journaling helped him identify issues on projects he was working on and how he overcame the issues through his evening reflections as he documented significant events in his journal. He talks about how these journal entries helped him prime his mind so that the next time he was experiencing a similar problem; he would be able to react based on his previous experience.Learn more about how Mike and Tim benefitted from the practice of journaling consistently.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/149How do we set annual goals and what do the goals of two architects look like? Why do we set these goals and how do they help us stay focused throughout the year?Tim starts this episode off by sharing his insight behind how he comes up with his goals every year. He splits his focus into three different categories that he wants to pursue and develop personally. Through those categories, he develops goals that focus on bigger and long term pursuits. The three categories focus on health – physical and mental, finances, and personal pursuits. He shares specific numbers for financial goals and the reasons behind each one. From saving money in his retirement accounts to earning side income from personal pursuits, Tim dives deep into his goals for 2021.Mike transitions to his goals for 2021 and his method of setting themes for his goals. He shares the past themes that he set for his annual goals and explains what he learned from pursuing goals under each theme. For 2021, Mike will be setting his goals towards the theme “Simplify”, which was inspired by Marie Forleo’s book, Everything is Figureoutable and how she simplified everything in her life when she realized how many things she was simultaneously pursuing. Mike will be focusing on his health and mental goals, saying no to opportunities so he can work on his personal endeavors, and finishing his book.Learn more about how Mike and Tim set their goals every year and see what they’re focusing on in 2021 in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/148How do we plan for the upcoming year with our podcast? What’s on the horizon for Unpacking Design?Mike starts this episode off with metrics on Unpacking Design and talks about how the podcast has passed 150 episodes and the consistency of sharing new episodes every week. He shares his optimism leading into 2020 before the pandemic and all the different topics that has been covered on the podcast. Topics ranged from apps to office furniture and movies to tech.Mike and Tim discuss the ways that the pandemic changed how they recorded their episodes from in-person to online. They share the positive effects that the pandemic had on their content development for Unpacking Design and provided topics that they never thought about discussing.Tim transitions the discussion to his thoughts for the direction of Unpacking design in 2021. They agree that the podcast’s topics can start to focus on getting in-depth with specific topics, narrowing down the different subjects to focus on with the podcast, and bringing debatable topics to the table. They also agreed that sharing topics ahead of recording each episode would give each other an opportunity to research the topic at hand and dive deeper during the recording.Tim transitions to brainstorming guiding questions for the podcast so that every episode is structured and leads to a subjective discussion based on Mike and Tim’s perspective. Mike talks about how Unpacking Design has always been something he looks forward to because he walks away from each discussion learning something new or thinking about the topic in a totally new way. He also talks about the potential of bringing guests on the show and getting their perspective and expertise on a topic at hand.They transition to talking about Tim’s hope for the podcast to focus on a greater cause like teaching others so they can walk away from each episode with a lot more knowledge about a topic than before and having a new perspective on it.Learn more about what to expect in 2021 with Unpacking Design in this episode where Mike and Tim reflect on 2020 with the podcast and talk about where they see it heading in 2021.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/147As designers, whenever we use Instagram, we’re always curating a user feed that often becomes a curation of projects, products, and designs. How can we use Instagram Guide to grow our brand and curate our posts for our audience to learn and purchase our products?Tim introduces Instagram Guides and talks about where it’s located, how it works, and how it could be used by designers. Instagram guide allows the user to curate a guide using previous Instagram posts and pulling them into one large post that becomes a curation of work. Mike talks about the advantages of using Instagram guides to give an audience a deeper dive into the user’s work and interests.Mike shares the ways that Instagram Guides will change the way that he posts to Instagram. He thinks that Guides will allow him to spend less time trying to create an aesthetic for his specific feed and instead, focus on creating work and sharing them through posts as the platform was intended to be used. The guides could then be the curated version of all the work he shares.Tim transitions to another feature of Instagram Guides, which is creating a guide full of products to sell. Users can now curate a guide full of products that their audience can tap and purchase. In addition, Instagram now allows users to purchase products directly in Instagram, which is different from how purchases used to work on the platform. He also talks about the opportunity to sell digital products through Instagram and how this can benefit designers who sell digital tutorial style products.Learn more about where Mike and Tim talk about the benefits for designers to use Instagram guides to grow their brands in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/146During the pandemic, movie theaters were significantly impacted because people were no longer able to safely occupy indoor spaces in crowds. Producers and companies quickly shifted to a digital means of showcasing new movies. After the pandemic is over, what will happen to the movie theater industry? What will the physical movie theater become?Mike introduces this topic by sharing his experience watching all 15 seasons of Supernatural over the past year and a half and transitions to talking about the way that theaters and movie theaters are now releasing all their movies online without the physical shows.Mike and Tim discuss the future of movie theaters after the pandemic is over and whether the industry will change to focusing on releasing movies online from here on. Tim talks about the experience that everyone has when they go to a movie theater from buying popcorn and drinks to sharing the movie with hundreds of other people. The energy that everyone shares in the theater is an experience that just can’t be replicated online yet.They talk about how the movie theater experience will never go away, but will be akin to amusement parks or historic theaters where there’s an ambiance that people are looking to continue experiencing. Tim talks about his recent experience watching the Mike Tyson versus Mike Jones Jr. boxing match during the pandemic where everyone had to stream it live. There was no audience, but there were audience cues that you can hear as you watched the boxing match. He also mentions that the future of the movie industry is most likely going to be virtual reality movies that you can enjoy at home.Mike talks about how shows like The Mandalorian is being recorded on a sound stage and the scenery is completely rendered. Technology is at a point where movies could be documented and shared in a way that everyone was already getting used to, but are now completely immersed due to the pandemic and staying at home.Learn more about where Mike and Tim thinks the movie industry is headed post-pandemic in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/145The end of every year always seems to get extremely busy for both work and one’s personal life. For Mike and Tim, this is exactly what they’re encountering as 2020 comes to a close. How are they balancing their professional and personal workload with their health and relationships?Tim starts this design life episode off talking about all of the projects that he’s currently juggling with his work at the architecture firm, his YouTube channel, and getting back to personal architecture projects. He discovered an architecture competition to design low rise multifamily housing that all minorities will be able to afford. He loved the premise behind the competition and is brainstorming ways to juggle it along with his current YouTube projects.Mike finished his 75-day challenge and is now focusing on decompressing from a busy year of both personal and professional work. He’s working out at home using resistance bands that clip into a foot board. Mike and Tim talk about different workouts and the benefits of a rowing machine, which they both debated purchasing this year.They transition the conversation to talking about Mike’s progress on his book and his upcoming 3-week vacation to focus on finishing the first draft of the book. He agreed to so many additional projects in the fall and reached a point where he said yes to too many opportunities that came his way, which slowed down his progress on writing his book. He also simplified his method of writing his book by focusing on jumping straight into writing and not on constantly planning how he would write.Learn more about how Mike and Tim are finding balance in their lives and taking a moment to decompress and rejuvenate in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/144What does the middle ground of politics in America look like when discussed by two designers who focus on the system and comparisons to how debates operated in the past and how they operate in the 21st century?Mike starts off the topic by talking about the system of politics in America and the way that it used to work compared to the way that it now operates. It went from being a time of intellectual discourse about how candidates would solve issues and create opportunities throughout the country and the world to the 21st century where it now focuses on painting opposing candidates in a negative light.Mike and Tim get into a discussion about how most people’s decisions to vote for candidates are typically driven by the community and people that they’re surrounded by rather than personally researching and understanding the perspectives and plans of each candidate to make an informed decision. Tim shares his perspective and journey to learn more about the system of politics in America. He shares stories of his past and how growing up in a poverty stricken neighborhood in NYC shaped his lack of knowledge of politics throughout his life. He talks about some of the things he has been learning by researching politics in America and how it’s shaping his views on the system behind it.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s perspectives on how politics used to be and how they seem to be today in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/143Why should a designer upgrade from an older generation iPhone like the iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone 12 Pro Max? What are the differences between these phones that relate to designers?Mike and Tim compare differences between the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Tim starts by describing some of the differences in its physical design from the materials to the smooth edge of the 7 plus to the flat band on the 12 Pro Max. He also talks about being used to a clean rectilinear perimeter edge screen with the 7 Plus and how the black bar at the top of the screen of the 12 Pro Max was hard to get used to.Mike and Tim discuss the removal of the home button and how it was the toughest part of the iPhone 12 Pro Max for Tim to get used to after transitioning from his iPhone 7 Plus. The home button was so useful in quickly getting access to passwords, unlocking the phone, and getting to specific features.They discuss why the transition from the iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone 12 Pro Max is useful for designers who use their phones as tools for creating their designs and products. It does all the things that the iPhone 7 Plus does as well as a high quality DSLR camera in less time. For creators who rely on their phones for content creation, it’s an easy decision to make the upgrade from an older phone like the iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone 12 Pro Max. They also talk about the price point and how new phones now cost more than powerful laptops.Learn more about Tim’s experience transitioning from the iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the differences that Mike and Tim see between these two phones in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/142As designers, how do we develop the habits to stay productive and focused on our projects? Is it better to focus on building one habit at a time, or multiple ones at the same time?Tim starts this design life by sharing his recent collaborations with Glowforge, the manufacturer of the laser cutter that he uses for a majority of his projects. He shares his experience working with them to develop a spotlight feature video of himself and getting his designs into their community catalog. He also talks about renovating his YouTube studio and his upcoming collaboration with his friend from NYC who specializes in calligraphy. Mike talks about his 75 day challenge that includes fitness and self-improvement focused goals. Mike chose 6 different things to focus on with his 75 day challenge that included simple goals like no alcohol, taking daily selfies, 750 calorie deficit every day, read 10 pages of a non-fiction book or 30 minutes of an audiobook, writing a paragraph a day, and taking 10k steps a day. The first 30 days were simple to accomplish each of these challenges, but started to feel like he needed to take a break by the middle of the challenge. Now that he’s at the end of the challenge, Mike is relieved that he could move on from a lot of the challenges and return to how his life was before the challenge.Learn more about how Mike and Tim have been developing consistent habits and ideas and methods that they’ve found to be successful or worth trying.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/141How do we identify a toxic work environment and what are some examples of them? How do we get out of a toxic work environment and/or help someone else who might be in one?Mike and Tim discuss what they think creates a toxic work environment and what often creates them. They talk about how middle management can often create toxic work places because they set impossible standards for people to attain. The same can be said about leaders of organizations where they aren’t natural born leaders nor trained as one and set rules and standards that undermine others. Later in the discussion, Mike shares another toxic work environment scenario where an individual isn’t growing anymore and is stagnating at a firm. This is one of the most common toxic work environment scenarios.Mike and Tim discuss these ideas and Tim shares his thoughts on designers not achieving personal growth due to stagnation of role at a firm. He also shares his views on people put into leadership positions who often create a toxic work environment through unrealistic expectations that they set onto younger designers. Mike and Tim talk about the idea of the rite of passage at design firms being long work hours for little pay and for the older designers to be able to control the younger designers.Learn more about how Mike and Tim identify toxic work environments and their thoughts on getting out of one in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/140During the pandemic where everyone is working from home, most people had to create ad-hoc workstations. Some people used their dining room tables while others already had a small home office setup. Why is it important for us to design a home office space that we look forward to using? How can we create a space that allows us to work comfortably throughout the day?Tim introduces the topic with a personal story about his recent home renovation to turn his attic into a mix of a bedroom with an office for two work stations; one for his fiancé and one for himself. He talks about how his family, his fiancé and her family, and how he grew up in New York City where he was used to having multi-purpose spaces.Mike talks about his background of growing up in a larger house with more space to separate spaces for sleeping, working, eating, and others. He also shares what he learned from burning out because he didn’t separate all of the things he was working on in his life. This is important to how he now separates his life from work through his spaces and setup at home.They discuss the importance of having either a mental or physical separation between different tasks. It could be a simple switch like having a different desk, a different room, a different computer, and others. For people who work in the same space as someone else in their family or share their spaces with their children, it’s important to design and create a work station where they’ll be comfortable throughout the day and look forward to using every day. Both Mike and Tim recommend identifying the furniture that would make the home office a place where you want to be and slowly work towards purchasing each one.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s home offices and what was important to them when they were designing their spaces in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/139How do we stay focused on achieving our goals and completing personal challenges that we decide to pursue? How can we create a community around our personal pursuits through newsletters and online groups?Mike is continuing with his habit challenge from the last design life and he’s now at the middle of it. The challenges range from physical activities to mental tasks and building habits. Mike is getting tired and is starting to feel like taking a day off of the challenge, but this will mean that he needs to start over from day 1. After 32 days of working on this challenge, Mike is pushing himself to finish the challenge without missing any days.Mike is also developing his newsletter to be a reflection of what he’s up to now and ranges from what he learned from a book he’s reading to the tasks that he’s working on including writing his book. He’s also transitioning the newsletter to be more personal to him so that his audience could relate to what he is currently learning, doing, and working on.The discussion transitions to Tim’s currently focus, which is brainstorming ways that he could develop a membership website where he could give his digital designs away every week to his followers. Mike suggests moving into Patreon and sharing all of the digital files with his audience there, which will give him opportunities to offer higher membership levels as well. Tim is now focusing on building a community around his YouTube channel where people feel like they can contribute and offer advice, opinions, suggestions, and more. He also wants to share his files so people can get involved with making the products that Tim shares every week.Learn more about the things that Mike and Tim are working on in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/138One of the things many designers have been trained to believe is to work through design problems on their own and to only share their completed work. So, why should a designer look for and/or create a peer design group where they could have conversations with others in a similar space about their successes and struggles?Tim starts the discussion off by introducing a new group that he put together for YouTube content creators where they talk about the success and struggles that they’ve been experiencing with their channels. It’s an accountability group where everyone can learn from each other through recent experiences that they’ve encountered.Mike and Tim get into a discussion where Tim shared an example of a topic that came up through the first group meeting that Tim hosted where he offered suggestions to specific members about their channels to help them get unstuck and to figure out a clear path for their content. He also talks about how he found people who were interested in joining the group through Facebook groups. Mike shares his perspective on finding the right type of people for a group that focuses on open constructive criticism.Tim goes deeper into the ways that he found the right people to assemble for the peer design group and the important factors that he considered. He also shared his thoughts on not inviting people who would not be a good fit for the group and explains how he determines who wouldn’t work with the group.Learn more about the benefits of starting a peer design group and how it could help you grow your career and brand in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/137How can you start to develop new personal habits by setting a goal to do something for a set period of time? How does your lifestyle begin to change so that you can achieve each of these goals?Mike starts this design life with his most recent lifestyle change; moving to a new place where he’s renting an entire house. He has been purchasing new products and furniture, which makes his house feel more like his own long term place. He also shares his recent 75-day challenge of building new habits of doing physical activity, eating, writing, and documenting his success along the way.Mike transitions the discussion to his latest pursuit of focusing on the topic of burnout. He has been coaching people through their burnouts and speaking at events about it. His most recent goal is to focus 100 days on writing a book about wellness, mental health, and burnout. This 100-day goal is inspired by the author, Austin Kleon who is in the midst of pursuing his goal.Mike’s new book is geared towards a wider audience than architects because a lot of his recent posts about burnout has resonated with so many other groups of people. Tim shares his thoughts on how he would focus on writing a book if he knew it would be done by the end of the year. Tim talks about writing down every chapter as a one sentence statement that could be refined to a title in the future. He would use this outline of statements as writing points to help write every chapter.Learn more about Mike’s design life, how he’s developing new habits, and writing his book in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/136How can a vacation become a time of fulfillment where we make the time to complete the things in our lives that we’ve always wanted to accomplish? What does a staycation focusing on personal development look like?Tim starts this design life off with his recent staycation where he and his fiancé decided to stay at home for a week and use the time to do develop something that they’ve always wanted to work on, but never got around to doing. He’s been focusing on developing more content for his YouTube channel and working on partnership opportunities with Glowforge. Tim’s focus is on developing quality content, consistently posting, and finding his true fans who interact and get involved with his work.Mike and Tim talk about the potential of livestreaming and doing questions and answering sessions or showing the process of making the project. They brainstorm ways that Tim could be incorporating live content with his brand and the importance of learning the ins and outs of livestreaming now before the brand has a larger audience.Learn more about Tim’s design life and how he’s developing his personal brand in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/135How do you use sticky notes as a designer? What value does a sticky note have to your design process?Mike introduces the topic of post-it notes and talks about the ways that he uses it to quickly jot down and organize his thoughts and ideas. He talks about the simplicity of the product and how it’s a product that he doesn’t look at as being something precious in how they’re used. He’s not afraid to jot notes and ideas onto them and then throw them away.Tim talks about how he typically uses sticky notes to mark sections of a book with notes. He also uses sticky notes to quickly write and sketch ideas like a scrap pad and then throws them away when he’s done. Mike talks about how he organizes his day early in the morning on post it notes to help keep him on track throughout the day. He focuses on 3 critical tasks that he needs to complete that day.Learn more about how Mike and Tim use sticky notes in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/134Why do you subscribe to a newsletter in today’s day and age? What does a newsletter need to provide for you to follow and pay attention to each one?Tim introduces the topic of newsletters in 2020 and talks about his Friday Four Newsletter that he consistently sent out every week for the past 4 years. He had a great open rate, which means that a lot of his audience looked forward to opening and reading his newsletters. He posed the question for the talk, which was, why do people subscribe to newsletters and how do you create one that everyone looks forward to opening?Mike talks about Paul Jarvis and his newsletters that everyone is interested in reading. He has a very pure and honest perspective that he shares through his writing and it comes across in his newsletters. He talks about topics that people generally ask their family and friends related to creative endeavors and general topics. People follow his newsletters for his perspective and honesty that comes across through his text. He has a minimal aesthetic and doesn’t use any images in his newsletters.Tim is brainstorming the ideas behind a newsletter and trying to identify what his future newsletter for Ung Studio will focus on and the value that it will bring to his subscribers. Mike and Tim discuss their ideas for their newsletters and brainstorm ideas for how a great newsletter is written and engages their audiences.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s perspective on newsletters and how great newsletters are designed and written in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/133How do we begin to profit from our personal brands and the things that we truly believe in and are building? How do we focus on the things that truly matter to us and turn it into something more in our lives?Tim talks about his successes with YouTube and starting an Etsy shop where he’s selling a handful of his digital files for other creators. He shares his thoughts on how his brand is starting to grow and people are associating his design, projects, and quality of work with him. Tim also shares his ideas for setting up a process of developing project write-ups for a monograph book he plans to release annually on May 1st.Mike shares news that he’s moving to a house that he’ll be renting and includes a full garage with a workbench and capabilities of becoming a workshop. He also talks about how his seminar on burnout at a recent virtual conference led to him starting up coaching sessions. He talks about how he feels like he’s immediately impacting someone’s life by helping them through their burnout. Mike discusses his different endeavors and how he plans to build his blog and coaching endeavors and how they’re transitioning to talking more about mindset and health.Learn more about Mike’s coaching sessions and Tim’s latest YouTube development in this episode of Design Life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/132How do you stay consistent in all of your pursuits, especially the ones that are long term like building a brand or a business? What are some things that can help you stay focused and maintain consistency?Mike talks about how he’s staying consistent with all of his projects that he’s working on like his weekly live streaming sessions. He works with a schedule so that he can maintain his consistency with all of his projects. Mike and Tim discuss the value of having a schedule for all of their endeavors because they begin to develop something akin to muscle memory. When they show up in their space, they’re able to jump in and just start working. They also maintain balance in their lives by allowing variations in their schedule and sharing it with their audience. Mike shares his schedule every week with his followers and Tim has a schedule of posting one video every week on his YouTube channel.Mike and Tim talk about making sure that they are showing up and performing at the best of their abilities. Since their platforms are based on an audience, it’s important that they maintain their consistency because their audience start to inherently know that they’ll be releasing their content on those specific days.They also discussed the idea of how consistency differs from person to person and content to content. Tim posts a video on YouTube and sends an email newsletter every Friday, which gives him time to develop the content during the week. Mike’s live streams every week requires him to log on at those specific times. Everyone’s content is different, but it’s important to understand how much you could personally develop at a comfortable rate so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Mike and Tim recommend starting with a focus on developing content that you’re most passionate about instead of setting quantifiable goals. Eventually, you’ll find the content that’s authentic to you.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s perspective on consistency and how to maintain it with all of your projects in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/131When new opportunities arise, how do you identify the right one to pursue? How do you filter through everything that you’re working on when you start to feel overwhelmed to find the most important things to focus on?Mike talks about his experience giving a talk on burnout at a recent young architect virtual conference and the engagement that he had with the audience. His talk resonated with so many attendees that many of them carried their conversations beyond the conference to Facebook groups and started creating groups to help one another overcome burnout. Mike decided to move into 1 on 1 coaching in lieu of starting up a digital community around this idea. He wants to maintain personal connections with the people who need it so that they can feel comfortable being vulnerable, being heard, and learning about how they can begin to overcome burnout.Tim shares his process of developing his projects for his YouTube videos and talks about the importance of maintaining his focus on the most important ideas that he’s pursuing. Although he’s the designer, maker, videographer, editor, and marketing person for his YouTube channel, his primary objective is to show the world the process of designing and making products. If Tim starts to feel overwhelmed, he stops everything else to focus on that objective.Both Mike and Tim want to make sure that everything they’re pursuing is something that they love. They never want to resent the things that they’re passionate about because that’ll break all the things that they’re trying to build.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s current and new projects in this episode of Design Life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/130As COVID-19 continues to close cities around the world and the practice of social distancing has become a part of normal everyday life, we’re seeing a big shift from the physical world to the digital world. From work to school and regular social lives, everyone is now engaged in digital communication at a higher level than ever before. What are the biggest differences between a physical conference and a digital conference? How can people benefit from attending a virtual conference?Mike and Tim both recently attended a virtual conference for architects called the Young Architect Summer Series where they were amazed by the entire event. They entered it thinking it would be similar to a regular physical conference where there wouldn’t be much engagement and excitement at the events.However, throughout this virtual conference, Mike and Tim noticed that the community that was developed through social networks prior to the conference lead to positive energy and lots of excitement during the entire virtual conference. Everyone who attended was engaged in every talk and participated whenever a speaker asked a question. The digital platforms allowed this to happen seamlessly through chat features that the speakers can turn off during their presentations until they wanted to engage with the audience.The networking sessions surprised both Mike and Tim because the way that the host of those sessions used Zoom’s “breakout room” feature allowed small groups of people to meet one another and talk about specific questions that were asked by the host. Everyone had a fantastic time and the energy carried beyond the conference into Facebook groups and elsewhere.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s experience at their first virtual conference for young architects in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/129Every major home improvement store generally has prefabricated sheds that could be purchased, delivered, and installed in a backyard. What could a backyard office look like? What is important to have in the office shed?Mike and Tim start this discussion by talking about the importance of having natural light, ventilation (operable windows), and mechanical space conditioning (air conditioning and heating). The office shed also needs to have comfortable furniture like a standing desk and an ergonomic chair. It’s also important for the shed to have electrical ports for computers, laptops, lights, and other electrical devices.Later in the episode, Mike and Tim talk about the potential of designing architecture as products where someone could purchase an office shed and have it built in their backyard similar to how toolsheds are built. They talk about the prospect of other kinds of spaces that could be designed and built akin to tool sheds.Learn more about what Mike and Tim would include in a backyard office shed in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/128Should you go back to design school during the pandemic? What are the benefits of going back to school during this time?During this time of the global pandemic and economic stress, Mike was asked a question during his livestream about whether it was a good time to return to design school or not. Tim believes that it’s a tough time to go back to design school right now where everything is happening online because there’s an energy that comes from being in the same space as other students working towards common goals that gets lost through online communication.There’s also important socializing that happens between your peers and you when you’re in person that might be related to design or just anything in general. The socializing helps students develop a closer kinship and bond with each other that also leads to building a bigger network.Mike and Tim believes that now is not the time to go back to school for architecture or similar design professions where the studio culture is important for personal growth and building networks of peers and professors. Instead, they recommend taking the year to either get a job in a design office and work remotely, design projects that you’re interested in learning more about, build your portfolio, or use the year for personal career related growth. If your profession requires having a degree to get licensed, then it might be worth continuing your education.Learn more about what Mike and Tim think about going back to design school during this time of the global pandemic and economic distress in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/127Why is it important to find consistency in everything that you pursue? Why should designers start trying all the things that they’ve always thought about doing?In this episode, Mike talks about consistency with livestreaming and working on growing an audience. He’s learning a lot about live interaction with people who are asking questions or commenting during the livestream. Although Mike has been focusing an evening on livestreaming architecture content and another on playing a video game, he’s enjoying both the same. Having the variety of livestream topics has been helpful in making sure it’s enjoyable and not become a chore. Mike has been taking breaks whenever he needs to so he could recharge.Mike also purchased a magnetic white board with letters and numbers as a new medium for creating posts for Instagram. It might be used for a simple quote, a statement, a drawing, or anything else that Mike might be thinking about.Tim has been focusing a lot on developing content for his YouTube channel including expanding to different mediums and topics like wood lights and architecture. He’s been able to get 100 subscribers in two months, which is the average amount of time that it takes a new YouTuber with no subscribers.Tim is also working on developing a website for Ung Studio to share all of his products and videos. The website will eventually include a shop where subscribers can buy the files for the products he makes on his YouTube channel. He’s also planning to launch a book every year as a monograph of his work and as a way for his subscribers to support his endeavors.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s experiences with staying consistent with live streaming and YouTubing as well as opportunities that they’ve discovered along the way.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/126If we focus purely on the new design for the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X, which would you say has a better design?In this episode, Mike talks about Playstation 5’s initial concept video where the new console is shown to the world for the first time. He also shares images of the Xbox Series X and talks about its design. Focusing only on the aesthetics of both, Mike and Tim share their opinions on their design and talk about which one they would choose based on how it looks.Learn more about which console Mike and Tim would choose to purchase based solely on its design in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/125As we start to master the skills and techniques required in our profession or for our hobbies, we start to have opportunities to give back to others by teaching these skills. What platform is new and starting to gain traction as place for creatives to create courses to teach others how to create products while also earning passive income?In this episode, Tim shares his experience developing courses through Skillshare, which is a platform where creatives can teach others how to make a product. Through that process, the students should learn the necessary skills that they need to make other products.Mike and Tim talk about videos on Skillshare ranging in quality from entry level camera gear to full professionally recorded and edited videos. They discuss the potential of the platform, which is still growing and has organic reach. They go over Tim’s leather wallet course and how it has performed in the 3 weeks since it launched.Learn more about Skillshare in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/124One of the things that many people focus on when they start an online blog or channel are the statistics showing the number of followers and views that they’re receiving. How do we get away from focusing solely on the numbers and get back to creating great content?In this episode, Tim talks about his focus with his YouTube channel on consistency and quality content. He shares his thoughts on joining Facebook groups of like-minded individuals who are also pursuing the same hobbies like YouTubing. Through these groups, he discovered that lots of people focus on their numbers as an indicator of whether they’re doing good or bad. Tim’s focus on YouTube has been to use it as a platform for reflecting on his personal passions and getting better at showing his process of designing and making products with others.Mike talks about gaining traction with his livestreaming efforts by staying consistent. He talks about purchasing more tools to improve the quality of his streaming. Mike also shares the influence of livestreaming on him personally by helping him be more social with strangers that he’s meeting or presenting to through these livestreams.Learn more about Mike and Tim’s video content creation efforts in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/123What are the benefits to using a simple 3D modeling based software like SketchUp for designers and architects? How does this software compare to others that have become a standard in industries like Architecture?In this episode, Mike talks about his fascination with the software, SketchUp, which is a 3D modeling software that many architects use to develop concepts for their projects. He talks about the moment he first discovered SketchUp in the early 2000’s and how excited he was to share his models with his friends in architecture school.Tim shares his experience with the software, which wasn’t his first experience with 3D modeling software, and explains why he didn’t like using it as much as others. Mike and Tim get into a discussion about how there are so many different apps available for designers to use and each one is capable of producing similar results. It’s about finding the right one that feels natural for the designer to use.Learn more about the benefits of using SketchUp to develop 3D concepts in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/122When we start developing different brands for our passions and each begin to take on a life of its own, how can we get to a point where the two come together to create one brand to focus on?In this episode, Tim talks about his process for developing content for his YouTube channel and how much he has learned from the process so far. He shares his struggles and success with recording, editing, and scheduling videos as well as developing his first online course on Skillshare. He talks about the platform and how he developed a course on creating a leather wallet that he also edited into a shorter video for his YouTube channel.Mike and Tim get into a discussion about the potential transition of his blog, Journey of an Architect, to merge it with his YouTube channel and create one cohesive brand that he can focus on. This will save him time in the future that he can invest into developing each project and sharing them with his audience.Learn more about Tim’s experience on YouTube so far and his ideas for merging two brands in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/121We all have different ideas that we think about pursuing and we often find ourselves overwhelmed as we try to find the best ways for us to develop them. How do we pivot and transition our pursuits into different mediums and how can we streamline our content to share on multiple platforms simultaneously? Mike and Tim start this episode of Design Life by sharing 3 of their social distancing purchases that have benefitted their lives. For Mike, the purchases were a comfortable office chair, a license for SketchUp Pro, and a stream deck for his livestreaming. Tim purchased resistance bands, a Dyson vacuum, and received his engagement ring that he ordered earlier in the year.They get into a discussion about Mike’s routines from going on morning walks and getting back into writing to his latest endeavors with livestreaming. Mike talks about his transition for his blog from written content to video and brainstorms ways to make this transition seamless.Learn more about Mike’s latest pursuits with livestreaming in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/120As the pandemic of 2020 quickly changes our normal way of living to a life full of protective gear, staying at home, and physically avoiding others, what will the world be like after the pandemic is over? How will the pandemic effect the way that architecture is designed and built?In this episode, Tim talks about the changes that we’re already seeing in architecture from the materials that buildings are made of to the layout of different spaces. Mike and Tim brainstorm the different ways that architecture will change after the pandemic is over and the quick transition to automated technologies, larger spaces, and different airflow requirements.They also discuss the idea that many cities might begin to install more security cameras and heat detection radars to determine people who may be sick to quickly contain the spread of viruses in the future. Later in the episode, Mike and Tim talk about the current work culture during the pandemic and how it may lead to an increasing search for prefabricated backyard office spaces to separate work from home.Learn more about what Mike and Tim thinks will happen in the built environment of the post-pandemic world in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/119At some point in every designer’s career, they face a moment where they feel like there’s so much left to do for a project, but the deadline is quickly approaching. What often leads to these time crunch moments and how can we avoid them?In this episode, Mike talks about his latest experiences deadline with time crunch for an architecture project he’s working on and the way that it consumes his time, energy, and mental capacity after the general work hours at the office. He shares his opinions on how these moments can be positive because it creates an energy around the group to achieve a goal in a set amount of time.Tim shares his experiences working on projects and rushing to meet a deadline, but talks about the reasons why these situations came up. He mentions the fact that the members of a team, especially the ones who are managing them, are the reasons why these time crunches occur. Maybe it’s that the project was poorly planned on the scheduling side or perhaps team members didn’t uphold their responsibilities. Overall, having a team that work very well together can often resolve any issues that will help them avoid time crunches.Learn more about the positive aspects of time crunches as well as common causes and how to avoid them in this episode.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!

Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/118As Mike and Tim transition to creating video based content, both of them are trying different methods and platforms. What is it like to go live and share the process of designing architecture with software like SketchUp? What are some of the differences between live video streaming and YouTubing?In this episode, Mike talks about his transition to live streaming on Twitch and Facebook. His idea was to work on his personal architecture design project that he submitted for a competition years ago, but to update the SketchUp model and show his audience his process. He wants these live sessions to feel more like a time to hang out with other architects and be able to answer any questions related to the project or the career of an architect in general.Mike and Tim have a discussion about a new platform Mike discovered and started to use for live streaming called Streamlabs. This allows Mike to go live on multiple platforms at the same time. They brainstormed ideas for artists and designers who want to go live and talked about the opportunities that creative people have with the ability to create a product by the end of the livestream while bringing their audience through the process.Tim shares his experience so far developing his videos for his YouTube channel and talks about his focus on developing content and sharing his projects on his social media platforms. He talks about eventually creating videos on topics like getting unstuck on a design project.Learn more about Mike’s livestreaming and Tim’s YouTube endeavors in this episode of design life.—Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!