Monday Morning Grind: Keep Pushing, It Gets Better

Monday again.

Another week of deadlines, feedback loops, and the occasional imposter syndrome creeping in when you least expect it. If you’re in design—whether it’s UX, graphic, motion, industrial, or whatever niche you’ve carved out for yourself—you’ve probably had those moments where you wonder if this is all worth it.

Spoiler: It is.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The Ugly Side of Design Work

No one really prepares you for the grind.

People will tell you about the fun stuff—ideation sessions, creative breakthroughs, landing a project that actually pays well—but no one talks about the 40 revisions that make you want to throw your laptop out the window.

No one talks about the soul-crushing rounds of feedback that contradict everything from the last round. No one talks about the client who vanishes after weeks of work, or the job application you never heard back from despite spending hours tweaking your portfolio.

This is the stuff that makes good designers quit. And that’s a shame, because those who stick it out? They get better. They get tougher. They stop taking every piece of critique personally.

They build processes that protect their sanity.

It doesn’t feel like progress in the moment, but every frustrating experience sharpens you. Every late night, every miscommunication, every near-burnout moment—it’s all turning you into a better problem solver.

And that’s what design is, at its core: solving problems.

There’s a frustrating point in every designer’s journey where you feel like you’re stagnating. Your work isn’t bad, but it’s not groundbreaking.

Your career isn’t tanking, but it’s not skyrocketing either. This is the most dangerous phase because it makes you doubt whether you’re actually getting anywhere.

This is also the phase where most people pack it in.

But the ones who stick with it? They eventually see the payoff. Design is a skill that compounds over time. The things that feel impossible now will feel second nature in a year.

The clients who ghosted you? They get replaced by better ones. The rejection emails? You stop remembering them because eventually, the right opportunity comes along.

It’s all about momentum. Keep going, even if it feels like nothing is moving. Because the second you stop, you guarantee nothing will change.

The Myth of Overnight Success

Social media has tricked a lot of designers into thinking that one perfect post, one viral moment, one big client will change everything. It won’t. You know what actually changes everything? Years of grinding.

There’s nothing sexy about showing up, day after day, honing your craft, doing work that doesn’t always get recognition. But that’s how the best designers get where they are.

Some of the biggest names in design? They spent years designing things that never saw the light of day. They took jobs they hated. They worked for clients who didn’t value them.

They designed logos for $50. They made ugly work before they made good work.

No one sees the thousands of unseen designs, the rejections, the self-doubt. They only see the highlight reel. And comparing yourself to that is the fastest way to burn out.

If you’re going to last in design, you need resilience.

It’s easy to get bitter when your work gets torn apart or when less talented people seem to be getting ahead. But bitterness doesn’t pay the bills, and it sure as hell doesn’t make you a better designer.

Resilience means:

• Learning to take feedback without letting it crush you
• Understanding that clients don’t always know what they want (and that’s okay)
• Accepting that not every project will be a portfolio piece
• Keeping the ego in check while still valuing your skills

You will get knocked down. Repeatedly. The trick is getting back up and adjusting your approach, rather than letting it destroy you.

What to Do When You Feel Like Quitting

If you’re reading this and thinking, yeah, but I’m actually done, here’s what I’d say:

1. Take a break, but don’t quit. You might not need a career change. You might just need two weeks away from your screen. Step back, go outside, touch grass.
2. Redefine your success metrics. If you’re waiting for big moments to validate your work, you’ll be waiting forever. Start measuring success in smaller wins—getting through a tough project, learning a new skill, handling feedback like a pro.
3. Find your community. Design is a lonely game if you’re in it alone. Connect with other designers. Talk shop. Share horror stories. Laugh about them.
4. Remember why you started. At some point, you loved this. Maybe you still do, but the grind has buried it. Find that love again. Make something just for yourself.

You don’t have to love every second of this job to be good at it.

You don’t have to be constantly inspired to create solid work. Some days, you’ll be on fire. Other days, you’ll be dragging yourself through projects just to get them done. That’s normal. That’s work.

But here’s what matters: if you keep pushing, if you keep learning, if you keep designing even when it feels like you’re getting nowhere—one day, you’ll look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

Monday’s here. Time to get to work.