Diary of a Mom, Working in UX
A Goodlight interview with Christy Warner
As Mother's Day approaches, it's a perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible strength and resilience of working moms who juggle the demands of motherhood while pursuing their professional passions. I have had the privilege of working alongside many remarkable women who are not only dedicated mothers but also successful designers running their own businesses. This year, I reached out to Christy Warner, an independent UX designer, and mom who graciously agreed to share her experiences, insights, and tips on how to navigate the delicate balance between nurturing her family and nurturing her creative career.
Thanks for your time, first how do you manage your time effectively to ensure both work and family priorities are met?
I think that one of the best things about being self-employed is defining what works best for you. When I had my son, I knew I wanted to keep one foot in the UX world. Everything changes so quickly and I feared that being out of a project for too long would make rejoining impossible. I also knew that I didn't want to miss a single moment of watching him grow. With both of those in mind, I knew I wanted a part-time project.
I have been extremely blessed to find a project that I work on two days per week. I get to enjoy playing and exploring with my son for the majority of the week and then focus on the UX world knowing that he is safe with a nanny downstairs while I work the other two days. I couldn't be more grateful for this set-up.
What advice would you give to other working moms trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance?
First, know that you are doing the best that you can. Juggling motherhood, work, and life is A LOT. The biggest thing I would recommend to new moms is to invest in childcare. I think that moms who are able to watch their babies and work simultaneously are superheroes but I personally could not do it. Having childcare has allowed me to fully focus during work hours without worrying about not being present with my son. After work, I can fully embrace family time and disregard emails or messages knowing that I have completed what I need to for the day.
The second piece of advice I would give is to give yourself a little grace. Sometimes the day won't be perfect. Having a schedule helps with this. I know that some days I won't get a chance to get all of my work done while I have childcare. On those days, I wait until my son has gone to bed, and then I finish up what I need to.
Thank you so much to Christy for taking the time to answer our questions about motherhood. If you are interested in seeing her work you can find her over at christywarner.com and follow her at Linkedin.