Baseline #28 – Buying Back My Time (and What It’s Teaching Me)

Joey Banks

Joey Banks

— 6 min read
Baseline #28 – Buying Back My Time (and What It’s Teaching Me)

Some reflections, a few changes behind the scenes, and what I’m learning about protecting time, trusting others, and building Baseline for the long run.

Hello again! 👋 After a little time away from the newsletter and from social media, it feels so good to be sitting down and writing here again. Thank you so much for sticking around and keeping subscribed. I’m excited to settle back into a rhythm of sharing more about life as an independent design systems designer, along with the tools, ideas, and lessons I’m learning this year, in the hopes that something here helps someone else out there.

Alright, onto this week's newsletter!

Over the last few months, alongside consulting and teaching, I’ve been working to reflect more on how I’m spending my time today, and how I want to be spending my time tomorrow, as I continue building Baseline and to have it as a part of my life for many more years to come.

One thing that’s become really clear to me is that doing everything myself doesn’t leave me with more. As you might imagine, it’s way too easy to be left feeling stretched thin and with less space for the parts of the work that I enjoy and love the most. Learning how to better protect my time and energy, not just for myself, but for the people and teams I’m fortunate enough to work with is a big priority for me this year, and I’d love to share a few initial learnings and steps with you here!

Beyond the Design Work

When I first started out with Baseline, I was (and still am!) very thankful to have the support and encouragement of so many others, especially from those of you reading. But as I expected with this path, I quickly found myself needing to take on just about everything there was to do to help prop things up and keep it all moving forward. From registering the business, to filing trademark paperwork, tracking expenses, paying contractors, replying to leads, and managing projects, well, my plate was definitely full.

To be honest, though, having the chance to work on so many things that were brand new to me, while a little scary, has been one of my favorite parts about doing all of this. Taking on those new responsibilities that are far outside of design and learning what’s required to run this little business was exciting, and I continue to learn so much every single day. For example, did you know you have to pay taxes even when you’re working for yourself? … kidding! But very early on, I did learn all about those required estimated payments and how important it is to put money aside and out of view for when the filing date arrives.

So, about protecting that time… the more Baseline has grown, the more I’ve realized just how important it is to focus in on the parts that bring me the most energy, and ideally, those are also the parts I’m best at. It’s a lesson that will continue to repeat itself, but learning both how and what to delegate really is one of the best things you can do. But even with that in mind, it can still be a huge challenge. Finding ways to pass tasks onto others is becoming a big part of what will help to make sure the business can remain sustainable.

Trusting Others and Finding Balance

To hold myself accountable, and to continue to share with you here, I wanted to highlight a few big, recent changes I’ve made that have significantly helped me when it comes to the day to day work. Level Up with Figma is a course that I run, and teaching is by far one of my favorite aspects about this new career journey, but until now, I’ve always managed the cohorts myself.

This time around, though, I brought on someone to help behind the scenes, and it made a massive difference. They ran office hours, tackled questions, and made sure students felt even more supported every step of the way. Having a bit of extra help let me stay focused on teaching, and the whole experience went smoother than ever before. (Thank you so much, Tanish!)

The best part? The course scored its highest ratings yet in the end-of-course survey, and the only change was asking for a little help.

I also decided to bring on an external and experienced partner to help me manage the finances and related tasks for Baseline. By far, this has been the scariest decision I’ve made yet, as income and finances are not only the most critical part of running a business, but are a very personal part, too. Bringing someone on who’s done this a hundred times before has already made a huge difference. My days feel lighter, and I’m able to refocus more of my attention on the work of the business, rather than the work for the business.

I know there are more lessons ahead than I could ever count, but I’m feeling excited to be stepping into yet another chapter with Baseline. Protecting my time and energy, beginning to trust others more, and creating space to return to the work I love most, well, it all feels like the right shift.

Learning to Focus on What Matters

Many, if not all, of these reflections were inspired by joining Dan Mall’s Make More Money program earlier this year. Being able to sit close to others who are in similar and different positions, but all related by an independent journey, has been invaluable. It was through Dan’s program where I also first heard about the book Buying Back Your Time by Dan Martell. Learning more about the idea that success isn’t about doing more, but about focusing on what matters most, feels especially relevant in my life right now. It’s a theme I’m trying to carry forward, not just in how I work, but in how I show up for the people and teams I get to work with, too.

Thanks so much for reading, and for continuing to be part of this journey with me. I’m really excited for what’s ahead, and incredibly grateful to have this space and this audience to share it with. Your support truly means the world to me. 💛

Oh! And before I sign off, if you’ll be at Figma’s Config conference in San Francisco next week, reply and let me know! 👋 I’d love to say hello!

Know a Great Video Editor? 🎬

In the spirit of protecting my time and handing off more of the work, I’m beginning to look for a video editor to help with the next series of content for Level Up with Figma. If you know someone great (or if that’s you!), send me a note. I’d love to hear from you!

In Case You Missed It...

I’ll be busy soon updating all the videos and content to reflect the latest from this year’s Config, and I’m especially excited to go even deeper on design systems this time around. If you or your team are looking to feel more confident in Figma and in your workflows, come join the next cohort. I’d love to have you or your team there! 🎒

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I always love hearing from people, and if you enjoyed this, please reach out! You can find me on Bluesky @joeyabanks. 🦋

Thanks for reading! Take care. 💛

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