Hey y’all 👋🏼 I hope you’ve been enjoying Sana’s Notes so far, if there is anything you’d like to hear about from me, just hit the Reply button and let me know! I hope you enjoy this week’s catch-up.

— Sana Tabassum

🍎 food for thought

This week I’d like to talk about the power of planning. Or more so, believing in yourself. Over the weekend, I finally watched King Richard, the story of Richard Williams, father of tennis legends Venus and Serena. I didn’t have any background knowledge going in, but I love sports biopics because they have this unparalleled sense of motivation that reaches you through the screen. I won’t spoil the movie for those of you who might not have watched it (but definitely recommend that you do!!).

Richard was by no means a perfect person, father or coach, he’s human just like the rest of us. What did strike me as a key characteristic though, was his sense of confidence. From the beginning, he had a plan. The plan itself was bizzare and detailed and probably quite ambitious - but that’s what makes it so incredible. (Although, Richard might disagree that there’s nothing incredible about it).

I’ve been quite wary of the idea of ‘manifestation’ and putting your goals out there for the universe to make them come true. I’ve grown up on the idea of hard work, striving to be at the top of whatever I do. But lately I’ve tried to map out goals and keep them in front of me - through a vision board or a commonplace notebook.

I love planning - and recognise the fact that not everything goes to plan - which is totally okay. I’ve also been watching a few short videos about multi-million dollar businesses and founders (linked below) which has been equally inspirational. How might this apply to you though? Well, if there’s a certain goal that you’re working towards or struggling to figure out what you want to do next, be it your personal or professional life, you can start by just planning. Get a big sheet of paper, and list out what the person who has accomplised those goals looks like. Then start back-tracking and breaking those goals down till you get small, achievable and actionable steps.

What I’ve learned 👇🏼

• A tip for those of you starting a new job; document everything. Things you learn, terms you didn’t know, ways of efficiently working. These get added to your collection of life learnings.

• Exploring all your options is better than limiting yourself to just one.

• If you tend to overthink or stress over big decisions, try writing it down, either on paper or in a note on your phone.

🍗 content nuggets

Disclaimer: I can’t take credit for the following channel / video, all my best recommendations come from my bestie ❤️

I thought the reel below was a cool little piece of content and something that can be adapted by architecture students and designers to offer to others as a service. Or if you’re just into AI and want to find a new tool.

🌶️ spicy tips

We’re already halfway through February and I think it’s the perfect time to start dusting off your CV and portfolio. My tip for student who are graduating this year is to include your best work till date. Don’t worry that your current project isn’t finished. You can mention this in applications until the Summer, but start curating, researching and figuring out what kinds of practices you want to apply to.

I know some of you might read this and this yeah okay, I’ll do that this weekend. But, I know how things can easily get lost in the cracks especially whilst you’re busy working on your design project. So instead, mark it in your calendar, write it on a sticky note, bet a tenner with a mate - anything to hold yourself accountable for working on your CV or portfolio for a few hours.

This is great if you need a break from design work but still have creative energy. Not to mention, the fact that there’s a low chance other students have had this idea (or read this newsletter), so if anything, it can put you a couple of steps ahead.

🔥 on the back burner

I recently uploaded a video for beginner’s in the self-development space that want to grow their personal brand. If you’re keen to go the extra mile, check out my video for tips and steps you can implement immediately.

Next week, I’ll also share a small project I’ve been working on that might interest y’all!

— Sana x