What's next
After sharing that I am leaving my full time job in the government doing design, a few people asked me what I will be up to and I thought it is a good exercise to pen down my thoughts.
1. Building again, but on my own terms
I miss the joy of building and experimenting as a small team, without the heavy constraints of serving an entire population and being answerable to multiple government agencies and stakeholders. Over the years (from building COVID vaccination system to voucher distribution and redemptions to building trust for SMSes from the government), the stakes only got higher, the pace faster. My health and family time took a hit from the endless sprints.
So when the chance came to start something with a few awesome ex-colleagues and recreate that sense of focus again, I said yes. It’s scary to start from zero, but if I can self-sustain and not live in fear of losing my job or being laid off, I’ll be proud of myself. First step: learn to live with uncertainty. So I fired myself. Do it scared.
2. Doubling down on craft
I want to be a better designer and builder, a thinker-doer with strong ideas who can also execute them well. Too often, design quality takes a back seat when we’re rushing to deliver product impact. Features ship fast, polish gets deprioritised, and my designer self is left unsatisfied.
I used to squeeze in extra hours outside of work to refine craft, but now I’m giving myself permission to do it intentionally. Creativity, taste and craft will be one of the biggest differentiators in the AI era, whether in software design, design systems, art direction, illustration, or creative coding. Become the design engineer that I am proud of.
3. Immersing in AI
I am so excited about the potential of AI. Everyday, my brain is filled with new ideas. Now, I finally have the time and freedom to build and experiment (yay vibe code!), without asking for permission, getting buy in from management and colleague. I also told myself to not worry about immediate monetisation.
I want to immerse myself deeply in this space and see where it takes me. Maybe it’s improving my own workflow, maybe it’s creating new tools that help others. I don’t know exactly where it’ll lead, but I’m excited to try.
4. Being more present for my son
This is a difficult but important one that I really need to prioritise. As a designer and builder, I am very engrossed in my projects and work and I don’t spend enough time with my 8‑year‑old son, making me a very distracted mother. I would be in my thoughts a lot, and Gideon will have to say "Mummy" multiple times to snap me out of my trance.
I want to be more present for him.
5. Work on myself
This might be the hardest project of all. I want to better manage my moods, fears, and anxiety. To pause and breathe more. To be okay with taking breaks without guilt, and to give myself permission to experiment and learn at my own pace.
I need to remember that my worth isn’t tied to my job, my titles, or how much I earn. There’s more to life than climbing the corporate ladder. I want to find joy in small, everyday moments, and stop chasing the next big thing. Be patient with myself. Live a little slower.