paletteofdiya

When the “New Job Glow” Meets Reality

Week one was all about introductions, adjusting, and figuring out where the coffee machine is. Week two, however, decided to show its true personality - and let’s just say it came with deadlines, tech glitches, skipped lunches, and a tiny bit of chaos. The honeymoon phase with the new job slowly transitioned into the real agency experience: fast work, unpredictable days, and learning how to survive even when things refuse to go smoothly. But somewhere between all that madness, small wins and small lessons kept showing up.

When the “New Job Glow” Meets Reality

Week one was all about introductions, adjusting, and figuring out where the coffee machine is. Week two, however, decided to show its true personality - and let’s just say it came with deadlines, tech glitches, skipped lunches, and a tiny bit of chaos. The honeymoon phase with the new job slowly transitioned into the real agency experience: fast work, unpredictable days, and learning how to survive even when things refuse to go smoothly. But somewhere between all that madness, small wins and small lessons kept showing up.

Day 1 - New Laptop, Same Designer Survival Mode

The week began pretty much like every agency day - videos, posts, edits, repeat. Work was flowing non-stop, but something exciting finally happened: I got my permanent laptop. Now, in theory, that should have made life easier. In reality… it came with its own little glitches. But as designers, we quickly learn that technology has moods and we just adapt. Deadlines don’t wait for perfect devices. Between the work, I squeezed in a few rounds of table tennis and realized something surprising - I’m actually getting better at it.

Day 1 - New Laptop, Same Designer Survival Mode

The week began pretty much like every agency day - videos, posts, edits, repeat. Work was flowing non-stop, but something exciting finally happened: I got my permanent laptop. Now, in theory, that should have made life easier. In reality… it came with its own little glitches. But as designers, we quickly learn that technology has moods and we just adapt. Deadlines don’t wait for perfect devices. Between the work, I squeezed in a few rounds of table tennis and realized something surprising - I’m actually getting better at it.

Day 2 - The “Designer of the Day” Marathon

Day two felt like a full-on survival challenge. I was the only designer working that day, which meant work was piling up faster than I could process it. Videos, posts, edits - everything was coming in one after another. It turned into one of those damn long days where time moves fast but your energy slowly disappears. Lunch? Completely skipped. Add stomach cramps to the mix and it felt like my body and deadlines were competing against each other. But somehow, the work still got done. Agency life truly builds unexpected stamina.

Day 2 - The “Designer of the Day” Marathon

Day two felt like a full-on survival challenge. I was the only designer working that day, which meant work was piling up faster than I could process it. Videos, posts, edits - everything was coming in one after another. It turned into one of those damn long days where time moves fast but your energy slowly disappears. Lunch? Completely skipped. Add stomach cramps to the mix and it felt like my body and deadlines were competing against each other. But somehow, the work still got done. Agency life truly builds unexpected stamina.

Day 3 - Details, Determination & A Very Dramatic Cursor

Thankfully, day three came with some backup. Another designer working the Wednesday shift joined in, which instantly made things lighter. I worked on around 7–8 static posts and decided to put extra effort into them - adding more detailing, trying to bring my own creative style into the work. I wanted my designs to carry a small signature of “my touch.” The only villain that day? My laptop. The cursor kept disappearing like it was playing hide and seek with me. Illustrator had to be restarted again and again - easily more than seven times. At that point, the laptop clearly wanted attention.

Day 3 - Details, Determination & A Very Dramatic Cursor

Thankfully, day three came with some backup. Another designer working the Wednesday shift joined in, which instantly made things lighter. I worked on around 7–8 static posts and decided to put extra effort into them - adding more detailing, trying to bring my own creative style into the work. I wanted my designs to carry a small signature of “my touch.” The only villain that day? My laptop. The cursor kept disappearing like it was playing hide and seek with me. Illustrator had to be restarted again and again - easily more than seven times. At that point, the laptop clearly wanted attention.

Day 4 - A Random Walk & A Good Conversation

The week had been so work-heavy that I felt like doing something slightly spontaneous. I had already reached the metro, but instead of taking my usual route, I decided to walk to the office. Around 2 kilometers. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, I reached - surprisingly refreshed. Sometimes a small break from routine resets your brain. That day I finally got to properly meet Shalini, another designer in the team. Super talented and genuinely nice to talk too. The work continued with more static posts, and just like the previous day, lunch didn’t happen because I forgot to bring one. Apparently week two had declared war on my lunch breaks.

Day 4 - A Random Walk & A Good Conversation

The week had been so work-heavy that I felt like doing something slightly spontaneous. I had already reached the metro, but instead of taking my usual route, I decided to walk to the office. Around 2 kilometers. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, I reached - surprisingly refreshed. Sometimes a small break from routine resets your brain. That day I finally got to properly meet Shalini, another designer in the team. Super talented and genuinely nice to talk too. The work continued with more static posts, and just like the previous day, lunch didn’t happen because I forgot to bring one. Apparently week two had declared war on my lunch breaks.

Day 5 - New Mouse, Small Wins & Fighting the Flu

The last day of the week began with a small but meaningful upgrade, a new mouse. And surprisingly, it worked perfectly. The work for the day started smoothly and I wrapped up the designs on time, which felt satisfying when the team appreciated them. I even stepped out for lunch with colleagues and had some nice conversations - those small breaks honestly make hectic weeks a little lighter. By afternoon though, my body started protesting with throat pain, body aches, and low energy. A quick Dolo 650 became my survival companion for the rest of the day. Thankfully the office also came to the rescue with some evening snacks - onion sandwiches that felt oddly comforting after such a long week. Even though I wasn’t feeling my best, the deliverables went out on time and they liked the work, which was a tiny “yay” moment. And of course, the week ended the only way it should - with another round of table tennis.

Day 5 - New Mouse, Small Wins & Fighting the Flu

The last day of the week began with a small but meaningful upgrade, a new mouse. And surprisingly, it worked perfectly. The work for the day started smoothly and I wrapped up the designs on time, which felt satisfying when the team appreciated them. I even stepped out for lunch with colleagues and had some nice conversations - those small breaks honestly make hectic weeks a little lighter. By afternoon though, my body started protesting with throat pain, body aches, and low energy. A quick Dolo 650 became my survival companion for the rest of the day. Thankfully the office also came to the rescue with some evening snacks - onion sandwiches that felt oddly comforting after such a long week. Even though I wasn’t feeling my best, the deliverables went out on time and they liked the work, which was a tiny “yay” moment. And of course, the week ended the only way it should - with another round of table tennis.

Closure — Ginger Tea & Learning to Push Through

If week one was about adjusting, week two was about endurance. Tight deadlines, skipped lunches, disappearing cursors, and a laptop that clearly wanted constant attention - it felt like a full test of patience. But it also showed me that sometimes you don’t need perfect conditions to do good work. You just need persistence, a little creativity, and maybe a lot of ginger lemon tea. Speaking of which, my new favourite drink officially deserves credit for helping me survive the week. Slowly but surely, this chaotic routine is starting to feel like my own rhythm.

Closure — Ginger Tea & Learning to Push Through

If week one was about adjusting, week two was about endurance. Tight deadlines, skipped lunches, disappearing cursors, and a laptop that clearly wanted constant attention - it felt like a full test of patience. But it also showed me that sometimes you don’t need perfect conditions to do good work. You just need persistence, a little creativity, and maybe a lot of ginger lemon tea. Speaking of which, my new favourite drink officially deserves credit for helping me survive the week. Slowly but surely, this chaotic routine is starting to feel like my own rhythm.