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The talking tin with James Royal-Lawson

My top tips for being self-employed

In 2006, the same summer as my eldest child was born, I made the move to being self-employed. Over 17 years later, I'm still an independent consultant. Here are 5 pieces of advice if you are just starting out.

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  • An unexpected code-breaking challenge

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    This summer, I used the Scandinavian Airlines app to check my family in to our flights. Unexpectedly, it turned into a code-breaking challenge!
  • Digital design is conflicted

    18:01|
    In digital design, we are conflicted between thinking fast and slow, and between caring and causing harm. I'll explain what is happening, why it is happening, and what we can do to correct it. I'll also give you some concrete advice about checking how appropriate your speed is.The article that this episode is a reading of contains many links to references. I recommend that you visit Digital design is conflicted and look at the links.Sound credits:Glass breaking by Ruben Uitenweerde (CC BY 3.0 DEED)Female snoring by Blouhond (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED)Breathing, calm, mouth exhale by Giddster (CC0 1.0 DEED)
  • "AI saves me a day a week"

    05:50|
    AI makes you more efficient. Helps you work faster. But does that come with a hidden cost?People are saying that using "AI" saves them time. Anything from a few minutes to hours, but even as much as a typical working day. It helps them work faster.
  • Final call

    06:46|
    The experience of a delayed flight highlights the wider impact of poor service design. With an air of authority and accuracy, the departure board said that the gate to for my flight would be shown at 19:27. Not 19:15, not soon, but nineteen twenty seven. "Relax" it said on the screen. "We've got this covered" the screen reassuringly implied.
  • The journey to a new website

    11:14|
    My summer project during the summer of 2023 was to revamp my website.Well, that's not strictly true. The project of creating this new website started a few years ago. Actually, not even that is strictly true. The work on this particular plan started this year. Work on a website never ends.