How I planned my career to get to senior product designer
2019:
I’d grab my morning coffee, walk back to my desk, and take out my new fancy to-do list.
Then I’d start scribbling down my tasks for the day, usually, whatever I didn’t get done yesterday… which I was already carrying over from the day before 🫣
This was my great “career strategy.”
Show up, complete my project tasks, and hope it somehow turns into a Senior Product Designer title.
Ever thought the same?
Here’s what I hadn’t realized yet:
I thought I was working towards a promotion, but in reality, I was being passive, hoping it would happen on its own.
There is a big difference between passively wanting something versus actively working for it.
The part I was missing?
👉🏽 I didn’t know how to actively work for it.
Every performance review left me a little more deflated:
“You’re not quite there yet.”
I spent nearly two years stuck in this loop, feeling lost and unsure of what to do to move forward
Meanwhile, my peers were getting promoted. And honestly? I couldn’t figure out what they were doing differently.
On the surface, it looked like we were doing the exact same job.
But something wasn’t clicking for me. I felt like I was guessing my way through my career.
Ever felt like you’re working hard but still not moving forward?
Fast forward two years.
I got to Senior Designer. And then landed a $22,000 salary increase.
Here’s what I changed in the 9 months leading up to that promotion, and why it made all the difference.
1. I reverse-engineered my goals.
I had one clear goal.
✨ To lead a project from start to finish confidently without needing constant input or reassurance ✨
That, to me, was the clearest signal that I was operating at a senior level.
But the problem? That goal still felt vague.
I didn’t know what “leading a project” actually looked like in practice, let alone how to do it with confidence. And my manager wasn't very helpful.
So I decided to figure it out myself!
I started speaking to designers already in senior roles. I asked them:
how they worked
what skills they leaned on most
what they wished they’d known earlier
Through those conversations, I began to piece together what I was missing.
This helped me turn an abstract goal into something specific and actionable.
Now, I finally had a starting point.
Here are the Key Skills I Focused On:
- Confident decision-making
- Effective project planning
- Clear stakeholder communication
- Presenting my work persuasively
- Strong cross-functional collaboration
- Writing useful design documentation
- Sharpening UI craft and execution
At first, I had no clue how to build any of these skills. But through research and conversations with other designers, I was able to break each one down further into specific tasks that I could actually accomplish.
Example: Stronger Decision-Making
Learn 3 decision-making frameworks and apply them to real project scenarios
Reflect after major design choices: What worked? What didn’t?
Write out my rationale before asking for feedback
Example: Project Planning
Create a plan for every project, even simple ones
Review plans from other designers to learn their structure
Partner with PMs/engineers to define timelines and blockers
Example: Clear Stakeholder Communication
Send weekly stakeholder updates using a simple template
Set up a Slack group to share design progress and invite feedback
Create an FAQ form so stakeholders can ask questions async
Can you see how breaking these ambiguous skills into something tangible makes them feel less intimidating and more achievable?
Remember, clarity removes overwhelm.
Pro Tip:
Consider doing this with your manager. Most companies have a set of role competencies that outline what’s expected at each level. Use them to break your goal down into clear, actionable steps.
Or build your own using tools like ChatGPT. (I’m working on creating a set so keep an eye out as I will share them in the future).
(If you want help with this, DM me. I work with designers 1:1 on this exact process in my mentoring calls.)
2. I made my yearly plan
Once I had broken down my big goal and had a list of the skills I needed to build, I needed to make time and space for it.
I’m a visual thinker, so I mapped it out month by month, factoring in holidays, big project milestones, and even downtime.
Each month, I’d pick 1–2 skills to focus on, depending on where I was in a project.
For example, I would take the skill of project planning for month 1 and set the tasks:
Create a plan for my next two projects
Ask to see my peers plans for their project
Research examples of plans from designers and other industries
The plan wasn’t set in stone; it was flexible, but it gave me direction. And that was key.
No more aimless months where I made zero progress just because I hadn’t planned ahead.
I still use this approach today. Here’s what this year’s and last year’s plans look like:
3. I reviewed my progress weekly and monthly
Here’s where most people fall off (I was the same!).
We make a plan but never look at it again.
We don’t track progress. So we make no progress.
So to avoid this, each week and month, I’d ask myself:
What did I accomplish?
What didn’t go as planned?
What will I do differently next week?
I still do this now; you’ve probably seen me post about it in my weekly Instagram reviews.
I created a daily and weekly planner based on the system I use. You can download it [here].
These check-ins gave me clarity and helped me feel excited and motivated because I could see my progress.
Seeing what I’d actually accomplished gave me a real sense of progress, even when it didn’t feel like much day to day.
Conclusion
Now, imagine showing a plan like this to your manager.
Not only does it show you’re serious about your growth, but it also shows you’re taking ownership of it!
And it works!
I give you my word! 🙏🏽
You’ll see yourself grow faster because you’re no longer guessing.
Instead of hoping your daily tasks somehow lead to your big goals, you’ll know exactly how they connect.
This is how I took control of my career and moved faster than ever before.
P.S.
Want to steal the exact daily and weekly planner I use to track all this?
You can download it for free [here].
