Success Story:
A New York–based illustrator who hails from Hong Kong, Victo Ngai has already amassed an impressive portfolio of clients -- The New York Times, McDonald’s, Adidas Hong Kong and Runner’s World, just to name a few.
Sleep Strategy: Know when to say ‘no’
Sometimes, it takes a wake-up call to convince you to go to sleep. Ngai experienced that moment first-hand, and it led her to reprioritize sleep for the sake of her professional life. “I really tested my body’s limit three years ago,” when her career was taking off, Ngai explains. “I found myself with more projects than I [could] handle.” For two weeks, she was surviving on three or four hourly naps instead of sleep. After a week and a half, she says, her hair started falling out -- she lost around one fifth of her hair in just a few days. “It was terrifying.”
It took Ngai almost three years to establish a healthier sleep routine, she says, but now she sticks to habits that help keep her on her A game -- clear-headed and creative. She goes to bed before midnight, avoids light from screens before bedtime (which she says was a big cause of her insomnia and anxious nightmares) and uses eye masks and earplugs for more restful sleep. Finally -- and most importantly for other millennials struggling to stand out -- Ngai makes a point to say no to projects, even exciting ones, when she has a full plate. “There will always be more projects,” she says, “but I only have one body.”
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