How to Improve Productivity Using Visual Tools with Liron Lavi Turkenich, Typeface Designer and Productivity Expert

0:00 People in Israel, we're trying to find new ways to be hopeful, I would say. And I think that elaborate provides this alternative Narrative of seeing what's around us and perhaps rediscovering hoping in certain aspects. And I think in aspects that are less than government or know any, any political party that says something about you. But more of a Grassroots movement, what fuels, a multi passionate life, I'm Jessica one. And in this podcast, Cast, I interview people who straddle two, completely different worlds, I call them ampersands and we are collectively designing. The Ampersand Manifesto, I'm delighted to be talking again with their own love.

0:48 Eater can H typeface designer and productivity expert and a self-described multi passionate since graduating from the University of reading with. Masters Degree in typeface design. Their own has been designing custom multilingual typefaces for global companies, specializing in Hebrew, she is the founder of our everyt, a hybrid writing system that merges Hebrew and Arabic and has received wide recognition for its Ingenuity and scope she spoken at tedx Vienna South by South West London, design Museum and more as a Productivity expertly Roan writes and speaks about visual productivity. A system.

1:35 She created for visual processors to help navigate through the personal and work overwhelm of Modern Life, their own. Welcome to the show. Hi, I'm so happy to be here again. We've gotten to know each other through a wonderful leadership accelerator program called the wise women's Council. I always think of you as their own calling in from hi. Oh, Israel haifa's, where you grew up, and where you're now raising your own family, how has Haifa shaped you as a designer. I think that I always felt that I face my home base, my roots, and it was a really safe place to travel from and to come back to. So I did a lot of traveling as a child and still, I do a lot of traveling, but returning to high-five with. You know, with this really specific scenery of green and nature and the sea is always just tart extending for me. And I think that's also living in a city that is semi City. I would say because it is a city with lots of, you know, traffic lights and everything.

2:47 You expect the city to be but we live really close like a one minute walk from the forest from nature. So it's this mixed of, you know, Serene and The business of a city. And that's a lovely place to be. When did you start to have an interest in typeface design? If I think back I was interested in letters and communication with letters as a very young child. I remember myself writing on we know we'd letter set, writing the words lyrics from songs on my closet in my bedroom and I was just surrounded with words and Around with myself with letters, I used to draw in my, in my diary, or in my journal when I was in school for years. Only, when I graduated my teacher told me. Oh, you've got blue eyes.

3:40 I've never seen your eyes because you're, you were always drawing letters. You're doing so but things didn't really click that I like letters. And that this is a way of, you know, of life for me just until I started studying visual Communication in my undergrad. So this is the moment that everything clicked because I understood that there is such a profession called typeface design and typography, the art of letters. That was a really huge click for me. You invented out of rit in a quest to connect. And as you say in your tedx talk to quote, make two parallel lines or lives meat, out of it has become more than a writing system. It's become a movement and a symbol of unity. Where are you now in the journey for our of it? Well, I am a decade in, so a lot of shifted I still love this project, it is You know, it's my life's Mission but I love seeing how it evolved into how I evolve in it. And to be completely honest, this is like, you know, like a marriage.

4:51 I'm just now, renewing my vows with out of rate and learning also how I'm changing and how it should change and shift and you know, grow maybe a bit differently. You know. Exactly in these days I'm discovering this and thinking about this and contemplating a lot on where it should go Howard. Should extend should it expands may be too narrow? All these thoughts are, well, they're expected after decade into a project, but if I, if I think back I think the project itself is very organic, it grows and it shifts, you know, monthly. Even that's really exciting to see, you know, where I'll be with it in six months, for instance, so many of our listeners speak English and possibly other languages. I myself do not speak Hebrew.

5:41 Or Arabic? What is the significance of connecting? These two languages where I can answer it in a personal level and the national level maybe. But as a personal level, and this is what's the most important for me to begin with is that this was actually a notion of ignoring and rediscovering something that's been around me for my whole life. Because in Haifa there are people who speak Hebrew as their native Target and people who speak Arabic. And I've Ever never learned Arabic and it actually never bothered me and this is the part where I'm talking about these parallel lines because I used to say that Hi-Fi the city of coexistence, but actually, it's not really coexistence but more of a parallel existence and you know, by understanding what's happening around me and stopping to ignore one whole script.

6:33 And, you know, culture people language and ideas. I think that this is where it starts from for me and then The start resonating with it and I also think that that are less than government or you know any any political party that says something about you. But more of a Grassroots movement actually. Yeah, it's really about the people and your community exactly and how everyone connects to it and people can connect to it in so many so many angles and always different prisons that I discover. Every time I give a talk, people are coming up to me later. Or with different ideas that they have or different ways that it touches their lives at the Expo 2020, Dubai.

7:18 A huge out of rip sculpture with the words towards tomorrow was unveiled at the Israeli Pavilion. What did this mean for you? This is such Such a beautiful moment because when I was designing, it, I was designing on a 15 inch screen in 2D and I I was told that this is for Dubai, and at that time there was there were no, you know, any peace, treaties between Israel and Dubai, and the Emirates. And I knew that I'm actually designing something in a very small scale to be displayed in a place that I will never set foot in. And when it was actually possible to go to Dubai, I Couldn't believe that I'm seeing this. First of all, I've never seen all of it in such a huge scale. And when I was designing, I Was preparing. It was so hard for me to imagine something that too big and that impact.

8:12 For also it's about it's not about me and ignoring signs in my hometown. Now it's about the world and it's about how open and welcoming we are. And a lot of people who are who have nothing to do with Hebrew or Arabic, could still see this huge sculpture and interact with it. It in several different ways that was very meaningful for me. You talked about out of it, as kind of like a marriage and I was thinking about it as kind of a baby. And you have three, human children. A spouse at least one dog, maybe more. Well, I'm Doug. How has how has your family and a growing family. Especially in this last decade added to the multi, passionate nature of your life. I think that when we decided to To have a family, we decided to very mindfully that our children will fit in with our with our lifestyle, with traveling with career and we are doing it still.

9:13 So we're we're traveling a lot with them and we're doing a lot of things that I will also say that this they are teaching me a lot about how to slow down. So I always talk about this multi passionate part of me as you know, a fire growing and there is absolutely no way. Way to shut it down or to turn it off even. And when I'm with my kids and I really have no option. So we're, you know, we were on the carpet. We're playing something I can dream all the dreams, I can have all the ideas but I cannot act on them. So it really does teach me how to be a bit more slow, which is something I very much care for, let's switch gears and talk a little bit about productivity.

9:59 How do you think? Out your work as a designer. And as a productivity expert, what distinctions do you make between them and where do you see overlap? I think I came into productivity by by necessity and I'm speaking of productivity as you know, as a code word because I don't think that productive is, you know, producing a lot of time in a very mindful productivity, basically, knowing where you're headed headed, and not being Over overloaded just mentally overloaded with things and how to get to, where you want to get. So it did start as a necessity because apart from type design and that of weight, I do a lot of other things and I started just trying to figure out when I'm working on. What, how I'm dividing my time, how I'm reflecting and thinking that, I'm actually happy with how my days ago, and I started reading so much so many books.

11:00 So many articles and as a visual person, I started feeling that it's very hard to comprehend all the texts and I started realizing that I'm actually sketching and drawing a lot of diagrams for myself and to help me visually see what's happening. So I think that as a designer, I have this this Grill to make sense of text and of content, make sense of it in a visual way so people can understand it, maybe even like, Like let's imagine a logo that you see for a company by just looking at the logo, you understand a lot about the company. So by seeing your diagram or a system it's very easy for you to understand.

11:42 What else are you expecting to do? How did your day go? So this is how I started with it and I started seeing that by writing about it and talking about it. And getting workshops, people started really telling me that, it helps them with things that they didn't think that they could do before. So. That was a really nice way to connect design and productivity. Where are you in your journey? Now with visual productivity as one of your projects and moving forward into really a time where, I think a lot of people need this type of framework to thrive in their work.

12:23 I'm now in the middle of working on two separate projects within with visual productivity and I will say, That's a lot of the material is in Hebrew and currently is being translated, because I understood from a lot of my friends and colleagues that they're interested in reading that too. That's maybe, you know, the balance between local and international, but I do have two two projects or two streams. And one of them is it's called, well, I don't have the formal name but something about the compartments, the best gifts that we put everything we have. And the fact that most of us don't have a map, a visual map for where we put all the incoming stuff in our lives. Once we have a map, that's that map doesn't change much the input or let's even call this laundry baskets. It doesn't really matter what you put in there but as long as you know that this basket is for this and this F is for that that's super helpful and looking at the Frameworks and the blueprints of people online.

13:21 It doesn't really apply to everyone. So this this map really needs to be very personal to anyone. You have to know exactly what your baskets are. They would be very different from mine for sure. So just finding a place for everything and organizing it visually is one thing and the other is how to make a project come to life, how to make a dream come to life and make the Project's Real by working visually on your systems and Milestones and so on. I think a lot of this could be applicable to a Sands for sure. Exactly. I think that may be the hardest. Challenge for me as an ampersand. As I learned from, you is knowing how to reduce my guilt to a minimum.

14:10 So, when I'm working on one thing, not to be so guilty of not working on the other things, this is such a work in progress, for me. It's not that easy. I will say when I'm working on one project, what happens to the other eight? Why are they not getting attention? Yeah. What have you found? That has helped you along the way with not feeling the guilt as much. I'm doing a lot of Reflections and other visual Reflections as well and doing a lot of reflections of what I've achieved, a lot of that. Because I always tend to think that I didn't do as much as I hoped or that I, you know, I'm thinking about the eight projects that I didn't touch and not about the one project that they did make progress in.

14:54 So a lot of working visually on that, I have an exercise that I do for myself which is called my Late and I, I load all the, you know, all the brain dump or the stuff I have to do, and I put it on the plate. I basically write it down on an elliptical form, and then I clear my plate and start removing things. So I have all these exercises for myself of both reflecting and knowing how much I did accomplish and making myself feel better, because most of us do accomplish things, no matter how we feel about it and the other is really seeing, you know, the full picture. What's on my plate? Right now. Yeah, and for multi passionate people, there tends to be a lot and a lot that is colorful and diverse and different, right?

15:46 Let's take a moment to pause and reflect what's on your plate. At the moment outside of Hosting this podcast, I partner with leaders in the workplace as they rise. So perhaps you've gotten a promotion landed, a new role or taken on a lot more responsibility and you need a trusted sounding board to support you as you support your team. I coach individuals and Leadership teams to rise to the challenge with my a and blend of analytical and creative. If any of this intrigues, you reach out to me at Jessica one.com. Now, back to the show. So Al Along with being a typeface designer and having a family and being a productivity expert, you are currently working on a book project Printing, and Publishing your version of the Haggadah a Jewish traditional cultural book for Passover for families.

16:48 How did this project come to be? Well, right now, as we speak, there are 3,000 copies of the book in my basement. Some are going for free sale for pre-orders and some are just. Yeah, we're working on promoting and marketing. This, this project is another example for another business that just happened out of it. Very, I don't know, a moment, a spark of an idea of seeing Oh there's a gap in the market. There is no this Haggadah book is it traditional book but you don't have to be. It's very controversial book in Israel for the holiday of Passover. And I just realized that there is no actual good book like a children's book that is fully Illustrated for for kids.

17:32 And this part of just made me immediately you know, that fire that we spoke about. I called friend from school and they told her. Hey do you want to be my co-founder? And she said, well yeah, sure. And we approached an illustrator and we've read working for on it for four years on and off. And this is also, you know, thinking about on and off of a sentence, we always have this part that one of our project is on the back burner and well we have to try and be okay with that, they had I was on the back burner for months and then it returned and then it went back to the back burner and now it's finally out. So it just shows my set me and and you know my my colleagues that even though it did take four years, it did come to life at the end. Within this really matter how long it takes, just the thing that it does, no get to a completion at some point. That's such a huge satisfaction.

18:30 Congratulations, I'm now picturing all these stacks of books and boxes in your basement. Yes, there are a lot. I would say, it will be so exciting. Exciting to get those out there. Yeah, it is very exciting. It's nice to see the finished product. I'll have to say because in a lot of weight there is no The finished product actually is this Venture will go on. I hope for as long as I live and and this this book is, you know, it's out and that's it. So that's nice to have multiple projects with different outcomes in my life. You are also very active in the design Community for several years.

19:12 You've organized and curated a conference called a type. I, it's an International typeface Conference and you've also co-run the mentorship program. RAM on the international alphabets Network which supports women and non-binary people in the field. What have you learned from your community, involvement? Well right now we just literally two days ago we opened our sixth or seventh cohort of the mentorship program and I think that basically community and the type design Community is another form of aggravate. For me, it's another form of connecting people through letters. The thing we all love is is letters and type, and this is what connects us together. So this is what connects the mentors and the mentees. This is what connected Connects all the audience of that conference.

20:04 They are interest for that. So just seeing how there are so many people who are interested in, basically every Niche and working with that and trying to make an impact, trying to make the industry better. Trying to change lives of people who can't afford formal, type design education, and having amazing mentors Professionals in our field. Give their time for free to guide these people. That's just so nice. The round you live life in a way that is so inspiring very much following your passions your spark that fire inside you. What advice do you have for people who are pursuing or thinking of pursuing the empress and life? I think that if they are thinking to persuade, they they really don't have any other choice. If you are like this, then you are like this and if you are hesitating, then it's probably fear because you are like this. And and I would maybe my advice for people who do feel that it burning in them, is try to start the other thing. Very small, very tiny, you don't have to open. Company and another company you can just start by writing something you can start by Consulting to someone. It doesn't have to be a huge transition. You don't have to split your life in half. You can still be doing your main thing for 95% of the time and just educate these you know 5%

21:37 to this thing that's burning in you. And then I think that with time these things start to find their own balance for you. It doesn't have to be 50/50 balance, it doesn't have to be 50/50 ever actually. And you will find your balance in it. If that's something that's really true to you. And if someone is listening and they are just not understanding what this Ampersand thing is. I don't know, I think that maybe something in them does that's want to discover more. So I would try to find this tiny. Tiny, tiny Pebble that can start something new. A pebble that gets ignited and leads to a spark. I recently re-watched, your tedx talk and your quote at the end really stood out to me, you said training our mindsets to accept two things that seemingly clash and putting them together.

22:28 Creates a hole that is so much bigger than the sum of its parts and I immediately thought. Oh my goodness, this this is something that should be in the Ampersand Manifesto. What else do you think should be in the empress and Esto. I would say that the love for learning is something that's really, really true for a second because when you, when you have two things or at least two things that you're doing, you have so such steep learning curves. You have to start learning so many new things. If someone who does just one thing will have one learning curve. You would have several and you really have to be okay with sitting in that discomfort of being a newbie and not really knowing what you're doing.

23:17 You have to be okay with that. So I think that's also something that's maybe know kind of icterus six of them persons Their own. It's been such a pleasure talking with you today, folks. You can check out their owns work at www.liberaloasis.com or you can follow her on Instagram. There's two handles, there is the run love and out of it and we'll link to these, as well as the tedx talk in the show notes. If you liked this show hit, like, subscribe and share with your friends and fellow ampersands, I had a chance to listen back on my conversation with the your own here are a few key takeaways that came up for me, one.

24:03 I am so inspired by the way, Lear own approaches her work full of fire and passion but also with the idea that starting small is perfectly, okay to hear that, the Haggadah Book Project has been four years in the making sometimes moving from the front burner to the back burner and back again that really gives me hope. That the many projects I want to accomplish in my life will happen over time. Two collaboration is a theme that came up again and again throughout the groans different projects. Some people might have seen out of it as the completion of a project, but it actually seems like creatively.

24:44 The typeface was just the beginning. The existence of our event has sparked, so many conversations at talks and workshops museums Expose, and on social media, out of it is a collaboration with the world that It keeps changing and adapting a decade in. Three. I really resonated with what the Ron said about Parenthood, forcing you to slow down. And over time, I've come to realize that this is not a negative thing. Having a child forced me to really look at. And understand the pace that I was operating at before, I've always been busy, always moved quickly and I've always juggled a lot of different things. In a way becoming a parent showed me another way of being in this world that is just as valuable. I believe we can be both to have a naturally, busy and curious nature and to be fully present in the moment for a saint parents.

25:47 It's a new opportunity and something that we're constantly working on. I can't say though that I brought my three kids to see it because I was, you know, I to make them proud of their mom and they they couldn't care less. Honestly, they were looking at it. They were like, yeah, cool, where are the snacks? So I got one for so of them, which hopefully, they'll they'll see in a few years and be happy with