Innovation in Product - How to Use Drawing to Reduce Anxiety in a New Job Search

Job searching is inherently stressful. The process demands you put yourself on the line repeatedly — navigating uncertainty, sustaining momentum, and making high-stakes decisions with limited information, all while so much remains outside your control. It’s fertile ground for anxiety.

Jen Leung has developed a surprising and powerful antidote: a single index card. As a kinesthetic learner, Jen uses drawing and tactile engagement to cut through the noise. Her approach helps her get in touch with her own emotions, connect with her inner wisdom, clarify which factors matter most - both the excitement and the worries — prepare more authentically for interviews, and keep a running record to chart her progress. Over multiple applications, the cards become a prioritization tool: a quick way to compare opportunities and decide where to invest her energy.

It’s a deceptively simple tool and reminder that the best systems are the ones that match how you actually think. When a process is hard, deliberately bringing something you love into it improves the experience.

About Jen Leung

Jen Leung is an MIT-trained product manager with a passion for human-centered design and experience in Healthcare, EdTech, Financial, Consumer applications. Connect with her on LinkedIn.