👋Hello again!
In this week's episode, I dive into the design thinking process for life and career planning using insights from Bill Burnett and Dave Evans’ book “Designing Your Life”. I have been feeling stuck recently in mapping out my next steps, so I revisited this practical handbook on applying design thinking principles to live.
The first step in the design process is to identify the problem by clarifying what exactly isn’t working. This involves collecting data over time through self-reflection and journaling to determine the root cause of feeling stuck. Once the problem is clearly defined, the next step is generating ideas and options through brainstorming. Bill and Dave recommend developing an “Odyssey Plan” of different 5-year life scenarios and “prototyping” each through conversations with others and low-risk experiments. This allows us to iterate and improve based on learning and feedback.
I also discussed Ali Abdaal’s video on “The 3 Alarms” by Eric Partaker which emphasizes focusing on your identity and purpose rather than specific goals or numbers. This aligns with the design thinking approach of seeking clarity on your core values and priorities before setting new goals. Accountability groups, like online study groups or Discord channels, support the design process through shared learning and encouragement. I appreciate how this book encourages action and data collection. It provides a framework to track my progress, documents my insights and prompts me to collect the dots - the observations, ideas and feedback - that will eventually connect into a clearer picture. As Steve Jobs said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
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