Life by Design: A Creative Framework
Are you living a life that truly resonates with your desires and goals? If you are like most people, the answer is probably "sort of..." Living in sync with your values and passions is the foundation of a well-designed life, fostering deeper happiness, purpose, and fulfillment.
When I reflected on my life, I saw a poorly designed one. I wanted to explore rural optometry, spend more time with family, and pursue writing, but my typical week had no room for these passions. My frustrations only grew with time.
Many people feel that their life design is not optimal, yet few take action because crafting a life design can seem abstract and complex. In this article, we'll explore a crucial framework for creating life designs, and make this process more approachable.
This post is inspired by Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Link in the footer below!
Engineering Problem vs Design Problem
Engineering problems are data-driven, with clear logical answers.
Think about developing the processor for a new iPhone. The goal is clear: a faster, more efficient processor than the previous version.
Similarly, the path to the solution is mostly linear. Different iterations can be tested mathematically for the best solution.
Design problems cannot be solved by equations.
Now consider designing the form factor of a new iPhone. There are many subjective factors such as color, size, material, weight, and how it "feels" to hold. The end goal is more abstract, and no math can guide you.
Finding a solution requires out-of-the-box experimentation, failed attempts, reiterations, and often radical shifts in your approach. Eventually, you arrive at what "feels" like a well-designed form factor.
So, what does this mean for your life design?
Embrace the Design Approach
Too often people plan their lives with an engineer mindset, myself included. However, life design is... well, you guessed it – a design problem. Because design problems inherently have no "perfect" answer, there is also no correct path to get there.
Many people stay on a rigid career path, like moving "vertically" from an entry-level position to a managerial role. However, a successful career rarely stems from a straightforward progression.
For instance, you could explore a different role at your current organization (moving "laterally"), move to a new company, or take certification courses to further your skills.
Much like a designer refining a product, we need to experiment, learn, and pivot.
A Call from Manitoba
When my colleague pitched the idea of working in rural Manitoba, I immediately declined. I had a stable job for nearly a decade and life was comfortable. I resisted change, especially since life was "good enough". It wasn't until my wife, who saw my growing unhappiness, encouraged me that I decided to pursue such a big change.
Since then, I have been brainstorming ideas about how I want to design my next chapter in my career. Some ideas include temporary positions in Ontario and Manitoba, community outreach in rural areas, ocular health talks, supervising optometry students, growing my blog, and more.
By approaching life with a design mindset, unexpected opportunities arise and new paths emerge. In just a few months, my life now looks very different, all because I stepped off the comfortable path.
I don't know how my decisions will ultimately pan out, but I feel curious, excited, and inspired to move forward.
Multiple Versions of an "Ideal Life"
Much like the elegant form factors of a slick iPhone or Tesla Cybertruck (😆), a well-designed life will look different for each individual. There are also many "ideal" lives you could lead, and many great answers to "What is my ideal life?".
As your values, priorities, and circumstances change over time, so will your vision of an ideal life. This is why it's important to periodically reflect on your life design.
Life Design Is a Journey, Not a Destination
Life design is a curious and ongoing exploration of experiences, rather than a final product. Embrace the uncertainty, experiment creatively, and allow your life vision to pivot with your changing values and circumstances.
By adopting a design framework, you can create a life that is truly fulfilling and aligned with who you are.
In a future blog post, I'll outline detailed steps with examples to guide your life design process 👊. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you get it straight to your inbox!
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