Millions of people are making big changes in their lives right now.
Americans are quitting their jobs to seek better pay and benefits, approaching a crossroads in their career paths. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 4.4 million workers left their jobs in September, setting a new record for resignations from the previous month.
For the millions of Americans facing an uncertain future, a design mindset can help achieve their goals.
Design thinking is a strategy typically used to improve on a product or experience. But it can also be used to improve on your life in general — and that's what Bill Burnett and Dave Evans set out to prove in their 2016 book, "Designing Your Life."
Some career coaches use this method to help clients figure out their next move. For example, managing partner at Retirement Wisdom Joe Casey, uses design thinking principles to help his advisees map out their careers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Casey has been using BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits Method, which applies the same principles to life decisions.
Burnett and Evans teach an online course at Stanford University's School of Engineering entitled "Designing Your Career." One tool they use with all of their students is called the "Odyssey Plan." The goal is to map out multiple ways in which your life could unfold.
Here's how to start, according to the book:
1. List three different five-year plans. (You can use the worksheet available on the Designing Your Life website.)
The first life is the one you already live, or that you've already committed to. The second life is the one you'd create if the opportunity to live the first life were suddenly gone. The third life is the one you'd live if money and image didn't matter.
2. Give each plan a six-word title. Now write down three questions about each version of your life.
3. Rank each life plan on whether you have the resources to fulfill it, how much you like it, how confident you are in it, and whether it fits with your general perspectives on life and work. (The worksheet comes with images of gauges you can use for the rankings.)
Here's what a completed Odyssey Plan might look like:
As you can see, this (hypothetical) person's three lives are corporate lawyer, museum curator, and an artist. Her confidence in and liking for each of these plans differ. But the point of this exercise isn't to choose one immediately — it's to see what the alternatives are and sketch them out.
Burnett and Evans recommend sharing your Odyssey Plan alternatives with a group of three to six friends. Ideally, everyone fills out the sheet and shares their plans. When it's your turn to listen, be sure not to critique or even advise. Just reflect or ask the person sharing to tell you more about one of the points.
Again, the goal here is to realize that there are many different careers and lives within you. There's no one right answer.
The authors wrote: "We all contain enough energy and talents and interest to live many different types of lives, all of which could be authentic and interesting and productive. Asking which life is best is asking a silly question; it's like asking whether it's better to have hands or feet."
Sherin Shibu contributed to a previous version of this article.
This article was updated from an original post on Nov. 15, 2021.
