Design Thinking: Start Designing Your Life

This post is inspired by a chapter in, Creative Confidence, by David and Tom Kelly. Its written in a different way, more like an outline or bullet points.In the chapter of “Start Designing Your Life” its suggested to

  • Do field research on myself by looking for unmet needs in my own daily routine.
    • My unmet needs are similar to other people.
    • Drowning in student loan debt.
    • Not enough time to explore other interests.
    • Often feeling unfulfilled - seek out other volunteering opportunities.
  • Generate ideas about what changes in my behavior that may be viable, feasible, and desirable.
    • Set my clothes out for the week and not change what I've chosen.
    • Make a detailed calendar and stick to it - if something doesn't go to plan write out why.
    • Keep my room and work space clean daily.
  • Record improvements I can quickly prototype, test, and iterate.
    • The calendar - I can use google calendar and access that on my mobile phone.
  • Be INTENTIONAL about choosing actions I can take right now that might add more JOY AND MEANING to my own life and the lives of the people around me.
    • Find out ways I can bring joy to the three to five closest people around me.

How do I work within the constraints?

  • Be mindful of the idle times and think of ways they can be more useful.
  • Set a timer for social media sites. Ten min or less for each platform I am active on.

What's working and what’s not?

  • Make note of what did and didn't work (already doing this with Seth Godin,'s book Pick Four. Would be interesting to reflect daily).

How can I continue to create a positive impact?Today is a prototype – what would I change?

  • My commute to work, takes way too much energy and its a rough way to start my day after my morning devotionals.
    • I've tried taking a local route, leaving the house earlier and I'd either get to work an hour early or just on time.
    • I can try tacking the train but the schedule requires me to shift even more - getting up earlier, and getting home even later.