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Designing Your New Work Life
We will spend up to 120,000 hours at work in our lifetimes.
But how do we best use those hours? And how do we adapt to today's working world?
'Life has questions. They have answers' New York Times
_____________________________________
From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Designing Your Life
With this innovative and deeply empowering book, all of us can find answers to these challenging questions. It offers a fresh understanding of the politics and psychology of work and, by sharing the 'design thinking' principles that have been fuelling the growth of Silicon Valley, helps us to build a working life that is rewarding and meaningful.
Designing Your New Work Life features updated creative tools to:
Redesign your current job
Optimise your hybrid work and workspace
Up your communication game
Adapt to any disruption
Launch your next career chapter
But how do we best use those hours? And how do we adapt to today's working world?
'Life has questions. They have answers' New York Times
_____________________________________
From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Designing Your Life
With this innovative and deeply empowering book, all of us can find answers to these challenging questions. It offers a fresh understanding of the politics and psychology of work and, by sharing the 'design thinking' principles that have been fuelling the growth of Silicon Valley, helps us to build a working life that is rewarding and meaningful.
Designing Your New Work Life features updated creative tools to:
Redesign your current job
Optimise your hybrid work and workspace
Up your communication game
Adapt to any disruption
Launch your next career chapter
- GenresNonfiction
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 5, 2023
42 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Bill Burnett
20 books270 followersBill Burnett is an award-winning Silicon Valley designer and the Executive Director of the renowned Design Program at Stanford University.
Bill Burnett is the Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford. He directs the undergraduate and graduate program in design at Stanford, both interdepartmental programs between the Mechanical Engineering department and the Art department. He got his BS and MS in Product Design at Stanford and has worked professionally on a wide variety of projects ranging from award-winning Apple PowerBooks to the original Hasbro Star Wars action figures. He holds a number of mechanical and design patents, and design awards for a variety of products including the first “slate” computer. In addition to his duties at Stanford, he is a on the Board of VOZ (pronounced “VAWS – it means voice in Spanish) a social responsible high fashion startup and advises several Internet start-up companies.
Bill Burnett is the Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford. He directs the undergraduate and graduate program in design at Stanford, both interdepartmental programs between the Mechanical Engineering department and the Art department. He got his BS and MS in Product Design at Stanford and has worked professionally on a wide variety of projects ranging from award-winning Apple PowerBooks to the original Hasbro Star Wars action figures. He holds a number of mechanical and design patents, and design awards for a variety of products including the first “slate” computer. In addition to his duties at Stanford, he is a on the Board of VOZ (pronounced “VAWS – it means voice in Spanish) a social responsible high fashion startup and advises several Internet start-up companies.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 7, 2024
There are some helpful tips here about how to design life and work so that we can find meaning and purpose and use our talents to make an impact. This is mostly about being curious, trying things, reframing problems, recognizing it's a process, asking for help, telling your story, and having a growth mindset. Here are some quotes I liked:
"Now more than ever, we all need some creative and adaptable tools to cope with the disruption (p. xii)."
"A whole new world of change... require[s] us to think differently (p. xiii)."
"Today's workplace is in continual flux (p. 4)."
"We all want our days infused with meaning and impact (p. 4)."
"It is time to get off the couch and get unstuck at your job. Mostly, it's time to make work work for you! (p. 5)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: It's not working for me here.
Reframe: You can make it work (almost) anywhere. (p. 7)"
"Approximately 69 percent of American workers are disengaged from their work (p. 7)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: I am a cog in the machine.
Reframe: I am a lever that can impact the machine.
Bonus Reframe: I'm a human, not a machine, and I deserve a creative and interesting job. (p. 9)"
"We have six... mindsets [of a designer]... curiosity, bias to action, reframing, awareness, radical collaboration, and... storytelling (p. 10)."
"Designers build their way forward and discover what's right for them... with a bias to action (p. 11)."
"You are not alone... many people are asking the same questions and have the same concerns (p. 13)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: Good enough isn't good enough. I want more.
Reframe: Good enough is GREAT--for now. (p. 17)"
"The real question isn't: How much money, time, power, impact, meaning, status, retirement savings... do you have? The real question is: How's it going, right now?" (p. 19)
"Turn off your computer, silence your smartphone. Run, do not walk, to the nearest beach, forest, or beautiful sunset and stop, take a break, and look around. And to increase your sense of meaning, bring a friend, family member, or other loved one with you. It is a good idea, every so often, to remind ourselves that this is what is real, this is what life is actually all about (p. 20)."
"What makes life meaningful and what maximizes your happiness and longevity are relationships--who you love and who loves you (p. 21)."
"When we design our work life, we begin by accepting what is, and then find small ways to redesign our circumstances (p. 26)."
"Celebrating is critical, as it gives your brain a little dopamine blast as a reward for successfully making a change (p. 31)."
"What energizes you, and what puts you into a state of 'flow' (p. 32)?"
"What did I learn? What did I initiate? Who did I help? (p. 32)"
"To reflect is to think, ponder, or meditate on an idea or experience, and when we use the term, we mean to give some quiet focused attention to select ideas or experiences (p. 37)."
"With a few moments of investment, you got more out of life--for free!... If you document your savoring reflection with a note in your journal, your chance of experiencing more meaning in your life goes way up... Reflection will definitely help you avoid missing insights (p. 38)."
"Make the big goals part of your 'story' (p. 41)."
"Close your eyes and just breathe for a moment (p. 45)."
"Reframe: Money versus meaning... is a false dichotomy. Money and meaning are just two different measurements of what I value (p. 49)."
"Two things you need to build your compass--a Workview and a Lifeview (p. 50)."
"If we can see a clear connection between who we are, what we believe, and what we are doing for a living--then we know we are on course. Our compass is working (p. 52)."
"He tried a new boss, a different role, and even a new industry, thinking that would fix his 'overwork' problem... But everywhere Dave went, there he was... He couldn't control himself (p. 55)."
"In the marketplace we generally use money as the measure of what we make... In the nonprofit world, which we will call the 'making a difference economy' from now on, what people make is impact. Profits are not the goal; the goal is something like ending malaria, educating kids, or changing the world (p. 59)."
"In the artistic or 'creative economy,' it is all about the value of putting your ideas, your creative output, out into the world for all to see (p. 60)."
"Do I really fit here? Am I really in the right job/career/company? Is this really the right contribution and impact I want to make? (p. 67)"
"List four to six of the possible roles you have... your job might have multiple roles... locate each of the roles... on the Impact Map [type of impact vs. point of impact] (p. 79)."
"You are not a static object, and as you grow into roles, your needs and abilities change (p. 81)."
"There's always a box... Your brain can't be all over the universe at once (p. 84)."
"Very often the dramatic stuff in a stuck situation includes our own old baggage: old wounds... sensitivities we just can't seem to dampen, biases no one's talked us out of yet (p. 92)."
"Most real problems can't be solved, at least not with a once-and-for-all kind of solution that so many of us are looking for... the interesting problems that life asks us to get creative with and reframe are seldom solvable that way (p. 96)."
"Don't let worrying about the nonexistent Best Theoretical Option steal your enjoyment of your chosen Best Doable Option (p. 100)."
"Reframing energizes the life design process (p. 102)."
"You are in charge of how you define your problem and how radical a design solution you are willing to build (p. 106)."
"If you are struggling to state the problem objectively, ask a friend to help (p. 108)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: I can't possibly do all this work, and I'm overwhelmed.
Reframe: I chose my way into this and I can design my way out. (p. 110)"
"The important thing is not to let overwhelm turn into burnout (p. 111)."
"How do we get from overwhelm to burnout?... Lack of control... Unclear job expectations... Dysfunctional workplace dynamics... Mismatch in values... Poor job fit... Overwhelmed with tasks... Lack of social support... Work-life imbalance (p. 112)."
"You might have Hydra Overwhelm if... You have too many different responsibilities. You are reporting to too many different managers... You are consolidating important data from too many different sources... You regularly use legacy systems that are cumbersome... You lack control or are micromanaged. You are working in isolation (p. 114)."
"The only way to change your Hydra Overwhelm situation is to change something (p. 116)."
"You will discover that you have more agency than you think (p. 118)."
"If you really want to get a lot of time and energy back, you should give away your most prized and high-visibility activities. Those are the easiest ones to find takers, and giving them away frees up a lot of time (p. 118)."
"Overwhelm happens to all of us at one time or another... overwhelm can be managed, and it is a temporary condition of your job and your life. You are the designer and you are in control (p. 129)."
"Make your Less Is More List of things to drop, delegate, or renegotiate (p. 129)."
"Reframe: You have the power to reframe and redesign any situation and any job (p. 132)."
"When we feel stuck in our lives, we tend to externalize the blame (p. 133)."
"You are the boss of you (p. 134)."
"The fixed versus growth mind-set story is a little too binary. Research shows that we are all a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets (p. 138)."
"Can I reframe the challenges of my to-do list around the objectives of learning and growth (p. 138)?"
"It is the ability to persevere that separates the successful from those who quit (p. 139)."
"You have to believe that your work matters to something and someone greater than yourself (p. 140)."
"Autonomy... is the need to control our own life (p. 142)."
"Relatedness is about connecting to your people and your community (p. 144)."
"Think of a time when you were energized and jazzed by being part of a bigger project or purpose (p. 144)."
"Increasing your relatedness will increase your happiness (p. 145)."
"We all want to be good at what we do (p. 147)."
"When there's a gap between your skills and your job's requirements, make it an opportunity to grow (p. 148)."
"What is required at work to make a decision (p. 156)?"
"When we can understand not just what influence is... but also where it comes from and how it operates, then we can be more effective when we want to exert influence and navigate office politics (p. 157)."
"Align yourself with the organization's strategies and goals, and make sure that you are values-aligned with your own compass, and we predict good things will happen (p. 174)."
"Designers don't get stuck, because they know how to get unstuck (p. 177)."
"Don't transfer problems, fix them first (p. 182)."
"People who can practice their signature strengths at work are viewed as more successful (p. 195)."
"If you can then redesign your job to take maximum advantage of your strengths, the data shows that you'll probably be happier and enjoy the contribution you're making--which means you are more likely to find your work meaningful (p. 195)."
"Do your homework, get curious, and talk to people, so you know what's really required of the job change you want to make before asking others to give you a shot (p. 206)."
"Sometimes the focus on 'going to grad school' is a way of ignoring why you're unhappy in the first place (p. 209)."
"Folks go to grad school to get some combination of these four things... expertise... a network... a pivot... a badge (p. 210)."
"At some point, it's natural, we all outgrow our jobs (p. 215)."
"Reframe: I'm going to springboard out of this job to a better one by designing my quit (p. 220)."
"Employers respond four times more often, give out twice as many interviews, and extend three times as many offers to employed folks versus unemployed applicants (p. 227)."
"We're all going to be quitters at some point in our lives, so let's learn to quit well (p. 234)."
"Write a short story about your departure (p. 240)."
"One way to have an amazing career, with lots of autonomy, and have a job I love is to invent it (p. 254)!"
"When you move from a fixed mind-set to a growth mind-set, you realize that there are more possibilities for your life (p. 257)."
"Disruption is everywhere and disruption is always personal (p. 281)."
"What has been hard for people is not just that the world has changed and changed quickly, it's that on some level, we know it's never going to be the same again (p. 283)."
"The life design process... in six steps... accept, empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test (p. 295)."
"In a disruption, grieving is a necessity (p. 296)."
"Most of us understand that our jobs can change at any time (p. 304)."
"Doctors and psychologists agree that we need to break up our workday with some physical exercise, a variety of different kinds of cognitive tasks, and some social contact (p. 311)."
"Bill makes sure that starting and stopping moments are designed... Those designed moments set up the boundaries of his day in an intentional way (p. 313)."
"The hybrid workstyle comes with more accountability and responsibility (p. 316)."
"You need to address problems head on and be transparent. You need to communicate more now than ever, and make sure that everyone on your team knows you are getting the job done (p. 317)."
"Keeping your emails short and to the point, with a clear takeaway or request for action, is important and a gift to anyone with an overloaded inbox (p. 318)."
"There are only seven plots, and these are the backbone of all human stories:
1. Overcoming the monster...
2. Rags to riches...
3. The quest...
4. Voyage and return...
5. Comedy...
6. Tragedy...
7. Rebirth (p. 320)"
"Redesign the presentation around a story (p. 321)."
"What was the highlight of... ? What was one thing you learned recently? Give us three words that describe how you are feeling today (p. 337)."
"Communities come together around a shared interest or affiliation (p. 337)."
"People want a life with a job in it, not the other way around (p. 344)."
"Why work? What is work for? What does work mean? How does it relate to the individual, others, society? What defines good and worthwhile work? What does money have to do with it? What do experience, growth, and fulfillment have to do with it (p. 363)?"
"Why are we here? What is the meaning or purpose of life? What is the relationship between the individual and others? Where do family, country, and the rest of the world fit in? What is good, and what is evil? Is there a higher power?... What the roles of joy, sorrow, justice, injustice, love, peace, and strife (p. 363)?"
"Life Design is always a work in progress (p. 365)."
"Sometimes we all just need a little permission to be happy (p. 366)."
"Life's too precious to be disengaged with life (p. 369)."
"Now more than ever, we all need some creative and adaptable tools to cope with the disruption (p. xii)."
"A whole new world of change... require[s] us to think differently (p. xiii)."
"Today's workplace is in continual flux (p. 4)."
"We all want our days infused with meaning and impact (p. 4)."
"It is time to get off the couch and get unstuck at your job. Mostly, it's time to make work work for you! (p. 5)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: It's not working for me here.
Reframe: You can make it work (almost) anywhere. (p. 7)"
"Approximately 69 percent of American workers are disengaged from their work (p. 7)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: I am a cog in the machine.
Reframe: I am a lever that can impact the machine.
Bonus Reframe: I'm a human, not a machine, and I deserve a creative and interesting job. (p. 9)"
"We have six... mindsets [of a designer]... curiosity, bias to action, reframing, awareness, radical collaboration, and... storytelling (p. 10)."
"Designers build their way forward and discover what's right for them... with a bias to action (p. 11)."
"You are not alone... many people are asking the same questions and have the same concerns (p. 13)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: Good enough isn't good enough. I want more.
Reframe: Good enough is GREAT--for now. (p. 17)"
"The real question isn't: How much money, time, power, impact, meaning, status, retirement savings... do you have? The real question is: How's it going, right now?" (p. 19)
"Turn off your computer, silence your smartphone. Run, do not walk, to the nearest beach, forest, or beautiful sunset and stop, take a break, and look around. And to increase your sense of meaning, bring a friend, family member, or other loved one with you. It is a good idea, every so often, to remind ourselves that this is what is real, this is what life is actually all about (p. 20)."
"What makes life meaningful and what maximizes your happiness and longevity are relationships--who you love and who loves you (p. 21)."
"When we design our work life, we begin by accepting what is, and then find small ways to redesign our circumstances (p. 26)."
"Celebrating is critical, as it gives your brain a little dopamine blast as a reward for successfully making a change (p. 31)."
"What energizes you, and what puts you into a state of 'flow' (p. 32)?"
"What did I learn? What did I initiate? Who did I help? (p. 32)"
"To reflect is to think, ponder, or meditate on an idea or experience, and when we use the term, we mean to give some quiet focused attention to select ideas or experiences (p. 37)."
"With a few moments of investment, you got more out of life--for free!... If you document your savoring reflection with a note in your journal, your chance of experiencing more meaning in your life goes way up... Reflection will definitely help you avoid missing insights (p. 38)."
"Make the big goals part of your 'story' (p. 41)."
"Close your eyes and just breathe for a moment (p. 45)."
"Reframe: Money versus meaning... is a false dichotomy. Money and meaning are just two different measurements of what I value (p. 49)."
"Two things you need to build your compass--a Workview and a Lifeview (p. 50)."
"If we can see a clear connection between who we are, what we believe, and what we are doing for a living--then we know we are on course. Our compass is working (p. 52)."
"He tried a new boss, a different role, and even a new industry, thinking that would fix his 'overwork' problem... But everywhere Dave went, there he was... He couldn't control himself (p. 55)."
"In the marketplace we generally use money as the measure of what we make... In the nonprofit world, which we will call the 'making a difference economy' from now on, what people make is impact. Profits are not the goal; the goal is something like ending malaria, educating kids, or changing the world (p. 59)."
"In the artistic or 'creative economy,' it is all about the value of putting your ideas, your creative output, out into the world for all to see (p. 60)."
"Do I really fit here? Am I really in the right job/career/company? Is this really the right contribution and impact I want to make? (p. 67)"
"List four to six of the possible roles you have... your job might have multiple roles... locate each of the roles... on the Impact Map [type of impact vs. point of impact] (p. 79)."
"You are not a static object, and as you grow into roles, your needs and abilities change (p. 81)."
"There's always a box... Your brain can't be all over the universe at once (p. 84)."
"Very often the dramatic stuff in a stuck situation includes our own old baggage: old wounds... sensitivities we just can't seem to dampen, biases no one's talked us out of yet (p. 92)."
"Most real problems can't be solved, at least not with a once-and-for-all kind of solution that so many of us are looking for... the interesting problems that life asks us to get creative with and reframe are seldom solvable that way (p. 96)."
"Don't let worrying about the nonexistent Best Theoretical Option steal your enjoyment of your chosen Best Doable Option (p. 100)."
"Reframing energizes the life design process (p. 102)."
"You are in charge of how you define your problem and how radical a design solution you are willing to build (p. 106)."
"If you are struggling to state the problem objectively, ask a friend to help (p. 108)."
"Dysfunctional Belief: I can't possibly do all this work, and I'm overwhelmed.
Reframe: I chose my way into this and I can design my way out. (p. 110)"
"The important thing is not to let overwhelm turn into burnout (p. 111)."
"How do we get from overwhelm to burnout?... Lack of control... Unclear job expectations... Dysfunctional workplace dynamics... Mismatch in values... Poor job fit... Overwhelmed with tasks... Lack of social support... Work-life imbalance (p. 112)."
"You might have Hydra Overwhelm if... You have too many different responsibilities. You are reporting to too many different managers... You are consolidating important data from too many different sources... You regularly use legacy systems that are cumbersome... You lack control or are micromanaged. You are working in isolation (p. 114)."
"The only way to change your Hydra Overwhelm situation is to change something (p. 116)."
"You will discover that you have more agency than you think (p. 118)."
"If you really want to get a lot of time and energy back, you should give away your most prized and high-visibility activities. Those are the easiest ones to find takers, and giving them away frees up a lot of time (p. 118)."
"Overwhelm happens to all of us at one time or another... overwhelm can be managed, and it is a temporary condition of your job and your life. You are the designer and you are in control (p. 129)."
"Make your Less Is More List of things to drop, delegate, or renegotiate (p. 129)."
"Reframe: You have the power to reframe and redesign any situation and any job (p. 132)."
"When we feel stuck in our lives, we tend to externalize the blame (p. 133)."
"You are the boss of you (p. 134)."
"The fixed versus growth mind-set story is a little too binary. Research shows that we are all a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets (p. 138)."
"Can I reframe the challenges of my to-do list around the objectives of learning and growth (p. 138)?"
"It is the ability to persevere that separates the successful from those who quit (p. 139)."
"You have to believe that your work matters to something and someone greater than yourself (p. 140)."
"Autonomy... is the need to control our own life (p. 142)."
"Relatedness is about connecting to your people and your community (p. 144)."
"Think of a time when you were energized and jazzed by being part of a bigger project or purpose (p. 144)."
"Increasing your relatedness will increase your happiness (p. 145)."
"We all want to be good at what we do (p. 147)."
"When there's a gap between your skills and your job's requirements, make it an opportunity to grow (p. 148)."
"What is required at work to make a decision (p. 156)?"
"When we can understand not just what influence is... but also where it comes from and how it operates, then we can be more effective when we want to exert influence and navigate office politics (p. 157)."
"Align yourself with the organization's strategies and goals, and make sure that you are values-aligned with your own compass, and we predict good things will happen (p. 174)."
"Designers don't get stuck, because they know how to get unstuck (p. 177)."
"Don't transfer problems, fix them first (p. 182)."
"People who can practice their signature strengths at work are viewed as more successful (p. 195)."
"If you can then redesign your job to take maximum advantage of your strengths, the data shows that you'll probably be happier and enjoy the contribution you're making--which means you are more likely to find your work meaningful (p. 195)."
"Do your homework, get curious, and talk to people, so you know what's really required of the job change you want to make before asking others to give you a shot (p. 206)."
"Sometimes the focus on 'going to grad school' is a way of ignoring why you're unhappy in the first place (p. 209)."
"Folks go to grad school to get some combination of these four things... expertise... a network... a pivot... a badge (p. 210)."
"At some point, it's natural, we all outgrow our jobs (p. 215)."
"Reframe: I'm going to springboard out of this job to a better one by designing my quit (p. 220)."
"Employers respond four times more often, give out twice as many interviews, and extend three times as many offers to employed folks versus unemployed applicants (p. 227)."
"We're all going to be quitters at some point in our lives, so let's learn to quit well (p. 234)."
"Write a short story about your departure (p. 240)."
"One way to have an amazing career, with lots of autonomy, and have a job I love is to invent it (p. 254)!"
"When you move from a fixed mind-set to a growth mind-set, you realize that there are more possibilities for your life (p. 257)."
"Disruption is everywhere and disruption is always personal (p. 281)."
"What has been hard for people is not just that the world has changed and changed quickly, it's that on some level, we know it's never going to be the same again (p. 283)."
"The life design process... in six steps... accept, empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test (p. 295)."
"In a disruption, grieving is a necessity (p. 296)."
"Most of us understand that our jobs can change at any time (p. 304)."
"Doctors and psychologists agree that we need to break up our workday with some physical exercise, a variety of different kinds of cognitive tasks, and some social contact (p. 311)."
"Bill makes sure that starting and stopping moments are designed... Those designed moments set up the boundaries of his day in an intentional way (p. 313)."
"The hybrid workstyle comes with more accountability and responsibility (p. 316)."
"You need to address problems head on and be transparent. You need to communicate more now than ever, and make sure that everyone on your team knows you are getting the job done (p. 317)."
"Keeping your emails short and to the point, with a clear takeaway or request for action, is important and a gift to anyone with an overloaded inbox (p. 318)."
"There are only seven plots, and these are the backbone of all human stories:
1. Overcoming the monster...
2. Rags to riches...
3. The quest...
4. Voyage and return...
5. Comedy...
6. Tragedy...
7. Rebirth (p. 320)"
"Redesign the presentation around a story (p. 321)."
"What was the highlight of... ? What was one thing you learned recently? Give us three words that describe how you are feeling today (p. 337)."
"Communities come together around a shared interest or affiliation (p. 337)."
"People want a life with a job in it, not the other way around (p. 344)."
"Why work? What is work for? What does work mean? How does it relate to the individual, others, society? What defines good and worthwhile work? What does money have to do with it? What do experience, growth, and fulfillment have to do with it (p. 363)?"
"Why are we here? What is the meaning or purpose of life? What is the relationship between the individual and others? Where do family, country, and the rest of the world fit in? What is good, and what is evil? Is there a higher power?... What the roles of joy, sorrow, justice, injustice, love, peace, and strife (p. 363)?"
"Life Design is always a work in progress (p. 365)."
"Sometimes we all just need a little permission to be happy (p. 366)."
"Life's too precious to be disengaged with life (p. 369)."
May 18, 2024
If you read Designing Your Life, the ideas presented here are largely similar to the ones in DYL. Read only if you feel lost about your work. Else, I would strongly recommend the previous book (DYL) over this!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews