Your work life is your creation. Here's an empowering read to help you DESIGN your career for the better!

Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Hi! Happy Friday and welcome to “Mindfulness by Miles!” I’m excited to share with you another insightful topic today. My hope is that this will encourage you to turn your dreams into reality and live your best life. In this article, allow me to share with you a few insights from a particular book. Read on to find effective ways to thrive, change, and find happiness in your current job. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Your work life is your creation. Here's an empowering read to help you DESIGN your career for the better! Bill Burnett is an award-winning Silicon Valley designer and the Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford University. He directs the undergraduate and graduate programs in design, which are both interdepartmental programs between the Mechanical Engineering department and the Art department at Stanford. As a designer, Burnett has worked 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 various products including the first “slate” computer. Aside from his duties at Stanford, Burnett is a board member of VOZ, a socially responsible high fashion organization that advises several Internet startup companies. Did you know Burnett is also the author of some of The New York Times bestsellers? In 2016, he wrote the book, “Designing Your Life.” Then, in 2020, he and his co-author Dave Evans wrote a follow-up to this bestseller, titled… “Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work!” In this book, Burnett and Evans apply life design concepts to one’s work life. Their goal is to help readers understand how to use design thinking to increase happiness and satisfaction in their jobs and work experiences. “Designing Your Work Life” can be a useful tool for independent career development professionals working with clients who want to choose or change careers, as well as those seeking better satisfaction in their current work or better integration of work into their lives. Some of the most relevant lessons discussed in the book are thinking like a designer, re-framing problems, and addressing the false dichotomy of “meaning or money” in career development. Applying Design Thinking to Careers With backgrounds in technology design, Burnett and Evans apply several concepts from design thinking to career development, including prototyping and design-in-place. Prototyping involves being curious and trying new activities, growing one’s professional network, and trying new experiences. Career practitioners acknowledge this recommendation as similar to career happenstance, which encourages individuals to take action to increase the likelihood of positive events happening in their lives. Design-in-place exercises focus on identifying ways individuals can reinvent and reinvigorate their working lives without searching for a new job. The book’s guidance on differentiating overwhelm from burnout, along with managing feeling overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks, became particularly relevant during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reframing Problems Borrowing from cognitive-behavioral approaches, Burnett and Evans discuss work-related cognitive errors, irrational thoughts, and magical thinking, which they refer to collectively as “dysfunctional beliefs.” These beliefs contribute to feeling stuck and powerless. Case studies provided in the book demonstrate how a reframing exercise can help individuals identify their agency and ability to impact a situation in small, actionable ways. For example: The dysfunctional belief, “I’m not happy in my job, and I have no idea how to make it better” can be reframed as, “I recognize my intrinsic motivations and I know how to increase my autonomy, relatedness, and competence.” The authors utilize reframes frequently throughout the book, noting that reframing a problem is not the same as renaming a problem. Reframing helps individuals focus their energies on things they can control, identify possible solutions, and reduce over-identification with the problem, while renaming simply describes a problem in new language but does not necessarily unpack one’s motivations or desires, which are clues to possible solutions. The technique of reframing goes deeper than renaming, with the potential to be effective in resolving various types of career concerns. The False Dichotomy of “Meaning or Money” in Career Development Burnett and Evans have observed that people tend to value career opportunities as either money-making or meaning-making opportunities, and feel that they have to choose one at the expense of the other. Instead of evaluating opportunities based on potential for money or meaning, the authors suggest reflecting on one’s ideal “Maker Mix.” With the metaphor of a sound engineer using a mixing board, they suggest that identifying the right mix of financial reward, creative expression, and impact-making will allow for greater career satisfaction. — Personally, I find the contents of this book helpful and insightful. I agree that this is a valuable book for career changers and for anyone seeking to advance in their career or improve satisfaction in their current employment. What's more? The book is written in a conversational style, making Burnett and Evans' concepts and recommendations understandable. While many examples are taken from the authors’ personal experiences in the technology sector, case studies that represent various education levels, career fields, and industry backgrounds are also provided. By following the exercises in the book and learning from the case studies, I believe readers will feel increasingly encouraged, validated, and confident about taking control of the next steps in their careers. I hope you find this book empowering and interesting, too! Remember: It’s up to you to define and find your own happiness in an ever-changing work landscape that is rich in opportunities and possibilities… and with the help of Burnett and Evans’ insights in their book, you’ll be able to answer one of the most challenging questions in life—how to best use your work hours. Have a great day, everyone!