Designing Your Work Life

1. Embrace "Good Enough for Now" to Navigate Work Challenges

Good enough for now leaves open the possibility of growth and change but doesn't make changing for change's sake a goal.

Accept and adapt. When faced with work challenges, adopting a "good enough for now" mindset can be transformative. This approach acknowledges that perfection is often unattainable and unnecessary. Instead, focus on making incremental improvements and adapting to your current situation.

Set realistic goals. Implement the "Set the Bar Low" method by establishing small, achievable goals. This strategy helps build momentum and confidence, leading to more significant changes over time. For example:

• Start with walking 5,000 steps a day before aiming for 10,000
• Make one small improvement to your work process each week
• Celebrate small victories to reinforce positive behavior

Practice self-awareness. Use tools like the "Good Work Journal" to track your daily accomplishments, focusing on:

• What you learned
• What you initiated
• Who you helped
  This practice helps you recognize progress and identify areas for improvement, fostering a more positive work experience.

2. Reframe Your Relationship with Money, Meaning, and Impact

Influence = Value + Recognition

Balance your priorities. Understand that money, meaning, and impact are not mutually exclusive. Use the "Maker Mix" concept to visualize and adjust the balance between:

• Moneymaking
• Impact-making
• Expression-making

Create value. Recognize that influence in your workplace comes from creating value and having that value recognized. To increase your influence:

• Align your work with organizational priorities
• Consistently deliver high-quality results
• Communicate your achievements effectively

Map your impact. Use the "Impact Map" tool to understand where your work falls on two axes:

• Type of impact: Renewing/Repairing, Sustaining/Supporting, or Creating New-New things
• Point of impact: From personal (one-on-one) to global
  This visualization helps you identify patterns in your most satisfying roles and guides future career decisions.

3. Master the Art of Reframing to Solve Workplace Problems

If it's not actionable, it's not a problem. It's a situation, a circumstance, a fact of life.

Identify the real issue. When faced with a workplace challenge, use the reframing technique to uncover the core problem. This involves:

• Zooming in: Strip away unnecessary drama and emotion
• Zooming out: Understand the broader context and potential root causes

Develop actionable solutions. Transform vague complaints into Minimum Actionable Problems (MAPs). For example:

• Instead of "My boss is a jerk," reframe as "How can I improve communication with my supervisor?"
• Rather than "I'm underpaid," ask "How can I demonstrate my value to justify a raise?"

Choose the Best Doable Option (BDO). Once you've reframed the problem, focus on finding practical solutions:

• List all possible options
• Evaluate each based on feasibility and potential impact
• Select the best option that you can realistically implement

4. Cultivate a Growth Mindset and Grit for Career Success

Grit is the thing!

Embrace challenges. Adopt a growth mindset by viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement. This approach helps you:

• Take on new responsibilities with confidence
• Persist in the face of setbacks
• Continuously expand your skills and knowledge

Develop grit. Cultivate perseverance and passion for long-term goals by focusing on:

1. Enjoying what you do
2. Practicing deliberately
3. Finding purpose in your work
4. Maintaining hope and optimism

Leverage intrinsic motivation. Understand and nurture your innate psychological needs for:

• Autonomy: Control over your work and decisions
• Relatedness: Connection with colleagues and purpose
• Competence: Mastery of skills and continuous improvement

5. Understand and Navigate Office Politics Effectively

When we can understand not just what influence is (action on authority), 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.

Map the power structure. Use the Influence and Authority chart to identify key players in your organization:

• Influential Authoritarians (IA)
• Non-Influential Authoritarians (NIA)
• Influential Non-Authoritarians (INA)
• Non-Influential Non-Authoritarians (NINA)

Build strategic relationships. Focus on developing connections with influential individuals who align with your goals and values. This involves:

• Identifying shared interests
• Offering value through your skills and knowledge
• Consistently delivering on commitments

Create and communicate value. Enhance your influence by:

• Aligning your work with organizational priorities
• Consistently delivering high-quality results
• Effectively communicating your achievements and their impact

6. Redesign Your Job Before Considering Resignation

Before you quit, make sure that you have maximized all of your available options in place where you work.

Explore internal options. Before deciding to leave your job, consider four redesign strategies:

1. Reframe and reenlist: Find a new perspective on your current role
2. Remodel: Make cosmetic or structural changes to your job
3. Relocate: Move to a different role within the company
4. Reinvent: Launch a new career within the same organization

Implement changes strategically. When redesigning your job:

• Start with small, manageable changes
• Communicate effectively with your supervisor about your goals
• Seek feedback and adjust your approach as needed

Prepare for a potential exit. If redesigning isn't possible, focus on:

• Building your professional network
• Updating your skills and resume
• Researching potential opportunities in your field

7. Develop Strategies for Thriving in the Gig Economy

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Reframe your perspective. View gig work as "prototyping for money" rather than temporary or insecure employment. This mindset shift helps you:

• Explore various career options
• Develop new skills and expertise
• Build a diverse professional network

Create a sustainable business model. Implement a simple six-step business plan:

1. Identify your unique skills and market needs
2. Differentiate your offering
3. Establish a repeatable workflow
4. Master sales and marketing
5. Gradually increase your rates
6. Outsource non-essential tasks

Design extraordinary experiences. Stand out in the gig economy by:

• Customizing your services to meet client needs
• Adding unexpected value to your offerings
• Consistently exceeding client expectations

8. Adapt to the New Normal of Hybrid Work

Now that everyone's homes and private real-time situations are part of our visual and emotional workspace, we can't help but see the whole human being, and your cats and dogs and kids and moms and granddads are all in the room with us.

Embrace flexibility. Recognize that the traditional office model is evolving. Prepare for:

• A mix of remote and in-office work
• Greater emphasis on trust and accountability
• The need for effective time management and self-motivation

Optimize your home workspace. Invest time and resources in creating a productive home office:

• Ensure ergonomic comfort with a good chair and desk setup
• Establish a dedicated workspace to maintain work-life boundaries
• Invest in reliable technology and internet connectivity

Maintain work-life balance. Design your day intentionally:

• Create clear starting and stopping rituals for workdays
• Schedule regular breaks for physical movement and social interaction
• Set boundaries to prevent work from encroaching on personal time

9. Enhance Your Communication Skills in the Digital Age

In the new world of accountability, it's all about deliverables, and these show up in one of two forms—writing, mostly emails and status reports nowadays, and presentations.

Master written communication. Improve your email and report writing skills:

• Use clear and concise subject lines
• Keep messages brief and to the point
• Proofread carefully for grammar and clarity

Develop powerful presentation skills. Create engaging virtual presentations by:

• Organizing content around a compelling story
• Limiting slides and text in favor of impactful visuals
• Practicing delivery to ensure confident and natural presentation

Leverage digital collaboration tools. Become proficient in platforms like:

• Slack or Microsoft Teams for team communication
• Project management software for task tracking
• Video conferencing tools for effective virtual meetings

10. Build a Supportive Design Team for Personal and Professional Growth

A healthy team is more than two people and not more than six, including you.

Assemble your team. Create a diverse group of 3-5 people who can support your personal and professional growth:

• Players: Active participants in your life design projects
• Supporters: Go-to people for encouragement and feedback
• Intimates: Close family and friends directly affected by your decisions

Foster psychological safety. Create an environment where team members feel comfortable taking risks and sharing ideas:

• Start meetings with personal check-ins
• Encourage open and honest communication
• Celebrate successes and learn from failures together

Leverage collective wisdom. Use your design team for:

• Brainstorming and ideation sessions
• Accountability and support in achieving goals
• Sharing the emotional labor of networking and job searching

Last updated: January 25, 2025