Designers' Mindset and Why Plans Fail

In this episode, I sit down with Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, Stanford Design Professors and best-selling authors, to discuss how they've helped millions rethink their careers and purpose through their "Design Your Life" framework.

We dive into the surprising journey developing their best-selling book, the core principles of "design thinking" applied to life, and the critical role of understanding human needs.

Later, we get tactical, breaking down their ambitious goal to reach 10 million people with their new book, "How to Live a Meaningful Life," and explore effective strategies for leveraging communities, media, and digital platforms for impactful book promotion.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Two essential ingredients for a meaningful life
04:23 What we do at Stanford
07:28 Coaching is a trend
10:13 Why plans don't work for life design
12:22 There is more aliveness in you than one life
15:41 From FOMO to JOMO
19:45 How to prototype your life choices
24:00 How to choose when there are too many opportunities
28:28 From Star Wars toys to Apple
32:20 From Mechanical Engineer to Electronic Arts
36:11 Making your life a beautiful experience
39:09 The simplicity of building a meaningful life
42:06 Responding to a deep longing
46:11 Leadership and authenticity
48:41 Goal for the new book
53:23 Lessons from wildly successful books
57:00 Inspirations for book promotion
1:01:46 The flywheel of reviews
1:05:13 Unfair advantages in book promotion
1:10:51 Connecting with students and educators
1:16:30 The power of mass media

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Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/show

Follow Nathan:
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Follow Bill:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-burnett-4225401
Website: https://designingyour.life
Book: https://designingyour.life/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.art.shadows
Instagram (shared): https://www.instagram.com/fullyalive_bydesign
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@designingyourlifethebookmo6856

Follow Dave:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-evans-62148
Website: https://designingyour.life
Book: https://designingyour.life/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life
Instagram (shared): https://www.instagram.com/fullyalive_bydesign
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@designingyourlifethebookmo6856

To get weekly tools and ideas to design a meaningful life, sign up for Bill and Dave's newsletter Fully Alive, by Design at https://designingyour.life/newsletter

Featured in this episode:
Kit: https://www.kit.com
Designing Your Life: https://designingyour.life
How to Live a Meaningful Life: https://designingyourlife.com/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life