The Liz Moody Podcast

Stanford Professors: One Tool That Makes Every Life Decision Easier

Jan 28, 2026
Bill Burnett, Stanford design thinker who teaches life-design practices, and Dave Evans, Stanford professor and co-author on designing meaningful lives, share practical approaches. They discuss using a decision compass, reframing unsolvable problems, prototyping choices, designing moments and energy, and five mindsets to make life feel more alive.
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INSIGHT

Life Is A Continuous Process

  • People expect a single answer to life but life is a continual process of becoming, not a final state.
  • Dave Evans says design your life season by season and moment by moment rather than chasing a finished solution.
ADVICE

Use A Three‑Part Compass

  • Build a personal compass from your life story, work view, and view of meaning to test decisions for directional coherence.
  • Use that compass to ask: Does this choice move me toward the person I want to become?
ANECDOTE

Entrepreneur Sabattical Led To Clarity

  • Dave described 'Tom', a 43-year-old entrepreneur who took a sabbatical and realized his mission no longer fit.
  • He iterated, delegated and concluded he might sell his company after reframing his season of life.
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