Life design
Shaping a Purposeful and Authentic Path
Think of it like the 90s, dialing through morning radio, tuning out the fuzz until you hit that perfect station. Life Design is all about those daily choices that truly reflect who you are and what you want. It’s about finding those moments that make life yours.
The concept was introduced by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans at Stanford University and elaborated upon in their book ‘Designing Your Life‘. They also offer a course on CreativeLive, where they guide participants through the Life Design process.
Life Design incorporates design thinking methods and journaling to address significant questions and make important decisions regarding various aspects of one’s life, including education, career, and overall purpose.
Their principle that “everyone is a maker” reminds us that each of us contributes uniquely to the world through creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. Here, “payment” isn’t just financial; it’s about the value of impact, joy, and authenticity. This approach reframes success as the meaningful change we bring to others, measuring fulfillment by the heart rather than the wallet.
In this video, they discuss the "three versions of your life" exercise. It involves imagining three paths over the next five years: one that follows your current path, another with a major shift, and a third that's bold and imaginative. This exercise promotes reflection and creativity, helping you explore different futures and clarify goals that align with your values.
The Life Design journey starts with clarity—understanding your current “location” and destination, much like using Google Maps. From there, you explore four foundational areas: health, work, play, and love. Health encompasses physical and emotional well-being; work includes paid and volunteer efforts; play means enjoyment for its own sake; and love focuses on personal connections.
It’s a process, and it takes time. Discovering your strengths, your passions, and quieting the world’s noise to hear your own rhythm are all part of designing a well-lived life.
Passion is the result of a well-designed life, not the cause.
Beijos,
Babi
https://barbaracraveiro.substack.com/p/life-design
Architects
The complexity, simplicity and beauty of their work
The architect acts as a mediator between technical requirements, human needs, and cultural context. Every architectural decision is an act problem-solving that shapes the physical world and the human experiences within it.
Iconic structures demonstrate how architectural decisions reflect broader cultural, functional, and aesthetic considerations. They are cultural statements. Decisions about form, materials, and spatial arrangement reflect societal values, aspirations, and the intended identity of a place. Architects design spaces that guide people's behaviors, perceptions, and interactions.
- Plaza Athénée - Paris. Their Cour Jardin combines the grandeur of traditional Parisian architecture with modern luxury. The design pays homage to classic French garden design principles, characterised by symmetry, order, and a sense of refined beauty.
- Marina Bay Sands - Singapore, designed by Moshe Safdie, it’s one of the most complex architectural structures in the world. Marina Bay is Safdie's attempt to humanise a mega-scale project and weave it into the existing urban fabric.
- Heydar Aliyev Centre - Baku, Azerbaijan, is an architectural masterpiece designed by the renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Completed in 2012, the building is famous for its fluid, wave-like structure that defies traditional architectural conventions.
- Bunkers - Billionaires are increasingly building extravagant doomsday bunkers, driven by a mix of fear, luxury, and a desire to maintain control in uncertain times. These bunkers are not just simple underground shelters but are highly sophisticated structures featuring luxurious amenities like swimming pools, movie theaters, gyms, and even defensive measures such as moats and water cannons.
Matthew Frederick in 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School outlines how architects operate at different levels of knowing—Simplicity, Complexity, and Informed Simplicity. This progression reflects the architect's journey through decision-making, moving from initial, often simple ideas to more complex analyses and finally to refined. It’s about finding order in complexity.
Bravo to architects!
They combine knowledge from engineering, aesthetics, human behavior, and environmental impact to make well-rounded decisions, leaving a lasting mark on the world. Every structure, whether a humble home or a grand monument, tells a story of the society that built it, reflecting values, aspirations, and the challenges of its time.
Through thoughtful design, architects shape not only our built environment but also the ways we live, work, and interact within these spaces.
"A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines."
-Frank Lloyd Wright
Beijos,
Babi
https://barbaracraveiro.substack.com/p/architects
Chief Detail Officer
Doing a lot with little - making it weird and fun.
A friend from the venture capital world recommended me a book from Rory Sutherland, a prominent figure at Ogilvy - Alchemy: The Magic of Original Thinking in a World of Mind-Numbing Conformity Curious about the author, I dug deeper into his ideas, and one of his key arguments stood out to me: organisations often underestimate the value of small, seemingly minor changes. Sutherland highlights a common bias in companies where big problems are assumed to need large, costly solutions, typically devised by top executives. However, he argues that small, creative tweaks can often lead to surprisingly significant results.
This brings us to the idea of the Chief Detail Officer —a role dedicated to identifying those small, low-cost opportunities that have tremendous impact, and ensuring they are executed correctly and consistently.
Some examples:
- American Airlines determined that eliminating one olive from each passenger’s salad plate would reduce costs by $40,000.
- MailChimp ran a playful advertising campaign where they intentionally mispronounced their own name. The campaign was quirky and memorable. It helped MailChimp establish itself as a fun and creative company, attracting small businesses and creative professionals who appreciated the lightheartedness. Watch here.
- Dollar Shave Club: In 2012, Dollar Shave Club launched with a hilarious, low-budget video titled "Our Blades Are F* Great." The video featured the company’s CEO delivering deadpan humor about the absurdity of overpriced razors. The video went viral almost immediately. It was acquired and then sold by Unilever.
- Wendy’s social media team, especially on Twitter, became famous for its witty, savage roasts of both customers and competitors. They would humorously respond to customer complaints and engage in playful banter with other fast-food chains.
- Southwest Airlines is known for its flight attendants who deliver safety announcements with a humorous twist. This approach has contributed to Southwest's reputation as a fun, customer-friendly airline, helping to drive customer loyalty and differentiate it from other carriers.
- Skittles' long-running "Taste the Rainbow" campaign is filled with bizarre, humorous ads that often make little sense but are highly entertaining. The campaign became iconic, helping to solidify Skittles as a fun, playful brand, and driving increased sales and brand loyalty.
- Cards Against Humanity, a party game company, is known for its absurd and humorous Black Friday stunts. These ridiculous and humorous campaigns generated significant media coverage and public attention. One of the most infamous pranks happened in 2016 when the company ran a campaign called the "Holiday Hole." They simply asked people to donate money to fund digging a giant, pointless hole in the ground with no purpose other than to keep digging as long as the donations kept coming in.
Well, a little weirdness can go a long way. Who knows? Maybe I’ll channel my inner Chief Detail Officer and start making small, absurd changes in my own life—while having a good laugh about it.
“In a mad world, only the mad are sane.”
Akira Kurosawa
“Find out who you are and do it for purpose”
Dolly Parton
Beijos,
Babi
The feelings of creating a new business
Starting can be overwhelming with so many ideas swirling in your mind, waiting to be transformed into reality.
Unlike typical entrepreneurship resources, I want to delve into the emotional aspect of the journey.
Initially, self-doubt creeps in. We question if anyone would be interested in what we want to create. Fear holds us back from pursuing our dreams, and we consider giving up.
The urge to quit may last a few minutes, hours, or even days. Eventually, your idea resurfaces, and you can approach it with a clearer perspective, refining your plans.
It's a constant swing between impostor syndrome and overconfidence.
Writing things down is crucial. When you document your plans:
- You see the messiness and identify areas for improvement. This stage may take months.
- You gain the confidence to move forward!
With a clear goal and newfound confidence, you believe in your ability to succeed. The next step is to break down the goal into actionable steps. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. We often procrastinate on tasks that we’re uncertain about or lack the necessary resources (money, skills, time) to tackle.
Do what you can, and your confidence will grow through the process, even if it deviates from what you initially envisioned. Life doesn’t always follow a linear path, so why should a business plan?
It’s time to seek honest feedback from trusted friends. It’s a vulnerable moment. Prepare a set of questions, with the most crucial one being, “Would you use/consume this product?” Brace yourself, as you may need to make both minor and major adjustments.
This feedback loop should continue indefinitely. Select the most constructive feedback and carry it with you—it becomes part of your brand. Engaging with clients not only benefits the founders but also allows them to be a part of an exciting journey.
Don’t forget to take breaks and engage in activities that bring you joy. Hobbies, quality time with family and friends—these moments are well-deserved rewards for your hard work.
Discover few resources that rejuvenate your energy—whether it's a supportive LinkedIn community, inspiring articles, podcasts, or books. Avoid overwhelming yourself; too much information can be distracting and stressful. These resources should serve as a gentle push or a source of renewed energy without drowning you.
Self-knowledge is crucial because there will be times when inspiration and motivation wane. Understanding yourself helps you identify the root causes behind these moments. It’s important to develop coping mechanisms to overcome such hurdles.
Don’t forget to have fun. We should fall in love with the process, not just the end goal.
“The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf.”- Shakti Gawain.
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” – Ella Fitzgerald.
Beijos,
Babi