Dave Evans and Bill Burnett are co-authors of the New York Times bestselling Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. You may not have heard of them, but their design work has almost certainly touched your life. You know Dave's work if you've ever used an Apple mouse or laser printer. And Bill's designs include the hinges on Apple's Powerbooks and the original Hasbro Star Wars figures.
What do these guys have to teach us about being healthy and happy?
As it turns out, plenty.
Faculty members at the famous Stanford d.school (d. is pretentious for “design”), Dave and Bill are adherents of the Design Thinking approach to life pioneered by their mentor, past podcast guest and d.school co-founder Bernie Roth, among others.
The basic idea is, we don't have to live a default life not of our own choosing. And we don't have to take wild risks into the unknown when we need a change. Instead, we can apply the same principles of user-centered design that produce successful products and systems to own our lives. We can use a proven process to build, rather than just imagine, our ideal lives.
Dave, Bill, and I had a lovely Skype conversation about their bestselling book, Designing Your Life, and how we can apply design thinking not just to our careers, but to our lifestyles and diets as well.
We covered:
- the vital importance of curiosity, and how it helps you become lucky
- developing empathy for others and yourself
- “reality is where all the cool stuff happens”
- why drowning ourselves in “shoulds” isn't helpful
- we live in a body and we are a body
- the choreography of thought
- “reasons are bullshit” (courtesy of Bernie Roth)
- there's no bad or good news, just truth
- you can't operationalize “mostly plants”
- how to develop failure immunity
- why partial credit counts when you're trying new things
- being honest about the secondary gains of your failings
- developing a bias to action
- reframing problems so they can be addressed
- the difference between actionable problems and “gravity problems”
- the danger of working on a really good problem that's not the right problem
- the life assessment dashboard
- the difference between designing your life and obsessing about your life
- identifying and disputing the dysfunctional thoughts that keep you stuck
- the deadly pull of “anchor problems” and the value of prototyping
- the promise of endless do-overs
- and much more…
Enjoy, add your voice to the conversation via the comment box below, and please share – that's how we spread our message and spread our roots.
Links
The Designing Your Life Workbook
The Designing Your Life website
Bernie Roth on the Plant Yourself Podcast
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Gratitudes
Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons
– Kim Harrison
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Announcements
Josh LaJaunie and I are looking to take the Big Change Program into organizational settings. We’ve run 3 cohorts of individuals through the program, and want to increase its reach and impact.
There are tons of “wellness programs” out there, where employees get rewarded for getting a physical, enduring a mammogram or thyroid cancer screening, joining a gym, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, choosing “lean” cuts of meat, and trying to quit smoking. As you might guess, these programs are spectacularly ineffective in reducing disease, and equally dismal in their return on investment (ROI) to the employer. A 2013 report by the Rand Corporation found that only smoking cessation produced a positive ROI. (https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR254.html)
We’re not interested in vague recommendations or tiny behavior changes that lead to marginal results (what David Katz, MD, refers to as “tiny parachutes”).
We want to show that significant behavioral shifts by groups of coworkers can dramatically reduce the costs of health care in organizations. (For evidence of this, check out my interview with actuary Ken Beckman.)
And beyond that, we want to demonstrate that the current model of “cost-effective disease management” is aiming way too low. Who wants to manage a shitty disease like diabetes? Who wants to manage their heart disease? Who wants to manage their breast cancer?
Let’s eliminate those suckers. Let’s prevent and reverse disease, not manage it.
We’re partnering with WellStart Health, a telemedicine platform with the same goals: to reverse, not manage, chronic disease. And we’re looking for a few enlightened workplaces to let us do our thing.
If you know of anyone we should talk to – an owner or senior executive in a self-insured company, for example – I’d really appreciate an introduction.
And if you happen to be in a position to introduce us to your organization, that’s cool too 🙂
Email me at **@pl***********.com and we’ll find a time to chat.
Ready to embark on your Big Change journey?
Are you tired of knowing what to do, and still not doing it consistently? The Big Change Program, led by Josh LaJaunie and myself, will help you take the steps to finally live according to your knowledge and values.
Join the Plant Yourself mailing list (top right of this page) to learn more, and to get notified about the next Bobsled Run of the program.
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Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Disclosure
This post may contain amazon affiliate links. I may receive amazon gift certificates from your actions on such links.
Looking for Transformational Change?
You know how when you discovered plant-based eating, you basically went, “Holy shit, how come the entire healthcare system isn't totally embracing this as one of the most powerful keys to disease prevention and reversal!”?
That's how I feel now about a psychological approach to transformational change called “Memory Reconsolidation.” Few psychologists have heard about it, and when they do hear the radical transformations it can bring about in a very short time, they're often skeptical to the point of disbelief.
But I've added Memory Reconsolidation work to my own coaching, and can attest to its amazing efficacy. So much so, that I'm devoting the next year to mastering it, studying with the best clinicians and teachers in the world, and then introducing it into health coaching through my trainings.
Right now, I want to triple my coaching practice to get more and more opportunities to do this work. And I'm lowering my fees – a lot – to make it easier for people to work with me.
If you're interested in working with me (and willing to commit to a minimum of 2 months), click the link below to open the form in a new browser tab and I'll get back to you within 3 business days.
Yes, I'm interested in Memory Reconsolidation Coaching.
You CAN Change Other People!
Well, that's what Peter Bregman and I claim in our provocative book of that title.
What we really mean is, you can help the people around you make behavioral changes in their own best interests. If you think you're powerless to help people change, it's because you've been going about it the wrong way.
Discover our straightforward, replicable process here: You Can Change Other People.
Audiobook: Use the Weight to Lose the Weight
Listen to Josh LaJaunie and me narrate our latest audiobook, about how to start moving when you're obese.
It's $10, and Josh and I split it evenly 🙂
Tip Jar
This podcast is not underwritten by advertising, so I can experience complete editorial autonomy without worrying about pissing off the person paying the bills. Instead, I pay the bills, with your help. It's free for those who can't afford to pay, and supported by those who can. You can contribute to the growth and improvement of the podcast by clicking the “Support on Patreon” or “Donate” buttons on the right to help out.
Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Gratitudes
Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons – Kim Harrison – Lynn McLellan – Brittany Porter – Dominic Marro – Barbara Whitney – Tammy Black – Amy Good – Amanda Hatherly – Mary Jane Wheeler – Ellen Kennelly – Melissa Cobb – Rachel Behrens – Tina Scharf – Tina Ahern – Jen Vilkinofsky – David Byczek – Michele X – Elspeth Feldman – Leah Stolar – Allan Kristensen – Colleen Peck – Michele Landry – Jozina – Sara Durkacs – Kelly Cameron – Janet Selby – Claire Adams – Tom Fronczak – Jeannette Benham – Gila Lacerte – David Donohue – Blair Seibert – Doron Avizov – Gio and Carolyn Argentati – Jodi Friesner – Mischa Rosen – Michael Worobiec – AvIvA Lael – Alicia Lemus – Val Linnemann – Nick Harper – Bandana Chawla – Molly Levine – The Inscrutable Harry R – Susan Laverty the Panda Vegan – Craig Covic – Adam Scharf – Karen Bury – Heather Morgan – Nigel Davies – Marian Blum – Teresa Kopel – Julian Watkins – Brid O'Connell – Shannon Herschman – Linda Ayotte – Holm Hedegaard – Isa Tousignant – Connie Haneline – Erin Greer – Alicia Davis – Heather O'Connor – Carollynne Jensen – Sheri Orlekoski of Plant Powered for Health – Karen Smith – Scott Mirani – Karen and Joe Crabtree – Kirby Burton – Theresa Carrell – Kevin Macaulay – Elizabeth Rothschild – Ann Jesse – Sheryl Dwyer – Jenny Hazelton – Peter W Evans – Dennis Bird – Darby Kelly – Lori Fanney – Linnea Lundquist – Emily Iaconelli – Levi Wallach – Rosamonde McAtee – Dan Pokorney – Stephen Leinin – Patty DeMartino – Mike and Donna Kartz – Deanne Bishop – Bilberry Elf – Marjorie Lewis – Tricia Adams – Nancy Sheldon – Lindsey Bashore – Gunn Marit Hagen – Tracey Gulledge – Lara Hedin – Meg from Mamasezz – Stacey Stokes – Ben Savage – Michael K – David Hughes -Coni Rodgers – Claire England – Sally Robertson – Parham Ganchi – Amy Dailey – Brian Tourville – Mark Jeffrey Johnson – Josie Dempsey – Caryn Schmitt – Pamela Hayden – Emily Perryman – Allison Corbett – Richard Stone – Lauren Vaught of Edible Musings – Erin Hastey – Sean Owens – Sagar Naik – Erika Piedra – Danielle Roberts – Michael Leuchten – Sarah Johnson – Katharine Floyd – Meryl Fury – for your generous support of the podcast.
Disclosure
This post may contain amazon affiliate links. I may receive compensation from your actions on such links. It don't cost you a dime, tho.
