Designing Your Work Life

“What if you don’t need to change your job to have your dream career? What if redesigning it can make all the difference?”

1. Accept Where You Are

Your starting point is always “good enough.” It’s easy to feel stuck if you focus too much on your long-term ambitions, but that mindset stops you from improving where you are now. Instead of chasing an endless loop of "more" – more money, more responsibility, more recognition – you can reframe your perspective to notice the aspects of your job that work well for you.

By doing so, you switch from being a “non-life designer,” endlessly seeking external rewards, to a “life-designer” who defines success intentionally. Begin by acknowledging that your current role has value, even if it's not perfect. Use the designer's tool of reframing to shift your focus toward tasks and responsibilities that bring you joy or fulfillment.

To make this shift permanent, consider journaling about the positive aspects of your role. Look for patterns in the activities you enjoy, and consider how you can expand on those elements. By reframing your view of your current position, you’ll be clearer about what to improve or prioritize.

Examples

• A retail worker finds enjoyment in training new employees and begins volunteering for mentoring tasks.
• An office assistant, frustrated with repetitive work, focuses on the relationships she’s built with coworkers and starts suggesting small team-building activities.
• A marketer who feels unchallenged reframes her situation by identifying growth opportunities in analytics, an area she enjoys.

2. Money and Meaning Are Not Mutually Exclusive

You’ve likely heard the phrase: Pick a career that makes you happy or one that makes you rich. But this advice causes unnecessary tension. Instead, think of your career as a mixer board with three dials: money, impact, and creative expression. Finding your perfect balance on this board is key to designing your ideal job.

Rather than making big, immediate changes, focus on small, thoughtful tweaks to rebalance these dials over time. If you’re craving creativity, look for artistic outlets in your existing workplace before searching for another job or abandoning financial stability. Conversely, if you're pursuing impact (such as contributing to a greater cause), ensure that financial security remains part of your equation.

The magic is in ongoing experimentation. Test adjustments, such as taking on a side role or reducing hours for personal projects, and see how they impact your mix. You’ll soon discover that money, meaning, and creativity can work together.

Examples

• A business consultant with a passion for art redesigns her workload to include creative tasks like creating branding materials.
• An engineer explores social impact by volunteering skills for nonprofit organizations during weekends.
• An HR manager transitions to a part-time role, dedicating her off-days to photography.

3. Find the Right Problem

Sometimes the biggest challenge at work is figuring out what problem to solve. Often, what feels like a major issue is just the surface symptom of something deeper. For example, someone frustrated with their boss might discover the real challenge is poor communication.

Breaking down large challenges into smaller, actionable problems is essential. Designers call these "minimum actionable problems," allowing you to focus on what you can change. Reframing is a powerful tool here, helping you separate emotional biases from objective truths to identify solvable aspects of your issue.

Once you’ve found an actionable problem, brainstorm ways to tackle it. Start with the question, “How might I?” This mindset shift lets you approach challenges more creatively and pragmatically.

Examples

• A graphic designer upset about harsh critique reframes his situation by asking his team specifically for constructive feedback.
• An admin assistant overwhelmed by repetitive tasks introduces a new software system to reduce manual workload.
• A project manager dissatisfied with communication schedules a weekly team briefing to clarify goals.

4. Motivation Comes From Within

Your motivation should not be tied solely to external rewards like promotions or praise. The authors argue that intrinsic motivation – which comes from within – is far more powerful. It’s rooted in autonomy, relatedness (connections with others), and competence.

Autonomy involves finding ways to take ownership of your responsibilities. Relatedness means building relationships with coworkers, even in independent roles. Competence comes from sharpening your skills and excelling at tasks. Focusing on these areas transforms your daily mindset, making work more joyful and rewarding.

By practicing autonomy, involvement, and learning, you create work satisfaction on your terms, regardless of external circumstances or challenges.

Examples

• A junior developer invests time in learning coding languages independently, boosting competence.
• An introverted employee invests in deeper one-on-one conversations with close teammates to build bonds.
• A data analyst volunteers to lead small projects, creating more autonomy in her work choices.

5. Leverage Influence Instead of Authority

You don’t need a promotion to have power in the workplace. Real workplace success lies in influence rather than authority. Influence is built by earning trust, providing consistent value, and being recognized for your contributions.

Start by adding value in ways that help the team or organization without directly asking for rewards. Seek opportunities where your work is visible and where your contributions get recognition. Over time, this influence positions you as a key decision-maker, even without a title change.

Influence gives you the leverage to advocate for changes that enhance your work life, from better team dynamics to more exciting projects.

Examples

• A team member streamlines reporting processes, gaining recognition for her initiative.
• A middle manager builds trust across departments by resolving inter-team conflicts.
• An intern improves how meeting minutes are shared, making herself indispensable.

6. Redesign Before Resigning

Before quitting your job, the authors suggest exploring all redesign possibilities first. Apply iterative design principles: tweak how you work, seek feedback, and adjust again. If your frustration stems from daily processes or lack of opportunity, see if reframing, re-enlisting in your team, or remodeling your role can resolve these issues.

Sometimes, your ideal job is within your current company. Explore internal roles, consider sideways moves, or use your resources to pivot in a new direction. When clarity hits, you’ll know if quitting becomes the right choice.

Examples

• A dissatisfied customer service agent transitions into internal operations to align with her problem-solving skills.
• A marketing associate explores strategy by training in campaign planning within the same team.
• A sales rep shadowing the HR department decides to pursue an HR career shift.

7. Quit Smartly

If redesign doesn’t work, leaving might be the right decision, but you should quit thoughtfully. Use the transition to bolster your professional reputation. Provide smooth handovers, stay engaged until the end, and maintain positive connections with colleagues.

Focus on framing your reasons positively. Instead of dwelling on frustrations, highlight how this decision aligns with pursuing growth or passion. When done well, quitting leaves doors open for future collaborations or references.

Examples

• A departing manager sets up her successor for success by creating detailed documentation for ongoing projects.
• An IT specialist announces his move to freelancing while tying up loose ends, preserving company goodwill.
• A finance lead actively offers her network support before leaving, creating reciprocal opportunities.

8. Test Drive Self-Employment

Freelancing or entrepreneurship offers an exciting career path, but self-employment requires testing the waters first. By treating freelancing as a prototype, you can navigate obstacles while assessing fit. Start small, such as consulting part-time or developing products in your spare hours.

Additionally, being self-employed means designing a career that mirrors your core values. Outsource tasks that don’t align with your skills and negotiate rates that reflect the value you bring. Your success will depend on how you manage these aspects along the way.

Examples

• A software developer launches a side hustle building e-commerce websites before transitioning fully.
• A PR professional works part-time as a media consultant before starting her agency.
• A photographer raises rates incrementally, ensuring financial stability while maintaining quality.

9. Use Small Changes to Build a Bigger Career Picture

Designing your work life isn’t about immediate transformation. Instead, view your career as a series of small experiments. Reframe challenges, build influence incrementally, and keep tweaking your approach to work as your preferences evolve.

This gradual evolution lets you continuously adapt to new opportunities and find satisfaction, preventing burnout or dissatisfaction.

Examples

• A content writer switches niches after experimenting with SEO blogs vs. creative pieces.
• An accountant gradually moves into financial auditing by shadowing senior managers.
• A teacher takes summer workshops to transition into curriculum development roles.

Takeaways

1. Reframe one element of your current job that frustrates you, focusing on what you enjoy about it.
2. Design your “career mixer board” of money, impact, and expression by experimenting with adjustments in small ways.
3. Identify and develop areas where you already hold influence, no matter your role.