The founders of the Stanford University Life Lab, Bill Burnett and Dave? Evans is not only a Silicon Valley innovator, but also a well-known life designer-the life design course they offer has been a popular course at Stanford University in recent years. Professor Bonnet and Professor Evans believe that there is no perfect plan for life.
Just as a designer will not blindly "think" about the future but actively create the future, you need to use the design thinking model to find your own life goals, concentrate on creating more possibilities for yourself, and try boldly, so that you can change your destiny.
In the process of life design, you need to: 1. Stay curious. Stimulate your desire to explore and discover your interests. 2. Keep trying. Put your goals into action, keep trying, and avoid daydreams. 3. Redefine the problem. Re-examine the current situation and change your mindset. 4. Stay focused. Learn to let go and focus on the process. 5. In-depth cooperation. Cooperate with others and ask for help appropriately. This book does not ask us to make up or fantasize about the future, but to ask us to break out of our habitual thinking, have the courage to change, conduct rapid trial and error, and establish new life goals.
This course has been very effective in experiments with college students and professionals, and has helped many people change their lives. Whether you are 16 or 60, Stanford University's life design course can help you find a career direction that is more suitable for you and restart your life.
Reader comments
A truly good state of life is: I have discovered many options that suit me, and decided to try a certain option first.
Some people may seem to be working in a job that everyone sees as good, but they have no passion inside.
Life is not static. We can use design thinking to proactively design and create our own wonderful life.
Learn to discover what you are truly passionate about and interested in. These interests can often become important entry points for life design.
Life Assessment
The suggestion in the book is to divide life into four dimensions according to the "health/work/entertainment/love" dashboard, evaluate the satisfaction in each area, identify the directions that need improvement, and clarify the imbalance points of current life.
For me, I made some tweaks: work, life, growth and health.
Values
Think about and clarify your own outlook on work and life.
Two core questions: What is the meaning of work? What is the goal of life?
Most people don't know their goals, and drifting with the crowd is the norm;
Trying to think is the first step towards change.
Good Times Diary
By recording the moments each day that make us feel happy, productive, and accomplished, we can clearly see where we excel and which activities bring us true satisfaction.
Some people feel fulfilled when communicating and sharing knowledge with friends, and some feel full of energy when exercising outdoors.
People often don't understand themselves as well as they think, and these diaries can help us better analyze our hearts.
In addition to the good things, I will also record the moments that make me tangled and annoyed.
Odyssey Project
Learn to think divergently and propose many different life possibilities.
Design at least three different life paths for yourself:
Plan 1: Extension of current trail;
Plan 2: Explore a new interest or area;
Plan 3: Ideal life (assuming unlimited time and money).
Practice and Action
You can interview industry practitioners (prototype dialogue), experience it yourself through short-term practice (prototype experience), or even consult with friends (brainstorming).
Most importantly, take action.
Don't be afraid to fail, every attempt is an opportunity to learn and grow.
Summary
Life design is an ongoing process that requires constant adjustment and optimization.
"The most suitable" itself is a pitfall, because as we continue to grow, accomplish one thing after another, and our capabilities and resources continue to improve, the "most" answer is constantly changing day by day and can never be determined.
What Internet companies do is to conduct AB testing, and the smartest way to design your life is to revise your life design in a timely manner based on your own experience, changes in the environment, and inner needs.
This is a book recommended to me by my roommate. When I first saw the title, I was a little scornful, thinking it was another piece of chicken soup. After reading it, I found that it was really disappointing. This book gave us a very clear direction in life, telling us how to follow our hearts, use appropriate methods to design our own life direction, and then do it to our heart's content, experience it, and create a life that is unique to us. Don't be timid, don't be afraid, this world is your vast paradise of life.
This is a book recommended to me by my roommate. When I first saw the title, I was a little scornful, thinking it was another piece of chicken soup. After reading it, I found that it was really disappointing. This book gave us a very clear direction in life, telling us how to follow our hearts, use appropriate methods to design our own life direction, and then do it to our heart's content, experience it, and create a life that is unique to us. Don't be timid, don't be afraid, this world is your vast paradise of life.
This book gave me expectations for some directions this year, and I know I will take some actions to implement the methods in the book. I felt shocked more than once in the book, the kind of shock that was struck by some great and wonderful ideas in the book, and I also really felt the state of happiness. Because of this book, I started to look forward to the future, whether it is good or bad. This book made me feel that my future has infinite possibilities. Originally, I was still anxious and sad that I might have to give up another choice after making one choice, but this book changed my view. We should not feel sad and regret giving up another, because then we will not be able to focus on the other, and the one we give up will no longer exist the moment we give up, because they are no longer operable. We always have to believe that we will have more options in the future, so there is no need to rush. I like the concept of life design very much, and I also believe that I can design a unique and meaningful life of my own. Come on for me, friends, and I hope you can design your own path in life!
The article focuses on the life design course at Stanford University and combines its theory and practice. It not only tells us the principles of design but also provides practical operations, so that we can better master it and truly understand design. It mentioned: "What makes work fun? It's not regular company gatherings, it's not a high salary, and it's not several weeks of paid vacation. Only when you really give full play to your strengths at work and devote yourself to it, can you feel fun from your work." When we truly love design and find the happiness that design brings us, we can truly feel happiness in our future work. If you really want to learn design, then this book is worth studying and will bring you great help.
We are not saying that he does not feel the pain of failure, but that he will not be misled by failure - he never thinks of himself as a loser, and he will not define his life by success or failure. Thinking misunderstanding: Life is a finite game, there are winners and losers.
Redefine: Life is an infinite game, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Here, the game simply refers to how we act in this world and what we focus on in our actions. ) Everyone plays both games all the time, and there is no question of which game is better. Baseball is a great game, but if there are no rules, no winners and losers, then the game is meaningless. Love is an infinite game - if played well, it lasts forever. "Designing life is a life in itself, because life is a process, not a result.
If you understand this, nothing else matters.
Thinking Misconception: We judge our lives by the results.
Redefine: Life is a process, not a process. This is the first level of failure immunity - take active action, fail quickly, and realize that the value of failure is to eliminate trouble (of course, you can also quickly learn from failure, and then improve and improve)
If you are dissatisfied with the current situation and want to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, but don't know how to start, this book is definitely worth reading. The book contains clear, tried-and-tested practical methods that you just need to follow to find your own direction in life.
I read this book very late, I hope it's not too late!
Life design thinking, find the goal of happiness in life!
As the book says, life does not require perfect planning, but continuous experimentation and exploration. I have a friend who has been confused about the future, and I think this book will be of great help to her. Moreover, the authors are well-known designers from Stanford University, and their experience and perspectives are worth learning from. I believe this book will inspire many people and allow us to find a direction in life that is more suitable for us.
I have finished reading but not all of it. I still need to reread it and put it into practice so that I will not be confused at this stage of my life. I don't understand everything, but this book has reference implications for other aspects of my life. My goal is very clear, it is for money!
Every part of this book is a part of life design, which is of great benefit to you. The thinking part has been updated, and action is the last word. Complete the small exercises in each part, and this life design course can really help you.
12:19 Am on December 3, 2025
Life needs to be designed, please redefine your life.
(1) Stay curious; (2) Keep trying; (3) Redefine the problem; (4) Focus (understand that life design is a process); (5) In-depth cooperation (ask for help).
This is recommended by teacher Zhu Hong, it is concise and concise. Used
It can help people realize what they really want and how they should take the path of life in the future.
Thanks to the author, I have a life direction
Teach me how to live happily
This is a very practical methodology. Unfortunately, I am not that strong in execution and can only implement part of it. However, this part is also very helpful to me. Thank you to the author.
A truly good state of life is: I have discovered many options that suit me, and decided to try a certain option first. Some people may seem to be working in a job that everyone sees as good, but they have no passion inside. Life is not static. We can use design thinking to proactively design and create our own wonderful life. Learn to discover what you are truly passionate about and interested in. These interests can often become important entry points for life design. Life Assessment The suggestion in the book is to divide life into four dimensions according to the "health/work/entertainment/love" dashboard, evaluate the satisfaction in each area, identify the directions that need improvement, and clarify the imbalance points of current life. For me, I made some tweaks: work, life, growth and health. Values Think about and clarify your own outlook on work and life. Two core questions: What is the meaning of work? What is the goal of life? Most people don't know their goals, and drifting with the crowd is the norm; Trying to think is the first step towards change. Good Times Diary By recording the moments each day that make us feel happy, productive, and accomplished, we can clearly see where we excel and which activities bring us true satisfaction. Some people feel fulfilled when communicating and sharing knowledge with friends, and some feel full of energy when exercising outdoors. People often don't understand themselves as well as they think, and these diaries can help us better analyze our hearts. In addition to the good things, I will also record the moments that make me tangled and annoyed. Odyssey Project Learn to think divergently and propose many different life possibilities. Design at least three different life paths for yourself: Plan 1: Extension of current trail; Plan 2: Explore a new interest or area; Plan 3: Ideal life (assuming unlimited time and money). Practice and Action You can interview industry practitioners (prototype dialogue), experience it yourself through short-term practice (prototype experience), or even consult with friends (brainstorming). Most importantly, take action. Don't be afraid to fail, every attempt is an opportunity to learn and grow. Summary Life design is an ongoing process that requires constant adjustment and optimization. "The most suitable" itself is a pitfall, because as we continue to grow, accomplish one thing after another, and our capabilities and resources continue to improve, the "most" answer is constantly changing day by day and can never be determined. What Internet companies do is to conduct AB testing, and the smartest way to design your life is to revise your life design in a timely manner based on your own experience, changes in the environment, and inner needs.
This is a book recommended to me by my roommate. When I first saw the title, I was a little scornful, thinking it was another piece of chicken soup. After reading it, I found that it was really disappointing. This book gave us a very clear direction in life, telling us how to follow our hearts, use appropriate methods to design our own life direction, and then do it to our heart's content, experience it, and create a life that is unique to us. Don't be timid, don't be afraid, this world is your vast paradise of life.
This is a book recommended to me by my roommate. When I first saw the title, I was a little scornful, thinking it was another piece of chicken soup. After reading it, I found that it was really disappointing. This book gave us a very clear direction in life, telling us how to follow our hearts, use appropriate methods to design our own life direction, and then do it to our heart's content, experience it, and create a life that is unique to us. Don't be timid, don't be afraid, this world is your vast paradise of life.
This book gave me expectations for some directions this year, and I know I will take some actions to implement the methods in the book. I felt shocked more than once in the book, the kind of shock that was struck by some great and wonderful ideas in the book, and I also really felt the state of happiness. Because of this book, I started to look forward to the future, whether it is good or bad. This book made me feel that my future has infinite possibilities. Originally, I was still anxious and sad that I might have to give up another choice after making one choice, but this book changed my view. We should not feel sad and regret giving up another, because then we will not be able to focus on the other, and the one we give up will no longer exist the moment we give up, because they are no longer operable. We always have to believe that we will have more options in the future, so there is no need to rush. I like the concept of life design very much, and I also believe that I can design a unique and meaningful life of my own. Come on for me, friends, and I hope you can design your own path in life!
The article focuses on the life design course at Stanford University and combines its theory and practice. It not only tells us the principles of design but also provides practical operations, so that we can better master it and truly understand design. It mentioned: "What makes work fun? It's not regular company gatherings, it's not a high salary, and it's not several weeks of paid vacation. Only when you really give full play to your strengths at work and devote yourself to it, can you feel fun from your work." When we truly love design and find the happiness that design brings us, we can truly feel happiness in our future work. If you really want to learn design, then this book is worth studying and will bring you great help.
We are not saying that he does not feel the pain of failure, but that he will not be misled by failure - he never thinks of himself as a loser, and he will not define his life by success or failure. Thinking misunderstanding: Life is a finite game, there are winners and losers. Redefine: Life is an infinite game, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Here, the game simply refers to how we act in this world and what we focus on in our actions. ) Everyone plays both games all the time, and there is no question of which game is better. Baseball is a great game, but if there are no rules, no winners and losers, then the game is meaningless. Love is an infinite game - if played well, it lasts forever. "Designing life is a life in itself, because life is a process, not a result. If you understand this, nothing else matters. Thinking Misconception: We judge our lives by the results. Redefine: Life is a process, not a process. This is the first level of failure immunity - take active action, fail quickly, and realize that the value of failure is to eliminate trouble (of course, you can also quickly learn from failure, and then improve and improve)
If you are dissatisfied with the current situation and want to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, but don't know how to start, this book is definitely worth reading. The book contains clear, tried-and-tested practical methods that you just need to follow to find your own direction in life.
I read this book very late, I hope it's not too late! Life design thinking, find the goal of happiness in life!
As the book says, life does not require perfect planning, but continuous experimentation and exploration. I have a friend who has been confused about the future, and I think this book will be of great help to her. Moreover, the authors are well-known designers from Stanford University, and their experience and perspectives are worth learning from. I believe this book will inspire many people and allow us to find a direction in life that is more suitable for us.
I have finished reading but not all of it. I still need to reread it and put it into practice so that I will not be confused at this stage of my life. I don't understand everything, but this book has reference implications for other aspects of my life. My goal is very clear, it is for money!
Every part of this book is a part of life design, which is of great benefit to you. The thinking part has been updated, and action is the last word. Complete the small exercises in each part, and this life design course can really help you.
12:19 Am on December 3, 2025
Life needs to be designed, please redefine your life.
(1) Stay curious; (2) Keep trying; (3) Redefine the problem; (4) Focus (understand that life design is a process); (5) In-depth cooperation (ask for help).
This is recommended by teacher Zhu Hong, it is concise and concise. Used
It can help people realize what they really want and how they should take the path of life in the future.
Thanks to the author, I have a life direction
Teach me how to live happily
This is a very practical methodology. Unfortunately, I am not that strong in execution and can only implement part of it. However, this part is also very helpful to me. Thank you to the author.