Episode Summary:
Podcast: The Real Estate Espresso Podcast
Host: Victor Menasce
Episode: BOM - Design Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Date: April 1, 2020
Main Theme
Victor Menasce reviews "Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans for the Book of the Month. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruptions, Victor discusses the book’s core concepts and argues for embracing design thinking to reimagine and reinvent life in times of upheaval.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Importance of Re-evaluation Amid Disruption (00:18 – 02:00)
- Victor reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic as a “forcing function” that interrupts routines and prompts deep personal reevaluation.
- He suggests that such disruptions offer a unique opportunity to reset and redesign life for the better:
"That massive dislocation has caused many to reevaluate both the content and the context of their lives." (00:42) "I actually don't want things to go back to normal. I want my life to move forward so that what emerges from this dislocation in history is going to be better than it was before." (01:19)
Applying a Designer’s Mindset to Life (02:02 – 03:00)
- Victor draws parallels between his professional experiences in design (microchips, hardware, real estate) and life design.
- Central thesis: problems are essential catalysts for design and progress:
"Designers love problems. Every single item that you find in your house was the result of some designer somewhere encountering a problem and coming up with a solution." (02:18) "If you're going to design your life, you probably, in fact, you absolutely need problems. And Lord knows there seems to be no shortage of problems at the moment." (02:54)
The Core of "Designing Your Life" and Design Thinking (03:01 – 04:00)
- The book is rooted in design methodology taught at Stanford for over 50 years.
- Design thinking starts with curiosity and reframing problems; many get stuck on the wrong problems.
- Tackles “dysfunctional beliefs”:
- The myth that everyone should know their passion (“only 20% of people asked had a clear answer”).
- The pressure of “You should know by now”—there is no ‘should,’ only a starting point.
"Are you being the best possible version of you? You've probably heard that the good is the enemy of the best. Well, the corollary to that is the unattainable best is the enemy of a whole bunch of really good alternatives." (04:00)
Connecting Purpose, Belief, and Action (04:15)
- Years of research lead to a critical insight: a meaningful life comes from connecting who you are, what you believe, and what you do.
"Connecting the dots to creating a meaningful life involves connecting who you are, what you believe in, and what you do. When all three of these are connected together, you will experience life as being more meaningful." (04:15)
- Importance of asking difficult questions to achieve clarity.
Life as a Journey, Not a Destination (04:45)
- Warns against chasing an elusive endpoint, leading to missing the journey’s value.
"Life is not a destination, it's a journey. And if you spend your entire life chasing an elusive destination, then by the time you get there, you'll have missed it." (04:45)
Accepting and Choosing Problems (05:05)
- “You cannot solve a problem you’re not willing to have.”
- Difference between problems and circumstances—agency comes from choice.
Generating Alternate Life Plans (05:28)
- Urges evaluation of multiple “alternate futures”:
- Improve the current path
- Emergency Plan B if uprooted
- Wildcard plan with no constraints
- The process of imagining alternatives drives self-discovery, but ultimately, one must choose a path.
Prototyping and Committing to Life Choices (06:00)
- Recommends “prototyping” life choices to gauge fit both intellectually and emotionally.
"You want to prototype your life, that is try it on for size, so that you know not only at an intellectual level, but at an emotional level if that choice is going to work for you." (06:03)
- Genuine commitment means letting go of “what might have been” and not second-guessing.
Parting Thoughts (07:00)
- With life disrupted, the book "Designing Your Life" can be a valuable tool and source of clarity.
"The book Design Your Life might be the best thing you can do to immerse yourself right now when your life has been disrupted." (06:55)
- Victor closes by encouraging listeners to actively make positive things happen.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On design as a response to problems:
"Designers love problems. Every single item that you find in your house was the result of some designer somewhere encountering a problem and coming up with a solution." (02:18) -
On the “passion” myth:
"One of the biggest ones is what's your passion? Well, only 20% of people asked had a clear answer. So if that's a prerequisite, you're already set up for failure." (03:25) -
On connecting belief, identity, and action:
"Connecting the dots to creating a meaningful life involves connecting who you are, what you believe in, and what you do. When all three of these are connected together, you will experience life as being more meaningful." (04:15) -
On living the journey, not chasing a destination:
"Life is not a destination, it's a journey. And if you spend your entire life chasing an elusive destination, then by the time you get there, you'll have missed it." (04:45) -
On actionable next steps amid disruption:
"The book Design Your Life might be the best thing you can do to immerse yourself right now when your life has been disrupted." (06:55)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:18 – COVID-19 as an opportunity for life reevaluation
- 01:19 – "I don't want things to go back to normal"
- 02:18 – Why designers love problems
- 03:25 – The myth of always knowing your passion
- 04:15 – The true elements of a meaningful life
- 04:45 – Life as a journey vs. a destination
- 05:28 – Generating and evaluating alternate futures
- 06:03 – Prototyping your life to test choices
- 06:55 – Using “Designing Your Life” as a response to disruption
Conclusion
Victor delivers an energetic and practical framework for navigating both everyday life and periods of upheaval, through the lens of design thinking as presented in “Designing Your Life.” He positions the book as essential reading for those seeking to use the global disruption as a springboard for growth and reinvention, offering concrete mindsets and actionable strategies for building not just a new life, but a better one.