Over the past two decades, I have developed a fairly structured and successful design process (yes I’m an architect, but pragmatism is not against architecture, despite what many may believe ;-) ).
However, I have never thought about this methodology during the development of my coaching style, until I realised that what I was trying to create for my coaching was already available to me because of my architectural background.
Specifically, first working on my own development and then helping others with theirs, I realised how the process often employed to “design“ one’s life is extremely similar, if not equivalent, to the design process commonly adopted in creative fields, like architecture.
Before describing this “design process” to you, I’d like to start with one question.
How overwhelming do you find having to design / write / create something starting from a completely blanc page, as the one shown below?
Some may find it inspiring. However, many will probably freeze: I'll think about it “later”; it is possibly not a great idea; it would not work, so what’s the point.
The reality is that the above are excuses created by the brain to avoid the difficulty. The result is to end up sticking with what it is known, it’s been tried, and has already failed.
What if you had a technique to approach and to tackle that blank page and that would allow you to design your life or to find the way to achieve your goal? Would you still avoid that page?
If the answer is no, keep reading.
Very often, I find that what is blocking people in their design process, is the idea of “scale of priorities”. For example, in architecture, deciding that the priority is to think about the detail of the entrance door, when you don’t even know where to enter the building from yet. Same as in life, when deciding that you want to improve your fitness, but you start one morning by running like hell, without a plan, daily goal and strategy — that run will probably be your first and last, because without an overall vision that can sustain it.
In both cases, you start from the end, forgetting to “build the necessary foundations” — to stick to the building analogy.
In other words, as my dad would have said:
“It’s like worrying about which side of the Ferrari you want to drive on, without thinking at the amount of money that you will first need to actually buy one”….
The key is to think at priorities from the LARGER to the SMALLER scale, think about the big picture, before getting stuck into tiny details that, by the end of the process, might even result irrelevant.
How? This is how in 6 steps:
01 THE GOAL:
You can’t start working on a project without knowing what it is for, what do you want. Even when there’s no precise program / goal, there’s always a general brief/wish, an objective to aim for. The WHY? WHAT FOR?
In your case, what’s the final goal?
This is probably the most important step of the six, because, without one destination, there is no path to choose to get to it. There should really be no rush in thinking about it, nor fear to ask for some support at this stage, because not being sure about what we want is very common, there’s nothing to be ashamed of and, often — with just few questions — you might see the answer you were waiting for, coming straight out of your mouth without realising it.
02 RESOURCES:
Exploring the available resources is what helps you to identify the path to follow: the environment, the people, the program, the aim … they hide behind them the secret added value to the final project. You just have to uncover it.
What are your resources?
They can be tangible elements as well as feelings or sensations. Either way, ignoring them could make the difference between creating YOUR project or someone else’s.
03 VISION:
You know what’s your objective and you know the resources at your disposal to get there. It’s time to open-up to the imagination and the creativity.
What’s the concept? What is it like at the end?How do you picture yourself and your life once your goal will be achieved?
This is a tricky step, because most of us have put the imagination aside and we do not use it anymore.You might even say: “I’m not capable”, “I have never done it”.
Well… that’s not true.
Go back few decades. When you were a child, at some point you have surely dreamt of something. You were playing the role of a driver, an astronaut, an hairdresser or a policemen. Whichever the role, at least once in your life you have done it, which demonstrate that it is not true that you are not capable of “visualising”, it just means that you have to train yourself to recover this ability.
It is a matter of going back in time and rediscover that state of mind of freedom, without boundaries. Obviously, this does not mean that you will have to give up everything to become an astronaut at 45, but it will open to you some new perspectives and options — and that is what you want, having at your disposal options to choose from.
04 LIMITS:
Back to reality. It’s time to face the limitations, obstacles and difficulties (environment, laws, people, cost, …).
However, are they really “problems”, or do they rather help to shape the project? How would you feel dealing with a project with NO boundaries at all? Would that be really easier?
Let’s say that you wish to find a better work-life balance. If you did not take in consideration the limitations (working hours, school hours of your kids, human relations, …), how could you know the boundaries within which to plan your options?
If you think at what’s stopping you today, are they real obstacles? And what if they were opportunities instead?
05 DESIGN
It’s action time. You have a goal in mind, you know your available resources and your limitations. You can start sketching, then draw and even plan a step-by-step program to get it built/done.
In other terms, it is the moment to combine everything in the order that will create your own strategy towards your goal and that will generate the options to choose from.
Knowing all that you have learned so far, what’s the best strategy to move forward? Is there one or more than one? How would you choose?
06 BUILD
Everything is ready: the options are in front of you. Time to choose the most appropriate to start building the project. Where do you start from? Why do you choose to do it in one way rather than another? What’s the first step you choose to take?
These 6 steps are nothing new: they are logic and simple…. but, only on paper. What makes it so difficult to put them into practice to most of us?
I like to repeat that the key is in the word “PRIORITIES”: big picture to details. Dream and imagination to difficulties. If you did the other way around, the dream will be hidden, and the “real” goal not even visible.
A program, a step-by-step guide towards the final achievement is often useful to simplify your life and making the process enjoyable. That’s why I suggest to test and try this 6 steps process and, if you need any help from me or just connect to find out more, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Best,
Giada
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