Is the design goal meaningful?
Check that your design goal reflects what matters to you.
A design goal only works if it targets what matters to you.
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You’ve determined your design goal, usually written as: I want to <what you want to achieve>. Before moving forward, check whether it meets the essential criteria below. If it doesn’t, adjust it unless you consciously choose to keep it, and then check the new version. Repeat this process until you have a design goal that satisfies all the criteria.
Checking that your design goal is meaningful is like consulting a compass in the wilderness: it helps you confirm that your direction points toward what matters before you take the next step.
1️⃣ Alignment with life purpose and personal values
Check whether your design goal reflects what you value and aligns with the kind of person you want to be.
In a well-designed life, what you do is in line with what you find important (your purpose) and with the kind of person you want to be (your values). If it doesn’t align, take a closer look at where the gap lies. Adjust your design goal if necessary, unless you consciously choose to keep it as is. The closer your design goal reflects your values and purpose, the more it can guide meaningful action.
Example: Someone sets a design goal to “buy a bigger house.” Reflecting on their purpose and values, they realize that spending time with family and simplicity matter most. Adjusting the goal to “create a home that supports family life and a simple lifestyle” brings it into alignment.
So ask yourself:
🤔 Does this design goal align with my purpose and values?
2️⃣ Addressing an underlying need, not just a solution
Ask whether your design goal targets a need rather than a specific solution.
To live a life that feels meaningful and worth living, our physical and psychological needs must be met. These include physical needs such as food, rest, and safety, as well as psychological needs like security, autonomy, competence, and connection. At their core, our actions are aimed at fulfilling these needs.
A need can be met at a particular moment through a specific solution. For example, financial security may come from your current job, and love from your current life partner. The need is the end. The solution is just one possible means.
Sometimes we mistake the means for the end. We think we need a specific job or partner, when what we really need is financial security or love. This confusion can lead to worry or clinging. But needs can be met in many ways. You need the fulfillment of the underlying need, not a particular solution.
A common mistake in choosing a design goal is jumping straight to a solution and making it the goal. When this happens, the goal becomes about a means rather than the underlying need. Focusing on the need instead opens up more possibilities, some of which may be better than the first solution you considered.
Example: Someone sets a design goal to “retire at fifty.” When asked why, she explains it’s so she can spend more time on local nature conservation. Her real need is to contribute to this cause. Adjusting the goal to “spend more time supporting nature conservation in my community” focuses on the underlying need and opens up many ways to achieve it.
So ask yourself:
🤔 Why do I want to achieve this design goal? What underlying need is it trying to meet?
If you identify an underlying need, consider making it your design goal. This opens up more ways to satisfy it and increases your chances of success.
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🖊️ If this process changes your design goal, strike out or delete the old one and write the new goal in the format: I want to <what you want to achieve>.
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