The Life Design Method
5 stages, 40+ modules, and 1 attempt to help you design an interesting life with enough room for all of you.
You contain multitudes, so what does it take to build an interesting life that's big enough to hold the whole of you? This is the question we're exploring with our life design method.
Most lives are inherited. We pick up our values, timelines, goals, and ideas of success from the people and places around us, often without even questioning them. It doesn't necessarily mean that this makes us feel unhappy, but it does mean that we work hard to become good at a life that's not really ours.
Designing a life takes more than inspiration. It takes knowing ourselves honestly, understanding our current life context, imagining more than one possible life beyond the ones we've been told about our whole lives, strategising a little, and then actually trying things to find what sticks and makes life worth living. That's what this life design method gives you: a path from self-knowledge to daily life, one stage and one module at a time.
It's built for curious, multi-passionate people. We won't tell you to pick one thing to see how far you can go with it. Instead, we'll help you find a way to fit all your multitudes into the one and (probably) only life you get.
Step 1
Click the button below to subscribe to the Life Design Method. You'll get access to all content as it populates and receive new modules directly via email as they get published.
Interested in learning how the Life Design Method started? You can read about it here.
Step 2
You have the option to purchase access to a dedicated Life Design Method Notion Workbook - a growing library of exercises, resources, and prompts to help you get the most out of the whole process. This isn't necessary, but if you'd find it useful, you can purchase it via this link. You'll get the access link in the purchase confirmation window. Bookmark the page.
Feel a bit wobbly right now?
If you've found your way to this life design method because something in your life isn't working, know this: you can't think clearly about your life when your nervous system, your sleep, your body, or your finances are in distress. If this is the case, start by reading our guide on how to get your foundations right. The Method will still be here when you're ready, and it'll work better.
How it works
Step 3
Read new modules and, if you have access, use the templates to complete the exercises at your own pace. Each module builds on the previous one, so it's best to go through them in sequence. There's no rush and no schedule; just do what feels right for you.
The Five Stages
Stage 1: Self-Discovery
Who are you, beyond what you were handed?
Stage 2: Life Context
Seneca reviewed his day each evening, and Benjamin Franklin began each morning by asking what good he would do that day. This final stage will turn everything you've learned and decided to pursue in life into habits that last: planners, journaling, reflections, mindset, and resilience for the bad weeks.
Stage 5: Daily Practice
Before you design what's next, you need to take an honest look at your current reality and what you have to work with. You'll think about things such as how well your life fits you, what resources you have available, what problem you're actually trying to solve, what you're ready to leave behind, and who you want around you along the way.
Stage 4: Strategy
Aristotle thought the point of life was to flourish. Odysseus, meanwhile, turned down immortality to return home to the messy, mortal life he loved. This stage is where you imagine the lives you could live, stare down the one you refuse to end up in, and write down what you'd stake your life on. This is where you'll finally gain clarity on what a good life looks like for you and the feeling you'll try to build towards throughout your life.
Stage 3: Vision & Direction
This will include things like lifestyle and career design, understanding what a life on your personal rhythm could look like, what areas of life you want to focus on, what goals you actually care about achieving, how to make decisions that align with your being, and maybe even start reinventing yourself.
"Know thyself" was inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in ancient Greece, and this millennia-old advice is still the right place to start. In this stage, you'll take a close look at your personality, values, strengths, energy, fears, and shadow, as well as the limiting beliefs and roles you picked up along the way. The newfound clarity will help you see which parts of you are chosen and which ones you inherited.
Where are you standing, and what are you working with?
What is a good life, for you?
How do you build a life out of many interests?
How do you live it on an ordinary day?
A good life isn't something you find once, but something you keep designing.
Frequently asked questions
Do the stages need to be done in order?
Yes. Each stage builds on the one before it, so skipping ahead might feel confusing or might mean redoing work later.
What does it cost?
Nothing to read the theory. But if you want access to structured tools, prompts, and exercises, you'll have the option to purchase a complementary Notion workbook.
I don't feel lost, I just have too many interests. Is this still for me?
Yes, even more so. The Method wasn't built for people staring at a blank page with no idea what they want. It's built for people with too many ideas, too many possible versions of a life, and no way to tell which ones are worth building. If you've got a notes app full of half-started plans and a nagging sense that picking just one feels like a loss, the Method is for you.
Is this more like therapy or coaching?
Neither. It is a structured method for life design. But you may find that it works alongside (not instead of) a good therapy.
Can I do life design without self-knowledge?
You can, but we don't recommend it. Research shows that only between 10%-15% of people who say they know themselves actually have accurate self-awareness. Doing life design work without completing the first stage means that you'll be designing a life for someone that doesn't exist.
How much time should I spend on this method?
You can spend as long or as little time as you like - you're in full control. Each module can take from around 1 hour to a few days, so do them at your own pace. It's better to go deep and do them slowly than to hurry and miss something important that can help you design a life that actually fits you.
The IKIGLOO life design method and complementary materials, templates, and resources, are designed for personal reflection and self-directed life design. None of this is professional advice. This framework is experimental. It draws on published psychology and behaviour research, philosophy and/or real-life experiences and practice. Everything here is offered for educational and entertainment purposes only. IKIGLOO makes no guarantees or promises about specific outcomes. What works for one person may not work for another.
By using these materials, you accept full responsibility for how you apply them. IKIGLOO and/or the author of the materials are not liable for any decisions you make, actions you take, or outcomes that result from engaging with this content.
A space for people figuring out what to do with their lives by getting to know themselves better and by actually trying things.
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