I ended my last post with a hypothesis on how to improve my professional life:
If I consciously choose to spend every workday trying to understand the people I work with and find ways to help them, I will achieve a sense of purpose and fulfillment in my job.
My conclusion: after adjusting my approach to the work I do and experimenting for a month, my job feels more meaningful. However, I’m also more aware of what’s missing.
Learning about “user experience” improved my experience.
The first part of my experiment led me into the world of Product Design, often referred to as “user experience design” or simply “UX.” Wikipedia defines UX design as “the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product.” In other words, instead of creating things in a vacuum, focus on how you can create a better experience for your audience.
Digging deeper, I sought to understand the fundamentals of design. A quick search on “LinkedIn Learning” led me to the fascinating documentary, “Dieter Rams: Principles of Good Design.” Rams gained fame through his work in industrial design, but the principles he devised are, in my mind, universal.
According to Rams, good design is . . .
- innovative
- useful
- aesthetic
- understandable
- unobtrusive
- honest
- long-lasting
- thorough down to the last detail
- environmentally friendly
- as little design as possible
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this documentary and had mentally adopted Rams as my mentor within about the first 15 minutes.
I also recognized that I didn’t have to quit my job and become a product designer before I could put these principles into practice. I could start to apply them immediately.
For example, I began to use them as a checklist when crafting and proofreading emails. Useful: Is my purpose clear, and does every word serve that purpose? Honest: Am I sure every statement is true? Thorough: Is there any detail that could be misinterpreted? Aesthetic: Is the layout easy on the eyes? As little design as possible: How much can I cut out while still achieving my purpose?
When I’m busy at work, it can be tempting to compose and send emails as quickly as possible. But I’ve found that when I put in the extra time to apply Rams’s principles, it makes life easier for my readers. And when my emails are sent to dozens to thousands of people, the benefits are exponential.
Helping others helped me.
In addition to focusing on user experience, I gave myself a challenge wherein each day at work for 30 days, I would consciously do something to help one of my coworkers.
On some days, I actively created work for myself by asking people if they needed help or searching through our online discussion forums for opportunities to provide insight.
On other days, I was simply more aware of my work ethic. When I attend meetings, instead of multitasking until someone asks me a direct question, I try to listen actively and contribute to the conversation. When a customer asks me how to do something, I write step-by-step instructions and test them on myself before I share them.
In either case, by being mindful of these helpful acts and sometimes even writing them down, I began to realize that even though the work I do may not save the world, it’s still making a positive difference.
My quest for fulfillment is far from over.
This month-long experiment has shown me that job satisfaction isn’t just about what I do for a living but how I do it.
But although I feel better about my work than I did a month ago, I’m also more aware of the limitations of my current role. For example, there have been times when I had an important question or piece of information to share with a customer, but instead of being able to meet with them directly, I had to go through an intermediary. Sometimes, this dynamic led to the message being lost in translation or just plain lost.
This and other frustrating scenarios have led to new questions.
What am I good at, and to what extent are those strengths needed and valued in my current role?
What do I want to learn, and to what extent does my current role allow for that growth?
What other conditions help me feel good about myself and my job?
Can I change these circumstances simply by changing my approach, or do I need to seek a new role or a new environment?
To help me gain clarity, I’m giving myself a new challenge for next month:
- Identify the conditions I feel I need in order to make my work more meaningful.
- Imagine what my current role would look like if all of those conditions were present.
- Begin to manifest this new, more fulfilling career by rewriting my own job description.
The saga continues . . .
Fantastic job, Brad. You have wonderful insights. I think you are growing both personally and professionally through your endeavors. I hope you will eventually find a job that is a perfect or near-perfect fit.
Brad,
You’ve done a fantastic job here. I’m so impressed with the way you went about your “experiment.” By implementing Rams’ concepts about design you were able to so cleverly apply them to your current job. From adapting your emails to interfacing with your colleagues in a more positive way, you’ve both helped the people with whom you work as well as made your job more fulfilling and enjoyable. Sounds like a win-win situation! Bravo!
Hey Brad (it’s me again!)
Your post made me think of a quote by Eugene Ionesco: “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the questions”. Well, I didn’t know that was his quote until I have to quote it here. I learned about it from a TV commercial in Brazil of TV Cultura, a channel that would be equal to NPR. In Portuguese, the saying goes as “Não são as respostas que movem o mundo, mas as perguntas”. In Trying New Things posts, can see how much progress you are making in “moving your world” by asking questions! Cheers to your curious mind and thank you for sharing them with us!