Design is all around us, and so often design also is us. We design a morning routine, design the layout of our living room, design the wardrobe in our closets. All of this falls into a much broader term coined by Tim Ferriss in his bestselling book, 4-Hour Workweek, “lifestyle design.”
We’re so used to being immersed in design that we start to ignore it. We passively encounter the vast majority of design we pass. Notice I didn’t say “immersed in things that were designed,” but rather, “immersed in design.” This is a crucial differentiation that sets the definition for design that I choose to believe. It is much, much larger than an act of artistic creation. It is actually a critical foundation for how we behave and how we feel.
New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum designed in accordance with the philosophy of Thomas Kirkbride, 99% Invisible
Architecture and design podcast 99% Invisible recently shared a piece about the architecture-obsessed doctor, Thomas Kirkbride, who pioneered the design of the late-19th century and early-20th century insane asylum. His belief was that the architecture of an asylum—its design—could treat and cure mental illnesses.
Mr. Kirkbride understood that design isn’t simply deciding how a subject looks, but rather it serves as a foundation for all of the human interactions that occur with(in) the subject.
Believing in this, we can start to understand how lifestyle design is more than just a series of aesthetic decisions. How you structure your day-to-day can have a significant impact on your perception of reality. To quote Howard Moskowitz, “To a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish.”
A 100-year-old bonsai at the Italian Museum of Bonsai, Wikimedia Commons
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The idea, then, is to design away the horseradish and carefully cultivate a lifestyle that yields the fullness and joy you desire. The Japanese bonsai tradition comes to mind. Bonsai trees require an incredible amount of care and attention to flourish. I know because I owned one once, and it barely lasted a month. For a bonsai tree to thrive, all one has to commit is inordinate amounts of time and intention into watering, shaping, and pruning. All of this is to maintain the generally unchanging appearance of the tree, as many century-old examples of bonsai trees fail to stretch taller than a toddler. What’s to be gained then? Many would argue it’s a waste of time, but those that have poured themselves into the practice will undoubtedly share their pride and joy. Likely not mentioned but equally significant are the countless calming sessions of ingenuity spent cultivating and pruning the perfect miniature tree.
When you stop thinking about your daily routine as a series of obligations, or entries on a calendar, you can start to pick apart that which is in pursuit of cultivating the perfect lifestyle. You can start to decide what details of your day can be pruned and replaced with something that steers you toward your ideal lifestyle.
Before reading a few of the examples below, imagine what the lifestyle you dream of looks like. Imagine what changes need to be made, and understand that it’s okay if it seems like it’s impossible to attain.
Instead of scrolling through social media on the train to work, read a book about a topic you’re interested in.
Instead of taking a 30 minute shower in the morning, limit it to 10 minutes and take a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood.
Instead of buying new accessories to keep up with changing trends, search for timeless pieces that will stay relevant as trends change.
Instead of filling a cart at the grocery store, bring a few reusable bags and only buy what you can fit in the bags.
Instead of catching up on the day’s news on your couch, find a local coffee shop or library with free Wi-Fi.
Instead of (or in addition to) liking the photo your mom posted online, give her a call.
While all of these tiny details may not apply to you, the point is that you can make little changes without uprooting your entire way of life and those changes have the power to sway proximate details in your life. These details, in turn, all have the cumulative ability to create a significant improvement that would be jarring and difficult to maintain if all changed at once.
Revisit the lifestyle you imagined a moment ago, and instead of picturing the overwhelming amount of change that it will take to get you there, start by thinking of the first little change you can make. Chances are, taken individually, each change you need to make is simpler than you think.