[finders] Framing Futurity

[finders at findability.org]

August 8, 2011

http://findability.org/archives/000649.php

In my article about being an information architect, I reveal that I've been doing some soul searching around my goals and aspirations. I find such introspection to be invigorating, especially when I'm lucky enough to do my thinking while hiking amidst the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

During this particular round of reflection, I found it helpful to brainstorm a whole bunch of ways of framing the future, including:

* Where do you want to be in 20 years?
* What BHAG would you be willing to suffer for?
* How do you want to change the world/web?
* How can I get better faster?
* What do I want to learn?
* Boredom or fear. Choose one.
* Big/small fish in a small/big pond?
* What's my sustainable, competitive advantage?
* How about choosing an interesting life, one day at a time?
* What activities/relationships will lead to flow/fulfillment?
* Do I want to leverage what I know or who I know?
* What's on my bucket list?
* What if you only had two years left to live?
* What if you could only work for four hours a day?
* How can you achieve a healthy life/work balance?
* What legacy do you want (and how much do you care)?

Perhaps you'll find these useful next time you think about your future. Of course, in my case, I ended where I started, albeit with a renewed sense of passion and purpose. I remembered how much I love the freedom and adventure that come with being an independent consultant, and I realized that there has never been a better time to be an information architect.

Strange Connections

Part I and Part II of my UX Russia interview.