Concept
Workview and Lifeview
A workview and a lifeview are two short written statements, your current theory of what work is for and your current theory of what a life is for, that together act as a compass for checking choices against what you actually believe.
Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, who teach design at Stanford, noticed that people rarely feel lost for lack of information. They feel lost because their days don't line up with what they believe, and they have often never put those beliefs into words. The remedy is deliberately modest. First, write about 250 words on why you work: what work is for, what money has to do with it, and what makes work good or worthwhile. Then write about 250 words on why you live: what gives life meaning, how you relate to other people, and where joy and service fit. Read the two side by side and look for where they support each other and where they clash. The aim is coherence, not certainty. These are working theories, not vows. You revise them as you change, and they prove their worth when a real decision arrives.
A real-life example
Priya, a product analyst, is offered a team-lead role with a 20% raise. Her workview says work is for building things she understands deeply. Her lifeview says a life is for being present with the people she loves. The new role means constant meetings and two evenings a week in transit. Reading her two pages, she sees the raise serves neither. She negotiates a senior individual-contributor role instead, and she can explain exactly why.
How to use it
- 1Set a 30-minute timer and write roughly 250 words answering three questions: Why work? What is it for and what does money have to do with it? What makes work worthwhile?
- 2Do the same for your lifeview: What is life for? How do you relate to others? Where do meaning, joy and service fit?
- 3Read both together and note where they agree, clash or drive each other. Then test your next real decision against them, and revise the pages as you change.