CONTEXT

Debbie Millman is an iconic designer and professor at SVA.

On the Tim Ferriss Show, she revealed a legendary exercise from her class.

It’s a visualization method (to design one’s dream life in 10 years).

And eerily… almost everything on her students’ 10-year “dream list” comes true.

Here’s how it works:

METHOD

Step 1.

Grab a pen and paper.

(You can also type this up if you’d prefer a digital version).

Give yourself at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time.

Step 2.

Imagine that it’s April 24, 2033 (10 years from today).

Write down exactly what you’re doing, from the moment you wake up.

Dream very big. And in detail.

(Note: The goal is to imagine your life if you could achieve anything you wanted. With zero fear of failure.)

Get extremely specific.

Where are you living? Who are you living with? What kind of house are you in?

What time do you start working? What is your role? What is your salary?

What is your health like? What’s your mindset like? How often do you travel?

Now, you might be surprised by what comes out on paper…

(That’s normal. We rarely let ourselves dream this freely without constraint.)

But keep writing until you have nothing else to write.

Step 3.

The important part.

Re-read what you wrote at least 1x every year.

Continue to add more detail to it (as you learn more about yourself).

WHY IT WORKS

When you envision the life you want in crisp enough detail, you’ll subconsciously move towards it.

You’ll make micro-decisions over time that consistently nudge you in that direction. (All guided by a time-bound vision that excites you to your core.)

Try it out and let me know how it goes!

To dive deeper, check out the full podcast episode: How to design a life.

Jade

P.S. Come say hi on Instagram 👋

And welcome to the 3,100+ who joined The Quiet Rich since last week!

“Write like your life depends on it— because it does.” – Debbie Millman