Softcover

ISBN 10: 0996734570 ISBN 13: 9780996734578

Publisher: engagedIN Press, 2015

"I know what I should do...I just don't know why I don't do it."

This phrase captures a universal human experience--we can't always get ourselves to do what we know is best for us. In Well Designed Life, you will learn that the solution to this stumbling block resides in coupling two disciplines: brain science and design thinking. Brain and behavior sciences have exploded in recent years. This catalyzes new insights into why we do what we do--and how we can change.  Meanwhile, major advances in consumer technology, service industries, and public health are rapidly changing how we live. This boom of innovation has been fueled by a creative approach to solving problems called design thinking. We are living in the age of design--and designers are the new rock stars.

Dr. Kyra Bobinet brings together over 25 years of successfully designing interventions, products, and experiences that change lives--to empower you as the designer of your life. Dr. Bobinet has gathered her top ten key concepts from psychology, behavior and neuroscience and shows you how to apply each of them to changing your health, relationships, and well-being. Bobinet insists that the success or failure of changing our lives hinges on both understanding what's going on inside our head and applying the flexible mindset of a designer.

She writes, "Designing behavior is equal parts art and science. Steve Jobs once said, "Design is not just what it looks like or feels like. Design is how it works." Adopting the mindset of a designer puts you in the driver's seat of making life work. Grounding yourself in the science of how we see the world and how our brain responds helps you design behaviors that work--in real life, for real people. This is 100 percent about you acting on what you always wished you would do. It's about stepping out of any areas of helplessness and into creative self-direction.
 
You have a choice: design your life or let it design you!

Infused with relatable narratives that are at once witty and gripping, professional and personal, Bobinet takes you on a journey through the origins of your self-image, motivations, decisions, and unconscious behaviors--leaving you with the keys to free yourself from your conditioning and lead a well-designed life. 

From the Back Cover:

"I know what I should do...I just don't know why I don't do it."Has this ever been true for you?Then you're 100 percent not alone.In Well Designed Life, you will answer this question by painlessly learning the brain science and causes behind all the funky, mysterious things you do or don't do.But, this is not just some "hmmm, isn't that interesting" brain fun fact mélange. Oh, no, my friend!See, what you're really going to learn is that underneath your street clothes, you are a superhero designer of your experience . . . able to design your way out of any mess, doo-doo, or meltdown that life throws your way.Oh, and you will do it mindfully, playfully, compassionately. (Yes, those things do go together!)So c'mon in! But only if you are ready to free yourself from your "stuff" . . . and live your purpose.

Review:

"Dr. Bobinet manages to combine the core principles of design-thinking with the neuroscience of behavior change and present them in a way that allows anyone who picks up her book to become a designer. Her decision to include real-life examples and personal stories is authentic and compelling, and will empower readers to enact change within their own lives. This riveting book is a powerful tool for anyone looking to tackle behavioral challenges and better understand themselves." Larry Chu, MD, Associate Professor & Executive Director of Medicine X, Stanford University School of Medicine

"LOVE this book! Well Designed Life is so conversational and personal and brings science into the equation in such an easy-to-understand way. A breakthrough for people who have been searching for an effective way to make changes in their lives." -Lorraine Rapp, co-Host/Producer, Take Care, NPR affiliate WRVO Public Media