The Life Design Simulation Tool draws inspiration from two inspiring books: Your Money or Your Life and Designing Your Life. Over the years, I’ve collaborated with artists, designers, and freelancers who balance diverse projects and interests. A common struggle they face is understanding where their time and money go, which activities fuel their energy, and which truly move their careers forward.
I created GoalSync - Goal setting & Scenario planning to bridge that gap—to give you clarity on your work patterns, help you make informed decisions, and empower you to design a life that aligns with both your professional and personal goals. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about crafting a strategy not only for financial success but a fulfilling life.
Who Is It For?
This tool is designed for anyone with a passion for exploring multiple domains, not just multidisciplinary freelancers. Whether you’re balancing a career with side projects or diving into diverse interests—such as art, design, writing, or consulting—this simulator can help you:
- Reflect on where your time, money, and energy have been spent.
- Set Goal your ideal future by assessing your current work pattern.
- Design strategies to achieve a balanced, fulfilling career.
It’s especially useful for those looking to fine-tune their personal brand and clarify their value proposition while navigating multiple projects and creative pursuits.
What Does It Do?
The Life Design Simulator helps you:
- Review your past work—what have you been busy with? How have you spent your time and money? Did it make you happy and fulfilled?
- Visualize your current scenario—through dynamic charts, it shows where your efforts and resources went.
- Explore future scenarios—you can create multiple future strategies (realistic, ideal, etc.) and compare them side by side.
- Take action—get insights from your reflection and design strategies to move forward with purpose.
How It Works: A 5-Step Process
Step 1: Reflect
Start by defining a timeframe—whether it’s a year, several years, or just a few months—and list every significant project or activity you’ve worked on. Be sure to include:
- Projects, side hustles, freelance work, and personal branding efforts.
- The time spent on each, including tasks like commuting, client onboarding, and other relevant activities.
- Your level of happiness or enthusiasm for each activity—go with your gut feeling to gauge how fulfilling it is.
For operational expenses, such as office rent, subscriptions, and time-related overhead (like maintaining your personal brand or sales funnel), you can enter these details in the "settings" page.
The goal is to get a bird’s-eye view of your work patterns. Don’t stress about exact figures for revenue or expenses—focus on understanding the overall flow of your time, money, and energy.
Step 1-2: Categorize
For some people, categorizing their work may seem straightforward. However, in some cases, it’s worth taking the time to review and break it down into more specific categories. You can consider:
- Type of work (e.g., copywriting, digital products, customized services).
- Type of client (e.g., B2B, B2C, direct commissions).
Categorizing your activities is crucial for uncovering hidden trends in your work. Defining 4-6 categories can help you identify patterns without getting too high-level or too detailed. For instance, you might find that, while you spend most of your time on client work, one type of client is significantly more enjoyable or valuable to work with than others. In this case, it may be helpful to separate them into different categories for better analysis.
Step 2: Review the Reflection
After inputting your activities, the tool provides insights on "Time," "Finance," and "Happiness," allowing you to reflect and evaluate. Ask yourself:
- Does the data surprise you?
- Which activities brought in the most revenue with the least time investment?
- Were there any tasks that drained your energy but offered little financial return?
Evaluate your activities as an investor would—are you satisfied with how you’ve “invested” your time and managed your work portfolio? Use this reflection as a diagnostic tool by considering questions like:
- Which projects aligned most with your values and brought you the greatest sense of fulfillment?
- Which ones fell short?
- What unexpected patterns emerged?
Make note of key insights and observations about your work habits, and consider what lessons you want to carry forward into the next step.
Step 3: Explore the Future
Before diving into strategy design, it’s essential to shift your focus forward based on your reflections. Use the tool to explore various scenarios and evaluate their feasibility. Depending on your personal goals, you may aim to maximize your income, reduce your working hours, or prioritize greater happiness in your work.
Keep in mind that the categories and data are based on your current work as a reference. However, if you’re considering a new direction, you can easily go to the settings and add new categories for simulation.
To estimate a happiness score for a new direction, create a fictional activity with your assumptions.
There are two ways to explore scenarios: Income-based and Hour-based.
- For the income-based approach, you start by setting your target revenue. Then, by adjusting the expected income from each category and the projected hourly rate, you can calculate how many work hours this will require.
- For the hour-based approach, you begin by determining how much time you want to dedicate to work. Then, allocate your time and energy across categories and evaluate how this impacts your financial projections.
Benchmark and Reference
When setting your target income, consider factors such as inflation and the typical annual raises earned by corporate employees. To ensure growth, aim to set your target income at least 5-10% higher than your current earnings.
For working hours, if you plan to work 40 hours per week with six weeks of vacation, your annual working hours would total 1,840. If you prefer 32 hours per week with eight weeks of vacation, that would result in 1,408 hours annually. Always take your health and productivity into account—generally, it’s wise to cap your working hours at around 2,000 per year.
Compare the Scenarios
You can save different scenarios to compare projected income, work hours, and happiness scores with your current situation. Try saving multiple scenarios to compare what your ideal future looks like versus a more realistic approach. This will help you make better-informed decisions moving forward.
Limitations of the Scenario Planning Tool
Exploring scenarios is not just about reaching financial goals—it’s about designing a life that aligns with your values. Think of it as an opportunity to intentionally shape your career, ensuring that your professional work supports the lifestyle you aspire to lead.
While the scenario planning tool offers valuable insights based on past work patterns and current projections, it’s important to recognize that it isn’t a crystal ball. The tool relies on historical data and assumptions, so the outcomes should serve as a guide, not an absolute prediction. External factors such as market shifts, personal growth, or unexpected events can significantly affect future results. Use this tool to gain clarity and direction, but remain adaptable and prepared to refine your strategy as new opportunities and challenges emerge.
Step 4: Focus on the Gaps and Design Your Actions
After identifying the gaps between your current situation and your ideal or realistic future, it's time to create actionable steps to bridge them. This involves:
- Shifting Focus to High-Value Activities: Prioritize tasks that bring you more joy, generate higher income, or align with your long-term goals. These are the activities that provide the greatest return—both financially and emotionally—and should occupy the majority of your time.
- Deciding What Not to Pursue: Just as important as focusing on what to do is deciding what not to do. Review tasks that don't offer significant value or are draining your energy. Eliminating or reducing time spent on these low-return activities allows you to redirect focus to more impactful work.
- Outsourcing or Automating Tasks: Delegate routine or repetitive tasks to free up your time for higher-value activities. Automating certain processes, such as administrative work, can further help you focus on the areas that require your unique skills and attention.
- Assessing Necessary Investments: Consider what resources are needed to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. This might involve dedicating more time to attracting clients, investing in tools that boost efficiency, or enrolling in education or training to enhance your skillset.
The key is to ensure that each step brings you closer to your desired outcome—whether that's increased income, more fulfilling work, or better work-life balance. By intentionally focusing your energy, you can move forward with purpose and clarity.
Try GoalSync, the Life Design Simulation Tool
Now is the time to take control of your freelance or creative career. Use the tool to reflect on your current work, plan your future, and design strategies to achieve your goals. Embrace a strategic approach to your career—one that prioritizes both fulfillment and financial success. 🙂
Connect
Hi, I’m Yuann, a strategist and growth coach with a passion for design, business, and technology. If you find the Life Design Simulation Tool helpful, feel free to share it with others. Don’t hesitate to reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn!
