Story mapping instead of to-do lists
(a Professional Wayfinding riff on the excellent blog post by Jeff Patton)
A flat “task backlog,” or to-do list: I see a tree where the trunk is built from the goals or desired benefits that make up the dream. The big branches are high-level desires, the small branches and twigs are the detials, then finally the leaves are the individual tasks that need to happen to make the change come about. After all that work envisioning the dream, often we pull all the leaves off the tree and load them into a leaf bag (our to-do list) – then cut down the tree. The tasks become a bag of context-free mulch and usually feel unsatisfying.
The beauty of story mapping is that the larger context is kept, and also there is a sense of priority and order to keep transformation on track. When milestones are reached, that all-important hit of dopamine will keep you going emotionally. Building and walking through your story map helps you feel comfortable and see that dream as a system that can be mastered and that you haven’t missed something big.
My initial sketch of story mapping for one of my own goals. This map would eventually have many more detailed subtasks as I got into each “sprint.”
At the top of the map are your large goals. Software methodology calls these user activities or worse, epics. Personally, I don’t identify with the term “epic” because it feels too gung-ho for what is sometimes a very mundane set of activities. Dreams are things that have lots of steps and don’t always have a precise workflow. Maybe something like “I want to live on a narrowboat.”
Under that, draw your desired timeline of when you want this to happen. Know that this might shift as life happens but start from the place you’re at, with what you know.
Below this, add the tasks (in Agile-speak, user stories) that you need to do to get closer to your dream(s), in this case, living on a boat. For this example, these might be researching types of live-aboard boats and how people live on them full time, taking advanced boating lessons, creating a working budget, and paying off current debt.
Underneath those tasks, start adding subtasks that will help each one of these tasks come to reality. Know that as you start getting into the details, you may have to split these tasks into additional subtasks. You don’t know what you don’t know yet. This method helps create a flexible system to help move you forward in the face of uncertainty.
You might be wondering what is the correct order. How do you explain to someone how this dream should come about? That is the correct order. We’re building a map that lets us tell a really big story about the large-scale change you desire. Build the map in a way that helps you tell the story to yourself.
Now that you have a map, you can hang it on a wall where you can see it often and interact with it, or lay it out on a tabletop and have a discussion with a trusted friend. Walk the map from beginning to end with a partner, family member, or other “stakeholders” in your life who will be affected by your dream. Skim along the top of the map, and just touch on the high points, or dig down into the map to discuss the details.
Walking through the map with yourself or people you trust will often help you see places where you missed a couple of steps. Be very mindful and careful of sharing your dreams with people who will just naysay or poke holes in them! New dreams and big change need nurturing. Critical thought is important, but criticism based on the fears of other people can be damaging.
You can annotate the map with “pain points.” Where will you need additional support? Where does your fear come up? These are places where you might want to find an ally to support you or to create some backup plans.
You can also add points where you see opportunities and resources to show where you have natural ability or resources in your existing network. In the boat example, maybe you have a friend that is willing to let you live on their boat for a period of time to see if you like the lifestyle.
Color is important. Buy post-it notes or note cards in colors that make sense to you. This is a living entity that you will use to stay on track with your dreams.
