Julia Magsino

DECSC 25 K
Final Individual Paper Total Word Count: 919

Plan Dat Progress: A Door that Closes Old Ones and Opens New Ones
The wicked problem I decided to focus on was concerning my work life. I recall writing
down having difficulty saying no to plans as well as how my personal and professional
relationships would often get in the way of each other. Jake’s idea and prototype is a Plan
Dat Progress: Personal Development Plan, which based on the descriptions he had
written down, focuses on goal setting for different aspects of my life, achievement
tracking, and self-introspection.

While I think that this personal development plan is not an immediate/a direct solution to
my wicked problem, I do believe that it opens a door for me to have a better work life and
more balance among all aspects of my life because it allows me the chance to gain a
broader and deeper understanding of my commitments and goals as well as how all of
these intertwine. And it allows me to close doors on goals, habits, and mindsets that don’t
work for me.
 Prototype page from Jake’s Workbook 5

I think the most comprehensive part of Jake’s Workbook was the prototype page. At first, I
couldn’t fully understand or visualize the idea because the descriptions seemed general.
The first pages focused on personal development in all aspects of my life, but my initial
focus was my work life. However, after reading and reflecting on the ‘What are you trying
to learn’ questions and the ‘How might we test it’ ideas, I came to understand how the
prototype would help me have a more holistic view of myself and my life, and also
understand if the things I am currently doing align with the goals and ambitions I have for
myself.

● Awareness of my wants and needs can help me identify good goals to set—those
that can provide me with fulfillment— and break it down to smaller tasks.
● I mentioned having ADHD and anxiety in the first workbook. Identifying the
mechanisms I use in planning and organizing can serve as a reminder to use these
tools, but also research on how to best use them for efficiency and effectiveness.
● Reflecting on this question, I often feel overwhelmed and stressed with the
smallest problems, and so, I end up getting stuck. I believe that this is one of the
most important questions as this can help understand what mindsets and habits I
could adopt to help me work better but also have a more balance in work and rest.
● I know that I have the capacity to find motivation, but lack the knowledge to sustain
or find it in times of difficulty.
 ● I see how the ideas above could help me identify and map out my goals.
Furthermore, reflection on these goals can aid in identifying if these are good and
attainable goals.
● Celebrating progress is also something that I struggle with doing for myself
especially when I don’t feel satisfied with my work. Tracking and creating more
incentives to stimulate motivation could possibly serve as a reminder for me that
rest is just as important as work.

While I do have goals, and strategies for achieving them, I tend to try many strategies
simultaneously, and try even more when I find a new and interesting one (which is part of
my ADHD). Having ADHD, focus and forgetfulness is something that I struggle with
particularly in trying to balance work and personal life. While I was only diagnosed last
year, in the past months, I’ve realized behaviors that are part of having ADHD and how
this significantly affects my ability to get my work done on time.

Creating a single action plan for me could help aid the struggles I have with ADHD—
identify goals that align with my needs and wants, help me keep track of my progress, and
create incentives for motivation, and ultimately focus on one plan and task at a time.

There is no guarantee that this is a straight solution to my wicked problem with work. But I
think that first understanding how my work and personal life are intertwined opens the
right door to solving my wicked problem.
 "How does this class affect how you view problem solving?"

Big Idea page from My Workbook 5 & Customer Journey from page from Groupwork

Much like my wicked problem with work and the Plan Dat Progress, I found that the class
to be a bit repetitive but led me to new ways of thinking. Sometimes, it seemed like the
workbooks were asking for the same thing, but I eventually found that repeating the
creative thinking process helped me dive deeper into the problem as well as find a variety
of possible solutions. I found that the mind mapping and customer journey were the most
refreshing ways of looking at a problem for both the individual and group work— that is,
looking at the problem in a wider view and from other people’s perspectives. This was
most crucial for me to brainstorm for a realistic yet probing prototype, with fresh but
relatable ideas for my target market/partner.

I used to view problem solving as purely research and fact based, and that this was always
the best way to do it (not to say that research and facts didn’t aid my thinking and problem
solving). But this allowed me to see the value in opening doors again and again— keep
investigating, asking questions, and try to piece things differently and in new perspectives.

Total word count: 93