Work That Needs Doing
Compile a list of work that needs doing so you can choose what’s yours to do.
once you take the Design Initiative, it’s important to get involved as soon as possible, but you may not want to dive into the first opportunity you encounter. To find a good fit, take time to compile a list of opportunities that you can choose from.
We spend so much time decrying the problems of the world that we rarely get around to looking at what we could do to help solve them.
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First you need a general idea of the kinds of problems you’re interested in trying to solve. Don’t stress too much about this, just go with your Intuition about what calls to you. What problems make you the most angry? Do you have skills that might point to one or more areas?
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To find opportunities, look for people or organizations that are working on solutions to the problem you’re interested in. Do they have a list of things they need? Are they looking for volunteers? You can also Brainstorm your own ideas for ways you can help people directly.
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Try to make your list as specific as possible. For example, instead of “volunteer at the Red Cross,” write the details: “sign up at redcross.org and apply as a volunteer helping reconnect families separated internationally.”
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Consider that in the age of the internet, you can participate in global efforts almost as easily as you can get involved locally. Look for opportunities with Open Artifacts projects that could have a team of people spread all over the world.
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The idea isn’t to choose something yet, but simply come up with a list of opportunities and make you aware of the constellation of opportunities that are around you.
Therefore:
Pick a problem that you’re interested in solving and compile a list of work that needs doing: tasks that someone like you could pick up today and start working on. Don’t choose yet what you’ll work on, just write a list so you’re aware of the opportunities you have available.
As you become more aware of how you can get involved, look at what opportunities are a good match for your interests, your development needs, and your current skills—Yours To Do