Episode 055 Raw Data

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1	Thanks for your interest in The Question! Sign up to participate in future questions here. This file is the raw data from Episode 55, deep dive hosted on June 12, 2025 with Ben Callahan and Lauren LoPrete. There are 56 answers. The question this week was: ----- Hello System Thinkers! Welcome to Episode 055 of The Question, with co host Lauren LoPrete! As she and I were preparing for this episode, Lauren said something that really struck me when I asked her how she was doing. She said, “I’m learning to embrace the excruciating weight of systems thinking.” She went on to explain that she—like you—has been training at work for years in the skill of systems thinking. However, as she’s developed that systems muscle, it’s gotten more difficult to turn it off. She described how learning to see the impact made by small changes in an interconnected system has sometimes given her the feeling that everything around her is a house of cards. This has made her keenly aware of the fragility and imperfection of the systems that surround us. I was nodding along solemnly inside as she described this experience. Lauren gave words to something I’ve been struggling with for a while now. Perhaps you have as well? This week, we want to hear from you about how you manage your systems brain. Let’s dive in! On a scale from “overwhelming” to “empowering”, how has your understanding of systems impacted your life outside of work? How have your systems thinking skills helped or hindered you outside of design systems? What techniques have helped you to focus on the areas where you have influence, despite your understanding of their interconnectedness with areas where you don’t?
2	Question 1: On a scale from “Overwhelming” to “Empowering”, how has your understanding of systems impacted your life outside of work?	Question 2: How have your systems thinking skills helped or hindered you outside of design systems?	Question 3: What techniques have helped you to focus on the areas where you have influence, despite your understanding of their interconnectedness with areas where you don’t?
3	3	"everything is connected" can be one of those << galaxy brain >> moments or one of those << heavy rain cloud >> moments. At times it really helps me put my life, my decisions, my anxiety in perspective.	Asking myself "what am I uniquely positioned to do in this situation"" "what do I have control over here?" also understanding if decisions are one way doors or two way doors.
4	3	As an existentialist, my ongoing view of life has always been the interconnectedness of everything. It can be overwhelming, trying to account for everything, but overall it has been a “super power” when others think at a smaller scope.	Limited time. It has forced me to focus on what matters, and what I can control.
5	3	Overthinkers unite… can sometimes lead to decision paralysis	Time boxing Co-creating with other disciplines
6	3	Influential in areas that require logic, the opposite in areas that require empathy.	Vision and product suite mapping - highlighting the interconnectedness but showcasing the full breadth of the area of focus.
7	3	It has done both. Adding too many processes in specific areas for myself or for others when they aren't really needed and just doing it matters most.	Remind myself I can't control it. We don't know what will happen. At the end of the day, it is what it is, and there's no point stressing about it. Instead, have a mindset of challenges.
8	4	It helped me seeing the interconnections between parts, products, policies, methods and helped me gaining a more holistic view on things.	probably scoping, meaning understanding the scope of the area of influence and trying to do the best given the scope and constraints of working on one area of a whole.
9	4	Helped	Delivering high value things that others can pull into their areas easily
10	4	I tend to think much more in patterns and connections - what is driving this, what will be affected if things change. This has touched all parts of my world from scheduling, to finances, to how we watch television shows (or, hilariously, how my husband browses online shopping now). I enjoy being able to see the webs that surround the everyday elements.	I think its probably a mix of more consciously picking my battles and knowing what’s actually mine to carry. I’ve learned that I can care about the big picture without having to try to fix everything myself. When something’s out of my hands, I focus on how I can respond or what small part I can affect. It helps to stay grounded in what’s realistic, and that sometimes means letting go a bit, even if I still care.
11	4	I learned how to deconstruct complex objects down to their primitive shapes from my mom, who is a professional artist. So my approach to problem solving is breaking things down into their primitives to gain a better picture of how they all work together. This is how I've always viewed problems in general. So I would say the way I handle life is how I handle complex systems at work. Yes, it can feel like a house of cards at times, but there's a support structure in there that can be reinforced. Everything has a foundation, both literally and metaphorically. Shore up the foundation, then rebuild on top of that stability, remembering that it also requires maintenance and education to ward off entropy.	I've been told by my colleagues that I have a way of meeting people where they are, using language that appeals to them. I make things relatable. The more relatable something is, the easier it is for it to be understood and accepted.
12	5	For me, it's a super power. I don't generally think of it as a hindrance, or maybe I don't let it hinder me because I think of it as information. If that information isn't useful for decision making, action or is stressing me out, I can always filter it out or try to shift my perspective into something more hopeful if that's what I need. But knowing more about how something works or why things happen is more good than bad, I find. It's nice to be able to quickly understand consequences of an action across multiple touch points, or to see constraints that might be invisible at first glance. I consider systems thinking to be helpful in my day to day when navigating any complexity at all. Also the idea that systems are resilient can help here. I also like how much more I think about operations, advocacy and "people problems" due to my experience working in design systems. I think about change management, resistance to change/status quo and feedback, which help me understand and contextualize things like my kids school, or politics.	First, I get it straight in my head, for myself, where I do have agency and where I do not! This is hard- to figure out what you care about and actually how much you do care, then figure out what you can do. And I guide myself away from areas where I do not have agency, that's important- don't get sucked into what you cannot change, it leaves you feeling frustrated and powerless. I see this in the world and at work, where people get very hung up on trying to rail against areas of a system where they do not have agency. When I think about what I can do, I frame it as "what's the highest impact thing I can do" in whatever time frame, week/quarter/year, whichever is appropriate for the moment. And when I have a perspective on that, I can put my energy toward that, and prioritize. Sometimes it's pretty direct and straightforward, examples like donating money or time to causes that are advancing the things I care about, calling congress to complain, or sharing petitions to fund libraries and parks, for example. Sometimes it's in the fuzzy middle, like building relationships with my neighbors, joining a community garden, doing anything in the world that MIGHT advance whatever I'm trying to do. There's a lot to be said for creating space for empathy and influence on the ground. And sometimes it's a smaller, more inward focus, like making myself feel better and taking care of myself, so I can continue to figure out next steps. I've worked in design systems, managed designers at a big company, and been responsible for workflow and things that fall under design ops- all of this has taught me that there's a lot of different levers to pull to get something done, and many ways to get to a single goal. The circumstances help define the possible paths, and sometimes the timeline is longer than you'd like.
13	3	Is all interconnected Daily rituals and habits plays a big part as they factor in my performance. Slight differences or exceeding sleep hour would impact my day to day performance. Working over the weekend would affect my outlook towards the week. Finances that ties into lifestyle and many more other details such as dietary, mental health and relationships are part of the formula of life systems	Discipline and learning to draw the line for a clear cut off. It starts with time off work and sleep wake time. I have some time blindness, this help me to draw boundaries and balance.
14	3	Not to make it actually psychological, but to me it sounds/feels like it borders on OCD. My personal path into design systems was an interest in organization of things. Growing up, it was almost more about creation of a world to live in and what the rules and standards around it were more so than actually playing in the world. What was its structure and basically what were the dos/don'ts within that world... From a design perspective, for me it's about a collection/library, but it's making sure that it's a toolbox with everything in the space it's meant to live, categorized in a neat and tidy way where you can find what you're looking for and it's clear what you're picking up and how to best use it. But at home and within life, it's about organization of stuff and creation of reusable processes to make sure that things don't get too chaotic. I personally have a tendency and ability to turn it on and off, so it's even money whether or not it happens. I don't do well with starting a task to then put it down and come back to it; if I start something, I need to finish it.	Still working on this one, tbh. What I've found and learned as I've worked through it is that it needs to be a lighter touch. If a component or pattern is flexible enough to be used across different product spaces but live within an enterprise system, that you can't set as hard of guardrails for how it gets implemented so that everyone who might want or need to use it can. It's about enablement, not hard boundaries. But then also helping teams to understand what it means to generalize a component or pattern at a higher level that's not specific to their team. That this will mean that it won't have all the bells and whistles you might want, and it will mean additional dev work on your plate. The benefit to them is that if it breaks, we'll go and fix it and that's not on your plate to handle if you don't have time for it (which I wouldn't expect you to. You've got a day job working on your product...)
15	5	I suspect systems thinking is a result of a non-categorized form of neurodivergence. Extremely difficult to explain problems/solutions that are painfully obvious to reductionist thinkers (almost everybody else in the world).	Are you asking how to deal with the despair, hopelessness, and existential angst of being unable to properly fix a problem because one or more levers are placed outside our direct domain of influence? Touch grass?
16	5	In my personal life I had always struggled to switch off from work and I think design systems made it worse, as I found that I would constantly be finding connections between things when I was doing something completely unrelated or when I was trying to relax and not think about work. It's like system thinking is this on switch that makes you try and solve puzzles all the time, sadly they're almost always about optimising and scaling at work. Outside of it taking over my life, it's made me a lot better at helping others as I can clearly see patterns of behaviour objectively and offer guidance on how to create scaleable and sustainable solutions to problems. I've also started noticing these patterns in my self on a deep introspective level and wrote a bit about it—https://medium.com/p/a5976f307fec Being able to identify the root cause of my constant guilt, fear and drive all came from pattern recognition and system thinking. I now try and use it to my advantage to live a more sustainable and peaceful life, especially as I shape things around my personal values. It's a continued work in progress. I'm also really good at maxing out on points in scrabble now.	I'm not really sure how to answer this question.
17	3	This is a really interesting question that I haven’t thought about before. For me, I think I like systems work because my brain already works like this. So I wouldn’t really say I see things differently now.	I try to be realistic about where I can affect change before getting involved. I don’t think I always get the balance right.
18	3	I feel like I see everything... It's beautiful and depressing.	1. Therapy. I control the things I can control, and come to acceptance with the rest. 3. Try to create and facilitate partnerships in ways my partners can better appreciate — which often aren't the things I, or my other partners, appreciate.
19	2	I'm middle of the road on this. I think it can initially be more overwhelming to me when I'm thinking of problem solving because there could be many parts at play. As an agilist, I like to break things down into consumable or workable pieces. So, if I'm facing a large problem, I start by focusing on the pieces that I can change, areas where I have influence, and where I can make the most impact. If you are making a change or impact in one piece of the system, there tends to be adjacent impacts because things are interconnected. The overwhelming piece for me is to 1) not get too paralyzed by the enormity of the problem and 2) have an understanding of the interconnectedness of the actions/influence I make so they do not create more problems in the system. But seeing a small change have a large impact down the line can also be empowering.	The technique that's helped the most is to anchor back to the problem I'm trying to solve and what is within my control to solve that problem. What are the things in my immediate control that I could change that will have direct and indirect impact towards solving that problem? And ultimately weighing those things - is the juice worth the squeeze?
20	4	Working for a dedicated design system team weights a bit on the hindering side more, I’d say. While advocating for the system it is really useful, but then when going out and looking from than consumers perspective, when in a large org with multiple squads trying to solve so many different problems, seeing all the interconnections may even frustrate me, as you know the impact of one “selfish” or single-minded decision could have on the whole. But at the same time, knowing that is not much you can do at that point of time without meaning becoming a roadblock or a bottleneck for product delivery.	Thinking over instead of overthinking. Trying to focus on things that can be impacted by actions I control instead of solving for the whole… or even harder, trying to get multiple people and teams onboard with “world peace”.
21	4	How it helped: - It’s helped me craft stronger stories: both fictional and non-fictional. I think about the overall narrative structure, the story arc, and how individual chapters or paragraphs drive the story together. - It’s also helped me be better at troubleshooting because I think about whole system and then drill down to a specific area or component where the problem could be. - Systems thinking forces me to think to be tactical and practical when it comes to solutions by prioritizing/triage work and problems - Helps me understand the relationships between things As a hindrance: - Systems thinking requires a lot of brain power, and it can leave me cognitively drained, taking a while to recover. - I’ve seen too much. What I mean by this is that you start to develop an acute awareness of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to ecosystems, entities, and services.	When I dig deep or need to focus on an area, I try to cut out distractions or write out a list of what's out of scope so that I don't get too lost in the weeds. Prioritizing and triaging tickets or projects helps me to protect my time and set up realistic expectations.
22	5	Systems thinking has helped me see the context surrounding individual items - something that’s often difficult to grasp when looking at things in isolation. Life is full of interconnected decisions, constraints, and relationships. Systems thinking helps me make better sense of them. Much of that clarity comes from recognizing the relationships and forces at play between elements - not just the elements themselves. In everyday life - whether I’m organizing a major move or managing competing commitments - zooming out helps me recognize patterns and make intentional choices without getting lost in the details. The key to avoiding being overwhelmed is the ability to zoom in and zoom out - much like using Google Maps. A bird’s-eye view reveals patterns, clusters, and priorities; zooming in reveals detail and nuance. Shifting altitudes gives me multiple perspectives and helps me focus on what matters without losing sight of the bigger picture.	I don’t strictly limit myself to areas of direct influence. Instead, systems thinking gives me a map of the landscape - clarifying what I personally control, where I have team authority, and where I can influence outcomes. That awareness provides context to engage more strategically, not just reactively. One key technique is compartmentalization. It allows me to temporarily focus on specific parts of the system without losing sight of the whole. It’s not about ignoring the interconnections - it’s about creating mental boundaries to reduce noise and take action with clarity. This mindset also helps me ask better questions, uncover what others are trying to achieve, and understand their context. Systems thinking helps me meet people where they are, then show them the possibilities they may not yet see. It’s less about staying in my lane, and more about navigating the complexity with empathy, structure, and intention.
23	4	It's allowed me to be in a position of understanding how things are interconnected. I've become the person that gets everyone to pause and zoom out for a moment and not get stuck looking at just the single tree.	Scoping! Once the larger context is outlined, that lets me dive in with a "tether" so to speak to tgar system level context.
24	2	I think its been the reverse for me, personally: I've learned that my brain has ALWAYS worked in systems and that's why other types have work have never felt "right" to me.	I find comfort, fortunately/unfortunately, in the chaos, so keeping all of those plates spinning (connecting the right people, leaning in or out depending on the conversation, driving organizational/decision clarity, etc) are what keep me coming back to this work.
25	3	Being a designer, I already noticed things others don't, but with systems experience you notice more disorder around you.	It helps to remember that perfection is impossible. Humans are messy, systems degrade, and it's ok :)
26	4	My favorite way systems thinking skills help me (outside of design systems) is in observing patterns and dynamics in interpersonal relationships.	After spreading myself so thin for so many years and then being impacted by a department-wide layoff, I'm trying really hard to do just my actual job this time around. I still collaborate with partners and stakeholders, but I'm not taking on piles of things that aren't mine.
27	4	Once you start looking you see systems everywhere. Within an organization, my systems thinking has me looking at the org design and how decisions are made, and the influence or lack of influence that design has at an organization. It can be frustrating, almost a casandra complex to see the need for design leadership, thinking and principles at the executive or senior leadership level and how that would help drive the overall strategy and need for design investments and resourcing.	I’ve historically focused on developing and creating partnerships with cross functional leaders in order to understand their needs and to find overlap with designs’ priorities and approach in order to get things funded and seen as valuable. This usually means working at two speeds. One where the design team is articulating its needs through research and discovery. The other involves waiting around for OKRs to be defined in order for us to thread the needle of how we might align our insights with defined business objectives. (a liitle like inception if i’m being honest)
28	4	When solving any problem, it helped me determine easier what to focus on first, what is essential and crucial to move further and what can wait. As an overthinker, it helped me control my thoughts often wandering far ahead and separate important from noise. I’m still in the process of learning system thinking, but I would definitely say it gives structure to how I think.	Looking for low hanging fruits - determining quickly what I can control and improve. „Brain dumping” everything I can’t influence and mind maps of how things are interconnected to see if/how things might get affected by my actions in the long run. And of course sharing thoughts with other designers to give other perspective.
29	5	My brain needs! systems to operate. I enjoy thinking of processes that take care of input to optimize output in many aspects of my life, whether it is a routine or finding ways to stack daily tasks that help me make time for what really matters: Connecting with others and taking care of myself. I think that's why I feel so comfortable and fulfilled in the design systems domain. I believe in the value of building something that brings efficiency to unlock creative problem solving.	That's definitely a challenge! In the past, I have found it effective to be aware of the interconnections and identify common goals to bring value to those areas and be loud about it. That way, my area of influence and focus almost get automatically shielded because of the visibility it gets.
30	3	Systems thinking has sharpened my ability to recognize patterns, anticipate downstream effects, and navigate complex decisions—whether I’m organizing a household project, coordinating travel logistics, or supporting a loved one through a tough decision. But that same awareness can be exhausting. I often find myself spiraling into mental simulations of every possible outcome, even in situations where flexibility or spontaneity might be more useful. It can be hard to “turn off” the instinct to optimize, structure, or solve for edge cases in everyday life. I also find that I have very little patience for pressure to just act without considering longterm or cascading effects of those decisions. I don't want to be paralyzed out of taking action, but short-sighted bandaid solution are absolutely infuriating, especially when the issues I warned about (often) end up happening.	In environments where there’s constant pressure to move fast and prioritize quick fixes over thoughtful solutions, I’ve found it crucial to slow down and re-center on what truly matters. I set clear boundaries around the decisions I can influence and push back gently but firmly against shortcuts that risk creating bigger problems down the line. Practicing patience and advocating for iterative, sustainable progress—even if it takes more time upfront—helps me maintain integrity in my work and avoid burnout. I also lean on data and evidence to make the case for thinking through consequences, which helps shift conversations from reactive to strategic.
31	3	It mostly contributes to a pessimism kind of hinderance. Because I'm thinking of things as part of a whole and how those pieces fit together, I tend to unintentionally focus on "worst case scenario" thinking in order to avoid pitfalls. While thats not necessarily a bad thing by default, it does mean I assuming things or experiences are engineered poorly because its hard to think through all the aspects that lead to optimization.	I have never thought about that perspective before, so I'll have to start paying attention to uncover if I have any techniques I'm unconsciously using.
32	2	I clearly have not spent enough time thinking of this. I wonder if I already had a systems thinking before coming to design systems, or if I'm just oblivious – but its not impacted me outside of design systems… that I've observed at least.	I allow myself some level of thinking about things I can't control as it influences my thinking and helps solidify any learnings to be gleaned in the event I am in that position in the future. However, at some point you just have to focus on the areas you can control and influence. Staying tactical during my day to day helps avoid getting too swept up in areas I can't control.
33	2	It’s helped in that I find ways to make my daily life more organized and automated, but hindered in that I spend so much time creating systems and how things could be grouped that sometimes never get used. And also worried that if I’m NOT constantly sorting, editing, and optimizing my life habits and the information I gather, I’ve failed in some way. (Yes I’m in therapy lol)	Remembering (though I struggle with it) that the only constant in life is change, and if I can tend and influence my own zen garden and find joy in that, then it being overwritten and/or influenced by other uncontrollable factors doesn’t negate the joy I find in the process.
34	2	HELPED: 1. More empathy for the people who are the "cogs" in the system, both because these are people operating in the safety and comfort of their roles (often without desire to change them), but also because they are not themselves the cause of the brokenness of a bad system, only its symptoms. I'm far less likely to ever hold blame against an individual when something's not right than I am to step back and examine the system(s) around them. 2. Good systems can make things run more smoothly, because people find comfort in the clarity, knowing both what to expect and what is expected of them. When these expectations are met consistently, they can develop trust. HINDERED: Change. Is. So. Hard. When large systems have overly large and complex feedback loops, any small change or error can have far-reaching consequences. Whether feared or revered, these processes become calcified and resistant to change. The only path to change is usually via painful bureaucracy.	I've been really caught up in the idea of small feedback loops recently, so I look for ways to break big processes down into smaller ones, test ideas and iterate at smaller scales.
35	3	Helped look more for repeatable process and patterns, breaking things into steps - like my whole packing system for traveling.	Building relationships, building momentum - remembering there are many inputs to a system
36	5	Deeper appreciation for the benefits of taking the time to do the simple things well and with deep intention. Being reductive where possible, simplifying, organizing, and caring about the smallest details without losing broader context.	Simply accepting that premise (we have influence here, less so here) and then executing to the highest level where you do have influence. The first time you hear "we need to be as thorough/holistic as the systems team" that's a great sign.
37	3	Systems thinking has sharpened my ability to recognize patterns, anticipate downstream effects, and navigate complex decisions—whether I’m organizing a household project, coordinating travel logistics, or supporting a loved one through a tough decision. But that same awareness can be exhausting. I often find myself spiraling into mental simulations of every possible outcome, even in situations where flexibility or spontaneity might be more useful. It can be hard to “turn off” the instinct to optimize, structure, or solve for edge cases in everyday life.	In environments where there’s constant pressure to move fast and prioritize quick fixes over thoughtful solutions, I’ve found it crucial to slow down and re-center on what truly matters. I set clear boundaries around the decisions I can influence and push back gently but firmly against shortcuts that risk creating bigger problems down the line. Practicing patience and advocating for iterative, sustainable progress—even if it takes more time upfront—helps me maintain integrity in my work and avoid burnout. I also lean on data and evidence to make the case for thinking through consequences, which helps shift conversations from reactive to strategic.
38	2	Helped broaden how to solve problems in more effective ways but also can lead to hindering as you are now met with 20 more things you could tackle	Pro/cons, process of elimination
39	5	I apply systems thinking to how I manage my life by building custom tools in Notion.	Embracing the stoic concept of "The obstacle is the way."
40	3	I feel like i was systems-curious before i even understood systems thinking. Working in restaurants, no mater what role, you understand the behind the scenes dance that makes the entire experience possible, and good, and repeatable. All the prep to have items in place in the dining room and the kitchen, mise en place to build your recipes, folded napkins and shined silverware. Then there's the actual front of the house, hosting and greeting, and the service that ensures you have a great mean and a great experience (while also probably thinking about a reasonable time to turn the table to get some more butts in seats). All these things have to work in concert because a break down at any station can mean a bad meal, a slow down to the line to put other orders in the weeds, an unhappy customer, bad tips, unhappy staff, etc.etc. The ripple effect is real and there's no perfect, but its possible to build a consistent rhythm and team culture with guidelines and standards that ensure quality, efficiency, and repeatability.	- Storytelling to leadership - Sharing mentoring to consuming teams - Bridge/Trust/Culture building cross functionally
41	4	Three years ago, my husband and I adopted a BRILLIANT Cockatoo with a rough past, Molly. Fast forward to now, and we have Three Brilliant Cockatoos that all come to the table with different nature and nurture backgrounds. Molly is to the point where I use a comm board with her on her iPad and she can communicate her wants and needs to us...and, we're gradually building trust with the other two to get them to that level. If I wasn't able to think of a system as a whole, and stand back and remove my own biases and experiences of the world and look at it through their eyes, experiences, and different levels of ability/disability, I don't think I would have ever experienced a cockatoo "smiling" or learned their sense of humor and compassion for other animals.	Curiosity, looking at the larger picture, and understanding that change is uncomfortable for almost everyone, (including cockatoos:) - even if the end result is a benefit. There are a TON of things that myself, and the Parrot community as a whole, still don't understand about these girls. So when I'm looking at their "system" - their environment as whole, and how to introduce and modify and improve - I go back to design system thinking for continual iteration. Every. Single. Day. The answer to the question of "Why did Molly bite me just now?" isn't "Becaue she wanted my coffee and I didn't give it to her." There are simply more questions... How much exercise has she had? Is she feeling ok? What are her hormone levels? Did I push her too much? How are the group dynamics? Can she easily accomplish this task? Did I trigger a past experience negative experience and didn't realize it? Is she bored? And....then we get to a closer to real answer. Because she has heavy metal poisoning, and tannins help her mitigate the damage. The answer isn't "give her the coffee when she wants it" or "don't let her out while you're drinking coffee" - the answer is she needs veterinary care, plus get some decaffeinated coffee and tea that she can drink and grape juice, because it's good for her AND she really like it AND it gives her agency when she get's to pick what beverage she wants. I don't think I would have gotten there without a background in systems thinking and the ability to hold the whole loosely in my head in it's entirety AND chase down the details and learn about how they are connected.
42	5	In some areas of my life, this mindset is really helpful. For example, over the weekend I was cleaning out my closet and noticed that I was treating each piece of clothing like a component with its own “token” or label. I didn’t even realize I was doing it at first, but it helped me stay organized and let go of things more easily because I wasn’t emotionally attached to the clothes... was just following a system. But in other areas, this way of thinking can sometimes limit my creativity. A good example is baking sourdough bread. Making sourdough requires a certain level of precision and following specific rules to get good results. The problem is, if I ever want to change the recipe, I feel like I’m breaking the system. That gives me anxiety because I don’t have a clear set of rules to guide me anymore, and it’s hard for me to be flexible without that structure or understanding the interconnectedness of my actions.	Journaling and mind-mapping have been really helpful for me. When I feel unsure about how things are connected, sketching it out or making a list helps me make sense of it and feel more at ease.
43	3	It’s help me consider how I should set up other parts of my life	Working with breaking components down into their individual parts.
44	4	Helped me, it’s a lot easier to see the things that compose things instead of taking everything as a whole	I focus mostly on the invisible under the hood type of work while the more controversial or collaborative stuff goes through the many slow processes we have in place
45	3	Organizing my personal spaces is much easier, but convincing my family to follow the same approach has been difficult (they continue to put veggies on the meat shelf in the freezer!)	I've had to prioritize when I use a systems approach vs letting things just happen as they will. one of our household systems wins has been grocery shopping: we have a shared list among 4 of us and most of the time we have what we need (or intended, at least!)
46	4	Systems thinking helps me consider the interconnectedness of things in everyday life, especially those that may go unnoticed.	Empathy for those involved, and what it may take to keep those systems in place.
47	1	it helps me schedule across 2 parents, 2 kids, different schools and activities to get us all to places and fed appropriately...being able to think across it all. it can be overwhelming when i think about doctor's appointments and scheduling across 4 people, school, work mtgs, personal events...i'm not sure why...likely because i then have to negotiate w/ the doctor's schedules - its another layer that i have little to no control over, so the web gets tangled more and feels overwhelming so i just don't want to tackle it (I forget it can be done 1 at a time ; ) ) so perhaps my systems brain does better when i know all the constraints and inputs (even when they are complicate), however it struggles with wild-cards and uncontrollables.	i have not figured this out. mind mapping is the closest thing to helping - getting it on "paper", but in a non-linear way helps me better comprehend and come to terms with things. however, i do still get "stuck"
48	4	For me it's the other way around. The experience I've had outside has helped me with understanding the expectation of design systems.	This question is hard to grok.
49	5	Tremendously! I use it daily to make meaningful connections across our portfolios, teams, and customers.	Influence is subjective which means that it is only limited by our own ability to perceive what others think is important. I would challenge the notion that we can’t have influence outside of our expertise or area. To answer your question, the techniques I use to expand my area of influence are basic psychological listening techniques that we’ve all learned within UX. Listen to understand, reflect back to reduce our assumptions and to show that we are listening, and follow up. It’s not always necessary to take action or have an immediate answer or opinion. In fact, it can be more impactful to wait until you have a better understanding.
50	3	I feel like after I started working with DS, I try to be more practical, more efficient on every day chores. Though, that doesn’t mean that I actually achieve this efficiency…	Deliberate practice. Trying to improve one skill at a time. Communicating with pears, colleagues and even my boss. Asking questions, not assuming that what I understand is true for everyone.
51	3	Helped: for example parenting. I am more aware of the different ways my words or actions can cascade into various behaviors. Also helps with picking my battles. Hindered: watching the news. Understanding how a seemingly singular event or decision could unfold into a more system-wide issues.	Struggling somewhat, but prioritization skills help. And restricting exposure to media when news gets overwhelming.
52	3	I have a personal motto that has been an outcome of my systems work: "everything is logistics" logistics (noun) - the planning, implementation, and coordination of the details of a business or other operation. I view the world, the same as I view systems work, as an interconnected series of decisions and actions. Some decisions can feel both massively daunting and approachable at the same time. A initiative to update terminology inside a system where you have to adjust 90% of you components can feel HUGE, because it will take so many steps, but also feel manageable because all you have to do is break it down into smaller actions and sequences, blessing and curse.	Focus on my circle of influence, then concentrate on delivering a series of quick wins to keep everyone motivated. How do you eat an elephant...one bite at a time.
53	3	I think I've developed a stronger sense of boundaries, which has definitely helped me as a developer. I'm not just saying "yes" to everything because as a system matures, the stakes get higher. But because of this I also feel myself becoming more conservative and potentially rigid.	I feel like I have honed in a bit on the skill of weighing ease of use, complexity and practicality. I feel as though I'm better able to challenge assumptions about how a component should evolve based on our user's needs.
54	1	As I observe what's been happening in our nation's highest office, I can't help but worry excessively now about the whole damn system falling apart: democracy, the US (or even global) financial system, etc. I think that being a 'systems thinker' for so long now has made me more keenly aware of how interconnected all of this is--of how, if one part falls, the rest will follow.	Since I currently have SOME control over the financial aspect of my life, I've been doubling-down and learning a lot more about finance, investing, etc. While I can't control or prevent some worst-case scenarios, it's better than just sitting back and praying things don't go south. This applies to other areas as well: for me, there is some relief in learning as much as I can about the topics I'm worried about... be it finances, AI, etc.
55	5	everything is about optimizing and making this more accessible now, even organizing my pantry (I feel like I want to make categories and then copy how I organize things so it's consistent in my closet too lol)	a deep breath, trying to reframe what really needs to be accomplished
56	4	From a work perspective, I consider design system principles are like that values/prioritizations for how to structure your work day and interact with coworkers. You must have consistency. From a non-work perspective, it is important to also consider your values and priorities, which leads to the way the household is managed and the activities you participate in beyond your house.	I'm unsure how to answer this!
57	4	Helped: Knowing that anything that involves multi-teams requires systems. And having experience in one system lends understanding in learning another. Always thinking about the types of consumers of any system: who is the maintainer, who is the consumer, where is knowledge documented or made obvious Hindered: Thinking too deeply about implications before giving first impression / honest feedback on something. Getting overwhelmed by how complex a system must be in order for it to work.	Brain dumps in notes. Scoping for what can happen now. Being okay with waiting on something to see how important it really is.
58	5	It's changed the way I approach home projects -- I've begun thinking of my house as a living system with different subsystems that each require their own attention and cannot be addressed all at once. Same with chores. Laundry and cleaning are now system inputs that help keep my system running.	I'm not sure about this one.
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