![Designing Your Legacy to be Thorough [Part 8]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea4d3a1a6b8f22dbf0aeedf/1631023767817-LHLGEI8LK09M60M4LYYW/unsplash-image-Pxf5syDVuxQ.jpg)
This is the eighth blog in a 10-part series examining how to apply Dieter Rams’ principles of good design to your legacy.
The eighth principle in Dieter Rams’ list of good design principles is that it is thorough down to the last detail. This is challenging in our times of cell phones and other forms of instant messaging. Yet, this is the value of design. It respects time.
When designing your legacy, do you give it the attention it deserves and the time those in your circle deserve? It is one thing to set up an appointment; it is a different matter to design the purpose of the encounter. This does not entail scripting or rehearsing. Rather, the process strives for clarity and encouragement.
The elements that contribute to thoroughness include emotional intelligence, presence in the moment, and active listening. This is not getting fixated on minutia. It is the appreciation that words and gestures are interconnected, and that content needs to be viewed through the lens of context to extract its significance.
When I interacted with medical students or family medicine residents, I would reframe their assessment of a complex patient into a patient with multifaceted details. This is because they felt overwhelmed by complexity but were able to progress when the focus was on the details and nuances of the patient. Similarly, we are composed of details and live in the space between moments.
A heart for giving your best, an eye for detail, and a mind focused on thorough design will enhance your legacy. Center your efforts on the person in front of you. By doing so, your touch will leave an impression because that was your intent.