INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: how to manufacture your own luck

Designers tend to wait for the perfect opportunities. Waiting for their luck to hit. But it turns out that a lot of luck is just simple math.

LUCK = (EXPOSURE + ACTION) x TIME

Exposure is discoverability. Every post, project, or conversation increases surface area for opportunity. Most designers have little to no surface areas then wonder why nothing happens.

Action is output. Emails sent, projects shipped, questions asked. Don't predict which attempt matters. Increase the number of attempts.

Exposure and action compensate for each other. You need both contributing.

Time is the multiplier. Without time, nothing compounds. Small consistent effort multiplied by time creates outsized results.

Perfectionism kills time. Every delay removes attempts. Speed generates feedback showing where to double down.

Luck shows up after sustained effort. Stop waiting, increase your surface area. Ship work, make people aware of it, and stay in long enough for time to multiply your efforts.