Stoicism for L&D

...Because Sometimes the Universe (or the SME) Just Says No!

As instructional designers and L&D practitioners, we often find ourselves in situations that test our patience, creativity, and <cough> our sanity! That’s why I like to turn to Stoicism—a philosophy that evolved in a time of political turbulence and social uncertainty. Stoicism offered thinkers a way to cope with the unpredictability of life, including the whims of ruling elites. It's a philosophy of resilience—just as useful today for navigating workplace challenges (though with fewer life-or-death consequences!).

So, what can this ancient wisdom teach us in the context of instructional design? Quite a bit, actually. Let’s take a tour of some key Stoic tenets and how they can help us survive—and maybe even thrive—in the chaotic world of L&D...

1. Focusing on What You Can Control

If Stoicism had a catchphrase, it would be this one. Perfect for any training project, right? There are always factors beyond our control—budgetary constraints, platform limitations, or even changes in project scope. But you know what? We can control the quality of our work. We can look for the best solutions within the constraints, create value where we can, and not lose sleep over the things we just can’t fix. As a modern Stoic might say: “The rest? Eh, not my problem.”

2. Virtue as the Highest Good

In Stoicism, virtue is about doing the right thing; and for us, that has to start with advocating for our learners. Training design isn’t just about checking off boxes; it’s about creating genuinely useful learning experiences. So, we don’t allow ourselves to cut corners or design in pessimism because the content is duller than mouldy bread! Our job is to keep the learner’s best interests in mind, even when we're tempted to phone it in. Think of it as designing with love—if not for the content, at least for the learner, for our purpose.

3. The Practice of Negative Visualisation

What’s the worst possible way to design a certain course? Picture it in detail: bland templates, content vomit, stock images of people grinning inanely…

But hey, this isn’t just an exercise in dread—this Stoic principle encourages us to consider the pitfalls before they happen. For each screen, each question, we can ask ourselves: "How can this be misunderstood? What could the learner get wrong in answering this question?" This mental walkthrough makes our designs stronger, interactions clearer.

It also helps us critically review our beloved approach notes and instructional strategy descriptions: if the terrible version of the course still fits within the description, that is one suuuuper vague and poorly thought-out approach (or strategy) that really needs to be redone!

And it’s also a great tool for recognizing why a course even exists in the first place—because let’s be real, not all courses need to exist. For the ones that do, we reaffirm their value to ourselves by picturing the disasters that can happen in the absence of good training.

4. Adversity as Opportunity

So, you’ve been handed a project with way too much content and not enough time. Classic. Instead of seeing this as a disaster, channel your inner Stoic! What if you flipped the script? Too much content? Great! Is there room to abstract it, to layer information, to collaborate with a visual designer and highlight what truly matters? Our typical mindset focuses on what we don’t have enough of—time, budget, clarity—but what if we focused on what we have plenty of? At times that may even be just plain ole confusion, but there’s opportunity there too, right?

5. Emotional Regulation

Feedback's coming in hot, and it ain't good. Your masterpiece just got slashed to pieces. Gaaaah! Stoicism teaches us to regulate our emotions. Take a deep breath, and don’t let your emotions take over. Whether it’s working with SMEs or teammates, or getting through rounds of ruthless feedback, staying calm and composed is certainly valuable. The more we practice (there’s a reason why this is a craft), the less the chaos will faze us. Repetition builds resilience—so next time, when your course is torn apart or there’s yet another sprawling content dump, you'll be chill and go, "Ah, another Tuesday."

This means also doing the groundwork for that kind of hard-won calm: practice practice practice. Script that same screen 3 ways. Tie your own hands (figuratively) and see what other approach you’ll come up with for that same bunch of requirements.

6. Living in Harmony with Nature (or, in This Case, the Environment)

'Environment' doesn’t always have to mean trees and chirping birds—it can mean the organizational environment too. If there’s a budget crunch, don’t fight it.

If animation isn’t on the cards, we will embrace simpler solutions. If the mood in the room is confused and insecure, we will bring clarity. It’s about finding harmony in the chaos.

Our job is not just to make a great course but to do so in a way that aligns with the organization’s current reality. So if it’s time to stop dreaming of that perfect approach and work with limited content or SME support—hey, maybe that's a lesson in design humility.

7. Not Wasting Suffering

This might be my favorite tenet—why suffer for nothing? If you're stuck on a boring project, don’t just go through the motions. Find a way to flex your design muscles! Maybe you’re being asked to create another compliance module (yawn). But this is where we can challenge ourselves: how can we make it more interesting, more useful, help learners pay more attention? How can we stretch our skills, experiment with a new technique, or explore a better way to present that same old content? The brief we're given might be dull, but our growth doesn’t have to be capped because of it.

And, of course, the most immediate interpretation many of us would have for this principle—if this is a poorly conceived course we’re just not able to save, at least let’s keep it mercifully crisp for the learner so there’s no ‘extra’ suffering!

So, while Stoicism may have been a philosophy designed for surviving emperors and fate's fickle hand, it turns out it’s pretty handy for instructional designers and L&D folks, too. Whether it’s learning to control what we can, finding opportunity in adversity, or keeping a cool head when we’re under pressure, the Stoic way can help us navigate the challenges that beset the practice of our craft.

Your thoughts?

How have you applied Stoicism in your instructional design work (even if you didn't know it at the time)? Come, share your wisdom and experiences!

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