Topic outline

  • Welcome to Good Life Engine

    Design, build, and test a routine in 9 months

    Good Life Engine is a course that helps students to design a personal routine, to experience the journey to build, maintain and develop it, and to apply the know-hows for bigger goals and aspects in life. 

    During the course, you will be attending monthly sessions where you have the chance to meet and discuss with experts in a variety of fields to improve your routine journey. 

    Changing world

    As we all have learned, circumstances can change rapidly. The Corona outbreak is a good example of an event  that has forced us to learn new thinking models, including our daily routines. 

    Good Life Engine introduces well-being topics that support and encourage students to break your ideas or goals into actions.


    Routines - The building blocks of achievements

    It is common nowadays that we are told to be flexible and adaptive, at the same time to be creative and innovative. However, the ability to either adapt and ideate requires a massive set of skills that can take years to build. One big factor in adaptability is the ability to learn and adopt new thinking patterns and skills, while sustaining basic life.

    The good starting point is to build a positive routine. Then, to ignite and sustain it. Routine action mixed with reflective thinking will most likely expose you to learning. 


    Designing your routine

    Good Life Engine course is open for everyone, as long as you want to make a change in your life. The routine can be simple, for example to draw a painting everyday. But it can as well be fused with any extra curricular activity. As long as it sparks an interest for you. 

    During 9 months, Good Life Engine helps students to design, build and maintain a routine. First, you will evaluate your goal(s) in life, break it down into concrete actions, and pick a routine in which you believe best serves the goal but simple enough for you. Then, you will work to build and execute the routine at your own pace. 

    We are applying the design thinking concept to shape the routine until it provides true value to you. To keep the process motivating, the goal can, and is encouraged, to be modified during the course. Thus, your routine content could be adjusted as well.


    The Dialogue

    The topics cover include well-being, habit formation and prioritization. Speakers are representatives from a variety of fields, ranging from choreography to psychology and business. This series of talks is designed to provide practical tools, new perspectives and moments of reflection during your Good Life Engine's journey. 

    In addition to the monthly sessions, groups are there to create a healthy amount of peer-support and reflective team feedback. You will be communicating with fellow students and teachers on daily basis as well as in the group meetings. 

    Psychologists of Aalto All Well are also there to help us with their expertise. 


    Learning goals

    • To understand how the big picture with career plans and personal development can be connected in a sustainable way. 
    • To break down big goals and ideas into practical decisions, actions, routines.
    • To execute the routines to find out rhythms of life.


    Student testimonials

    “So far, it has been an interesting and unique experience to attend such a course. The content is very useful and setting up the routines was very helpful in improving the life.”

    “I like the course. This course should be introduced in the beginning of university study everywhere.”



    Level of the Course

    All Aalto students - Bachelor students, Master’s level and further


    Teaching period

    I-V with two enter points, one in September and one in January. 

    The course will be done online from September to December. Further information about the format from January onwards will be updated later accordingly to Aalto guidance on COVID-19.

    Contact info

    Teachers: Johannes Kaira - johannes.kaira@aalto.fi, Lidia Borisova - lidia.borisova@aalto.fi

    Course assistant: Linh Duong - thuy.duong@aalto.fi