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Systems and routines.md

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Systems and routines

Key ideas

  • Default actions are the ones we take when we're low on energy/willpower/care
  • You can identify and change them by building better systems and routines
  • Don't put energy where it's unhelpful - wasted motion
  • Notice the energy required for actions you want to take and decrease it

Examples

	flowchart LR
	a(routines)
	b(concrete commitments)
	c(algorithms)
	d(rules that hold generally)
	e(automation)
	f(micro systems)
	g(triage)
	a-->o(after X, I do Y)
	b-->h("I will X at 9AM every other day")
	c-->i(packing for travel)
	d-->j("If X, then Y")
	d-->n(saves resources considering every case)
	e-->k(wifi turns off after midnight)
	g-->l(e.g. moving tools you use close to hand)
	f-->m(cut the least important stuff)
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The process

	flowchart TD
	a(Identify the problem)
	b(Explore)
	subgraph  
	c(examples)
	d(do a mindful walkthrough)
	end
	e(Rough plan)
	f(use your inner simulator)
	g(Inner Simulator reality check and debugging)
	h(implementation)
	i(doing the thing)
	a==>b
	b==>e
	b-->c
	b-->d
	e==>g
	e-->f
	g-.->e
	g==>h
	h==>i
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How to identify problems

  • bottlenecks 🍾
  • things you need
  • significant inefficiencies
  • where you're spending willpower

All systems fail. The aim is to predict when systems will fail and plan to rebuild them. Try to look upstream and build a causal chain. What went wrong? Where is the lowest cost point to intervene in?

	flowchart TD
	A-->B
	B-->C
	C-->D
	D-->e[System failure]
	f[Even if D is where the system failed, it might be cheaper to change A, B, or C.]
	g[Desired outcome]
	D-.->g
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A mindful walkthrough is like the [[Inner Simulator]], but for past events. Walk through where your system failed. How can you most easily fix it?

What makes a good system?

  • Effort ≈ 0
  • Reliable

How can you build reliable systems?

  • make routines sacred
  • minimise points of failure
  • keep as simple as possible
    • automate
    • batch
  • use friction to your advantage

Examples:

  • Morning runners who sleep in their running clothes
  • Automatically turning off your phone's wifi at the library
  • Batching life admin to a specific hour once a week
  • Putting healthy snacks on the counter and less healthy ones at the back of a cupboard
  • To do list widget on phone screen

On not expecting success

By default, all systems fail. Don't feel bad about it and don't expect to succeed.

Using a reverse [[Inner Simulator]] can help calibrate your expectations and minimise the pain of failure. Ask "would I be surprised if I succeeded on my first try?"