How would you apply the Systems Mindset to your personal life?

The Systems Mindset would work for your personal life.

Consider the following quotes from Sam Carpenter's book "Work the System" :

"Unhappy people are not in control of their lives because they spend their days coping with the unintentional bad results of unmanaged systems. Happy people are in control of their lives, spending their days enjoying the intentional good results of managed systems."

..."each of us is a system of systems. But here’s the rub: some of them—each of which, always remember, can be visualized as a distinct entity—are headed in oblique directions, confusing our efforts to reach our conscious goals."

So basically, we act as Project Engineers who constantly work to tweak and perfect the various systems that make up the various aspects of our lives. To move forward in an integrated manner rather than "firefighting" or constant crisis management.

We start this by taking a stance "above and apart" from the issues so that the distance gives us the detachment to study the various systems that we are part of.

Think about the 3 main documents that Sam Carpenter talked about in the book which he says is vital for business.

These are :-
1. Strategic Objectives
2. Operating principles
3. Working procedures

In your personal life, your strategic objectives would be your ultimate purpose or life mission. Operating principles would be the principles you use to make decisions and should be congruent with your strategic objectives. And working procedures would be how you do any specific "thing".

For instance, if one of your strategic objectives is to live with integrity, your guiding principle for that would involve asking if a particular action is congruent with your sense of integrity. Then one of the working procedures for your relationships would deal with honest communication.

Eg. in your "Late going home" procedure, you might have the following steps : 1. Call spouse 2. Inform true reason 3. Inform what time you can be expected back.

"Inform true reason" would be congruent with your objective. You would communicate the true reason and not an excuse.

The above is a rather simplistic example but this entire approach can be useful to all areas of our lives even if we don't create detailed working procedures as we would for businesses.

This is how the Systems Mindset can be applied to our personal lives. It would help us identify our values and live more in line with them. And to live more effectively and efficiently too.

Everything has a root cause. Let me run you through a personal example.

I live with my girlfriend and we used to have problems with not having dishes. Instead of looking at the symptom (no dishes) I decided to look at the system (the dishwashing cycle in our apartment).

Dishes start in the cupboard, are taken out as needed during the day, go to the sink, are cleared to the dishwasher, are cleaned, and then are returned to the cupboard.

In our case, the problem was in dishes not returning to the sink or piling up in the sink. The fix was to make sure dishes are in the dishwasher at the end of the day - this was the "SOP" I added to our life as a result of this problem.

The result? No more dish problems.

Definitely! If you look at your life like a franchise, you'd take each of the systems you described above (which are large chunks) and break them down. In a franchise, you'd have customer service, sales, marketing, production, administrative, etc. - these correlate to your categories. Start with each system, define your anticipated outcome and then you can create systems to achieve those outcomes. Example: Relationship (I'm assuming personal). Let's say the outcome is "Feel fulfilled". Tough one, because feelings are subjective. But you can make this into a system by identifying what's important to you about relationships, and making sure those values are fulfilled every day, which will result in relationships being fulfilling.

So a system to create a fulfilling relationship might be:

1. Define what's important to me (values)
2. Identify actions I can take every day to fulfill those values.
3. Do the action items (sub process)

That's just one example. Hope that helps.
Stephanie

Systems usually include DFDs or UML diagrams, which are used to communicate with the relevant stakeholders, i.e., users and developers, to ensure that they accurately reflect the system under consideration. The diagrams may be changed several times following feedback from stakeholders until all agree that they accurately represent the system. Thus, when you approach your whole life from a systems mindset, you can begin to isolate what is not working, find ways to tweak and change it, turn it into a repetitive process, and then do what works, repeatedly, instead of what does not work – and in fact, cause it to work extremely well.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath

Applying the Systems Mindset to your personal life involves viewing each aspect of your life as a system with interconnected parts. By understanding and optimizing these systems, you can improve overall efficiency and well-being. Here’s how you can apply this mindset to the key areas of your life: education, relationships, health, and fitness.

### 1. **Education**
**System Analysis:**
- **Input:** Time, resources (books, online courses), energy.
- **Process:** Studying, attending classes, completing assignments, applying knowledge.
- **Output:** Grades, knowledge gained, skills acquired, certifications.

**Steps to Optimize:**
- **Set Clear Goals:** Define what you want to achieve in your education (e.g., specific skills, certifications, grades).
- **Create a Study Schedule:** Allocate specific times for studying and stick to it. Use tools like calendars or apps to keep track.
- **Resource Management:** Identify the best resources and tools to aid your learning. This could include books, online courses, or study groups.
- **Feedback Loop:** Regularly assess your progress and adjust your study methods as needed. Seek feedback from teachers or peers.

### 2. **Relationships**
**System Analysis:**
- **Input:** Time, communication, effort, emotional energy.
- **Process:** Interactions, shared activities, conflict resolution, support.
- **Output:** Relationship quality, mutual support, satisfaction, emotional well-being.

**Steps to Optimize:**
- **Set Priorities:** Determine the most important relationships in your life and allocate time and effort accordingly.
- **Effective Communication:** Develop strong communication skills to understand and be understood by others.
- **Quality Time:** Schedule regular activities or times to connect with loved ones. Prioritize these moments to strengthen bonds.
- **Conflict Resolution:** Develop strategies for resolving conflicts healthily and constructively. Seek to understand before being understood.

### 3. **Health**
**System Analysis:**
- **Input:** Nutrition, exercise, sleep, hydration, medical check-ups.
- **Process:** Daily routines, habits, health management practices.
- **Output:** Physical well-being, energy levels, absence of illness, fitness.

**Steps to Optimize:**
- **Healthy Habits:** Establish routines for eating nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep.
- **Monitor Health:** Keep track of your health metrics (e.g., weight, blood pressure) and adjust habits as needed.
- **Preventive Care:** Schedule regular medical check-ups and address any health issues promptly.
- **Stress Management:** Incorporate practices like meditation, yoga, or hobbies to manage stress effectively.

### 4. **Fitness**
**System Analysis:**
- **Input:** Exercise, rest, nutrition, hydration.
- **Process:** Workout routines, rest periods, nutrition plans.
- **Output:** Physical fitness, strength, endurance, flexibility, body composition.

**Steps to Optimize:**
- **Set Fitness Goals:** Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your fitness.
- **Structured Workouts:** Create a balanced workout plan that includes cardio, strength training, flexibility exercises, and rest days.
- **Track Progress:** Use apps or journals to track your workouts, progress, and any changes in your body.
- **Consistency:** Develop a routine that you can maintain consistently. Adjust it based on feedback from your body and progress toward goals.

### General Steps to Apply the Systems Mindset:

1. **Identify Systems:** Break down each area of your life into smaller systems.
2. **Analyze Components:** Understand the inputs, processes, and outputs of each system.
3. **Set Clear Goals:** Define what success looks like in each area.
4. **Develop a Plan:** Create actionable steps and routines to achieve your goals.
5. **Monitor and Adjust:** Regularly review your progress and make adjustments as needed.

By treating each aspect of your personal life as a system, you can identify inefficiencies, optimize processes, and achieve better results, leading to an overall improved and balanced life.