On Thinking in Systems

Today I thought about the year ahead. I always have goals. Exercise more, see my family more, keep learning, save money. Same list, every January. And most years I miss. Even with a good plan, the goal sits out there and I never quite reach it.

This year I'm trying something else. Instead of staring at the goals, I'm building the systems that should get me there. I work with systems all day as an engineer, but systems aren't only code. They run your mornings and your habits. They shape how you treat the people close to you. They decide most of what happens to you, and usually you don't notice them doing it.

So this year I'm pointing systems thinking at my own life. A few things I've learned about the ones that actually work:

• You can measure them. You can tell, without guessing, whether they're working.
• They feed back on themselves. The results change how the system runs next time.
• They're easy to adjust. You tune them instead of tearing them down.

That's the test. Now the principles I'm building on.

A good system removes the choice

Deciding the right thing over and over, on willpower alone, wears you out. A good system takes the decision off your plate. Want to eat better? Don't keep junk in the house. Want to run in the morning? Pack the bag the night before and leave it by the door. The best decision is the one you never have to make.

Build for the bad days

Bad days come. With a system underneath you, a bad day is a setback instead of a collapse. Move money to savings automatically, before you can spend it. Leave slack in your week so one fire doesn't burn down the whole thing. Build a life that bends.

Make learning automatic

Learning is the first thing to go when you get busy. A small system keeps it alive. One page a day is 365 pages a year. Thirty minutes each morning is over a hundred hours by December. Small things stack up, as long as the system stays light enough that you'll actually keep it.

The real shift is where your attention goes: off the outcome and onto the process. You stop fixating on losing twenty pounds and start running the system, the daily walk and the planned meals. You stop counting books and just read before bed.

So this year I'm betting on systems over goals. Goals tell you where to point. Systems are what move you.