General Operating Principles

A distilled list of principles I try to apply wherever I can.

1. Use systems to manage your life
   1. Have an inbox & clean it regularly
   2. Do periodic reviews
   3. Use checklists & templates
   4. Leverage standards and preexisting work
2. Keep it simple
   1. Do one thing instead of two
   2. Eliminate things before adding new things
   3. Prefer the option with the fewest moving pieces
3. Bias toward action
   1. Learn by doing
   2. Prefer quick, cheap empirical results over theory
   3. Prefer removing obstacles over adding effort
4. Pay attention to what is important
   1. Learn what’s true
   2. Regularly reflect on life
   3. Remember that fun is important
   4. Use the Pareto Principle
   5. Measure what you want to manage
5. Use maintenance as mindfulness
   1. Don’t skip workouts. Don’t skip reps. Don’t compromise form.
   2. Keep your bills paid and food on the table
   3. Take care of what’s important
6. Don’t go it alone
   1. Use your team
   2. Help others where you can