Without a system, one’s goals will be frustrated. Self-help author James Clear makes this goal frustration point succinctly: "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." Or put more provocatively by cartoonist Scott Adams: “Losers have goals. Winners have systems.”
I appreciate someone who has a good “systems game.” Getting Things Done1 or Building a Second Brain2, systems for tasks and information, are system staples often recommended for someone getting started. Ben Meer's Systems Sunday newsletter has many examples that include budgeting, inbox zero, and capsule wardrobe.
Creating bespoke systems to meet life’s challenges is a crucial skill. Like unfolding a new concept to help navigate a situation, unfolding a new system helps with life navigation by removing imprudent effort, allowing one's focus and energy to be on what's most important. A sound systems game is what those in military circles call a "force multiplier," the right combination of factors dramatically increasing effectiveness.
A bespoke system does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be good enough. It can always be adjusted. Having the courage to create a shitty system is better than having an unexamined one that does not serve you. Approaching one’s system game with patience, curiosity, and a “growth mindset,” a belief that effort can cultivate skill rather than a “fixed mindset,” talent is innate and unchangeable, will help improve this skill.
This Subtack is my practice of self-inquiry through public journaling; my current system for this practice: publish three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) and write them during the communal practice of Collective Journalling, available to paid subscribers. I discipline myself to look at the metrics/comments on Substack a few times a week and collect journal ideas on my "second brain"3 throughout the week.
The key part of this practice: I am writing to myself; while this is the intent, I make my entries public because others might benefit from them, which is now a part of supporting my livelihood.
However, first and foremost, these writings are a personal practice within my ecology of practices—an ecology guided by the value of wisdom through the inverse expression of less foolishness. Developing my systems game has always been a key part of my self-inquiries, as many unconsciously adopted systems lead to more foolishness rather than less.
In upcoming entries, I’ll unfold systems for myself and whoever else is called to follow along.
If you have any systems that make you less foolish, ones you have adopted from others, or ones you made up yourself, share them in the comments. Also, share any area where you think a less foolish system will serve you well. For example, I will develop upcoming systems for reading books and watching films in my upcoming entries.
Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain (BASB) is another top system recommendation for being more organized.
There are debates on the best app to use for the BASB system. I use Workflowly for my second brain. Overall, I am a big fan of Workflowly and love the simplicity of it.
is doing great work there.