Design Your Life: Crafting a Personalized Operating System
Written on
Chapter 1: Understanding the Life Operating System
A Life Operating System (LOS) serves as your self-crafted guidebook, outlining how you wish to engage with the world and navigate your experiences. It addresses essential questions about identity and purpose: Who do you aspire to be? How do you wish to conduct yourself? What actions do you intend to take? Your LOS articulates your goals and intentions, shaping the life you want to lead.
As Epictetus wisely noted, "First tell yourself what kind of person you want to be, then do what you have to do." Your LOS isn't a magical solution that runs your life automatically. Instead, it acts as a detailed framework for constructing the fulfilling existence you envision. It serves as a practical manual for personal growth, reflection, planning, and ultimately, realization.
A thoughtful and personalized LOS fosters deeper insights and a richer understanding of how you want to live. When effectively designed, it illustrates the daily behaviors that align with your aspirations.
One LOS Approach
Below is a high-level summary of my personal LOS categories. This is merely a sample; each individual’s LOS should reflect their unique experiences and insights. To ensure its effectiveness, my LOS is designed to be straightforward, clear, and focused, embracing an essentialist philosophy. I emphasize a limited number of goals, prioritizing purpose, process, and practice. I also include core values under a category I label "Mindset," while restricting the number of items in each category to facilitate prioritization.
Purpose
What is my life’s purpose? The Japanese concept of Ikigai encapsulates this idea. It doesn't have to be grand or complex; it should simply be clear and direct. For instance, while Elon Musk might state his purpose as creating groundbreaking technologies, mine is to live well and be my best self.
Mindset
This category represents my "Be" list. It encompasses the qualities I wish to embody daily. I aim to be mindful, calm, and compassionate. I value dedication, skill mastery, and continuous improvement. I prefer a subtle approach to life, focusing on building meaningful relationships with my wife, family, and friends, while addressing what needs to be done, one task at a time.
Areas/Roles
This serves as my "A" list, identifying the various roles I fulfill in life and the responsibilities that come with them. By naming these roles, I can reflect on how I want to fulfill them. I periodically audit this list to assess my progress and address gaps between my expectations and actual behavior.
Priorities
Limited time and energy prevent us from being everything to everyone. What truly matters when life gets challenging? Jim Collins suggests that having more than three priorities means you have none. For me, my priorities are loving my wife, taking care of myself, connecting with loved ones, and writing. While these four might seem overwhelming, they are essential and manageable with thoughtful planning.
Projects
Instead of elaborate goal-setting, I focus on significant personal projects that warrant my time and energy. A project is an endeavor I commit to fully, creating tangible outcomes. I find greater effectiveness in dedicating time to a few projects—typically 2-3—while keeping a list of potential future projects.
Skills
My LOS emphasizes a select few skills (3-5) that I am dedicated to improving. Currently, I focus on writing, listening, and meditation, though this list may evolve over time.
Habits/Routines
I've learned that certain key habits and routines significantly influence my performance and overall life satisfaction. My primary routine, dubbed “Rise and Shine,” outlines how I start my day, from waking up on time to meditation and writing. I also focus on scripting my post-lunch routine to enhance productivity. While it's beneficial to have structured habits, I avoid turning my life into a robotic schedule.
Do More/Do Less
I maintain a straightforward list of behaviors to increase and decrease in my life. For instance, "Drink more water" is on my "More" list, while "Stop drinking coffee after 11 am" appears on my "Less" list. I review and adjust this list weekly, helping me remain aware of my intentions.
Why Create a LOS?
Life often propels us forward without direction. Your LOS can be a reflective tool to help you understand your current circumstances and how you wish to evolve. Engaging with your LOS encourages mindfulness and can inspire personal growth. By crafting a dynamic and heartfelt LOS, you can live with increased intention over time, serving as a crucial step in becoming your best self.
How to Create a LOS?
You might expect me to advocate for specific tools to create your LOS, but I believe the choice is yours. Whether you prefer paper or digital formats, the medium is less important than the content. I use Apple Notes for my LOS, but I’ve also explored tools like MindNode and Notion. Ultimately, the goal is to develop an LOS that resonates with you personally. The litmus test is simple: Does it inspire and guide you?
Best wishes on your journey to create your LOS. Your thoughts, observations, and questions are always welcome.
Chapter 2: Utilizing Systems Thinking for Life Design
In this segment, we explore how systems thinking can enhance your approach to designing your life operating system.
This video, titled "Systems Thinking to Design Your Life — Life OS," delves into effective strategies for applying systems thinking to your personal development.
Chapter 3: An Overview of My Life Operating System
Here, we provide a detailed overview of how I utilize my life operating system through various applications.
The video "My Notion Life Operating System Overview - My Life in an App" offers insights into how I manage my personal operating system using digital tools.