Principles

One rule to rule them all – one decision to decide them all.

Too many decisions lead to decision fatigue, which can lead to poor decision-making and indecision. Ever tried this? Then perhaps it is time to develop a set of personal principles.

Principles are decisions that last.

Developing good personal principles does take time, but it is an investment with a massive return on investment (ROI) as they will keep guiding you in familiar and unfamiliar situations.

One approach to develop your personal principles is:
1) Identify your core values: Begin by identifying your core values, beliefs, and priorities. Write them down and use them as a guide for developing your principles.
2) Evaluate your decisions: Consider how well your past decisions aligned with your core values. Identify patterns or areas where you can improve your decision-making process.
3) Test and refine your principles: Test your principles in real-world situations, evaluate the outcomes, and adjust your principles as necessary. Continually refine and improve your principles based on your experiences and the data you gather over time.

But, principles don’t have to be complicated.

Personally, I have a principle to ‘start with zero’ when developing solutions to problems – more specifically, I ask myself “how can I make this easier” or “how can I make this effortless” (check out the awesome book on this by @Greg Mckeown!)

For those interested in mastering principles, I highly recommend Ray Dalio’s book Principles.

ps. If you don’t like the idea of rules, then just remember: YOU make the rules! 😊