The 4 Fundamental System Upgrades

I led a workshop last week about the 4 Fundamental System Upgrades we all need to maintain a higher level of performance and daily output.

Whether we realize it or not, there is an underlying system that is responsible for every action we take. It’s a foundation our ambitions, aspirations, and consistency rests upon. The thing is, many of us don’t know what systems govern the most impactful areas of our lives. This means we haven’t invested enough time in upgrading them and therefore, being the person we want to be is way harder than it needs to be.

Here are the 4 Fundamental System Upgrades:

1) Time Management: Everything we do takes time, and there are many things that we put time into that aren’t as important as other things that we don’t reserve time for.

The default system we all operate from is “trying to figure out what to do in the moment”. And as you can imagine it’s not coordinated, very impulsive, and leaves you vulnerable to getting distracted.

The upgraded system is to have a high-quality scheduling system. This means you’ve thought about the most critical things you need to do and have allocated time specifically to doing them. It means you’re way more likely to do things that actually matter.

2) Follow Through: Beyond knowing what we need to do, we need to actually do it. We need to translate intention into real tangible action. Good ideas, and knowing what to do does nothing good for us if we don’t do them.

The default system is using will-power to make yourself do it. You can put in effort to step into action, but it’s coming from an unsustainable force, and often you won’t have enough of it to do all that you want to do.

The upgraded system is designing your environment so that it's conducive to all the things you want to do. This makes action more effortless and natural as an extension of your surroundings. It becomes a path of less resistance because you have more support.

3) Feedback: It’s really important to know what’s working and what’s not. It’s vital to funnel your effort into things that are actually generating results.

The default system is using your own impression to evaluate how things went. It’s valuable to reflect, but your reflection is limited by your own awareness and inherently biased, so conclusions may not represent the full truth.

The upgraded system is measuring your performance so you can objectively compare results and quantify changes. It’s way more reliable and useful because instead of guessing if something’s working, you can see it without a doubt.

4) Clarity: As we make commitments we need to be really clear on what we want and what we’re going to do to get there. Our futures are fragile and if we’re not careful, we’ll end up in the wrong place.

The default system is trying to think about what we want in the moment. Unfortunately this leaves us at the mercy of seeking immediate gratification rather than placing long-term investments in our wellness and sustained happiness.

The upgraded system is reconnecting to your vision for your life, which is not influenced by short-term impulses but guided by a desire for lasting fulfillment. With a vision you pursue things that are meaningful and create a fuller life.

Implement those 4 System Upgrades and you’ll notice you’re actually doing more of the things that are supporting and building toward your biggest goals. And if you want to take action to upgrade these 4 systems, you can watch the full Workshop to learn how!

Plus, in the second half I’ll lead you through a surprise session that is one of my favorite things to do but I hardly ever talk about it! 

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