After a large commitment collapses, recommit at micro-scope first — rebuild the identity before expanding the scope

Why This Is a Rule

When a large commitment collapses — you haven't exercised in months, you abandoned the writing project, you stopped meditating entirely — the instinct is to recommit at the original scope: "Starting Monday, I'll exercise for 60 minutes, 5 days a week." This fails because the collapse didn't just break the behavior — it damaged the identity. "I am someone who exercises" was eroded by months of non-exercise. The identity now says "I am someone who doesn't follow through." Recommitting at the original scope against a damaged identity is like building a heavy structure on a cracked foundation.

Micro-scope recommitment rebuilds the foundation first. "One pushup per day" or "open the writing document and write one sentence" is small enough to succeed even with a damaged identity. Each successful micro-execution restores a fragment of the identity: "I did it. I can follow through." After 2-4 weeks of consistent micro-success, the identity is rebuilt sufficiently to support scope expansion. The expansion follows the same graduated sequence as original installation (Automate each habit link before adding the next — stacking unautomatic behaviors creates an effortful pile, not a self-sustaining chain, One new stacked commitment per month maximum — overloading anchor chains converts working infrastructure into brittle sequences).

This is Rebuild boundary capacity through small wins first — after repeated failures, start with low-stakes boundaries you can enforce (rebuild through small wins) applied specifically to commitment collapse: the same graduated recovery principle, but with the explicit mechanism of identity rebuilding as the purpose of the small scope.

When This Fires

• After any significant commitment collapse (weeks or months of non-compliance)
• When the instinct is to "restart at full power" after a break
• When previous restart attempts at full scope have failed — the scope wasn't the problem, the identity damage was
• Complements When an agent fires below 80% after 30 days, simplify before sophisticating — unreliable agents need reduction, not enhancement (simplify before sophisticating) and Rebuild boundary capacity through small wins first — after repeated failures, start with low-stakes boundaries you can enforce (small wins after helplessness) with the collapse-specific recovery path

Common Failure Mode

Full-scope restart: "I'm back! Starting Monday: 60 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week!" This is the same commitment that collapsed. The identity damage from the collapse means willpower available for this commitment is lower than when it was originally established. The restart fails faster than the original installation, deepening the identity damage: "I can't even restart things."

The Protocol

(1) After a commitment collapses, do NOT recommit at the original scope. (2) Reduce to micro-commitment level (Micro-commitments must pass three tests: under 15 minutes, executable on your worst day, and binary-clear completion in 10 seconds): the smallest possible version that passes all three tests (under 15 minutes, worst-day executable, binary-clear). (3) Execute the micro-commitment daily for 2-4 weeks. Each successful day rebuilds a fragment of the identity: "I am someone who shows up." (4) After identity has been restored (you feel "of course I do this" rather than "I'm trying to do this") → expand scope by one increment (Automate each habit link before adding the next — stacking unautomatic behaviors creates an effortful pile, not a self-sustaining chain). (5) Continue graduated expansion until you reach the original scope or a scope that matches your current life — the original scope may not be the right target anymore.