Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Define your personal value metric before measuring…
Before measuring anything, define your personal value metric (what 'value' means for your specific outputs) as the lagging indicator that ultimately matters, then select leading indicators that predict it—never measure without first answering 'value for what purpose.'
When viral outputs produce zero action and quiet outputs…
When a heavily-viewed output generates zero downstream action while a quiet output generates high-value outcomes, increase production of the quiet output's type—optimize for measured impact, not vanity metrics, even when impact metrics are smaller and less emotionally satisfying.
Stop causal reasoning at process/structure level…
In post-action reviews of outputs, terminate causal reasoning at the process and structure level, never at the personal adequacy or character level, to extract systematic improvements rather than identity-based judgments.
Four-question output review
During output reviews, answer exactly four questions in sequence: (1) What did I produce and what results did it generate? (2) What patterns exist across successful vs unsuccessful outputs? (3) What assumption should I question? (4) What one specific thing will I change next cycle?
Integrate the committed action from your review…
Close every output review by integrating the committed action from question 4 directly into your next production cycle's plan before ending the session, ensuring review insights become operational changes rather than intellectual observations.
Five metadata fields for every archived output
Store every archived output with exactly five metadata fields: descriptive title containing search keywords, completion date, output type from your controlled vocabulary, project/context, and 2-5 searchable tags, establishing this as the minimum metadata standard before any file enters the archive.
Two-minute archiving ritual after every delivery
Implement a two-minute archiving workflow triggered by 'I shipped an output,' consisting of filing the output in your single archive location with required metadata, treating archiving as the closing ritual of every delivery rather than a deferred task.
Name archived files as [YYYY-MM] [Type]…
Name archived files using the pattern '[YYYY-MM] [Output Type] — [Descriptive Title]' to enable chronological sorting, category filtering, and keyword search through the filename itself, making files findable even if metadata systems fail.
Archive only the final delivered version — drafts go…
Archive only the final delivered version of each output; if you must preserve drafts for legal or regulatory reasons, keep them in a separate 'drafts' subfolder within the archive entry, clearly labeled as non-canonical versions.
Keep directional decisions human…
When using AI to reduce production costs, maintain human control over directional decisions (what to produce, what argument to make, what judgment to render) while delegating mechanical execution (format conversion, draft expansion, repurposing) to preserve sovereignty through augmentation not replacement.
Escalate unresolved patterns from weekly to monthly review…
When a pattern appears in two or more consecutive weekly reviews without resolving, tag it as a monthly review agenda item rather than attempting to solve it at the weekly level.
Limit monthly commitments to 3-5 specific outcomes…
Limit monthly commitments to three to five specific outcomes that would constitute success, as this constraint forces genuine prioritization and prevents the diffusion that comes from maintaining ten or fifteen simultaneous goals.
Design weekly adjustments as structural changes…
Design next week's adjustments as structural changes (moving time blocks, changing environments, creating new defaults) rather than willpower-based intentions, since persistent patterns indicate system problems not motivation problems.
Record actual vs. planned progress as a delivery rate (%)…
For each active goal in monthly reviews, record actual progress against planned progress as a numerical delivery rate (e.g., 50% completion) and track this ratio over time to calibrate future estimation accuracy.
Rate each life area…
During monthly reviews, assign each major life area (health, relationships, career, finances, learning, creativity) a three-level rating (thriving/maintaining/declining) to detect systematic neglect that goal-level tracking misses.
At 40-60% delivery rates, halve commitments or double…
When monthly reviews consistently show 40-60% delivery rates, halve your commitments or double allocated time rather than setting aspirational targets, as realistic targets build self-efficacy while repeated failure erodes it.
Three consecutive months on the "didn't get to" list =…
When a goal appears in your monthly 'didn't get to' list for three consecutive months, either restructure your commitments to create protected capacity or acknowledge the goal is abandoned in practice and remove it from your active list.
Rate each critical assumption…
During quarterly assumption testing, rate each critical assumption as confirmed, uncertain, or falsified based on accumulated evidence, and require immediate strategic response for any falsified assumption.
Formally retire at least one commitment every quarter…
Eliminate at least one active commitment during every quarterly review through formal retirement (not deprioritization), as most people only add commitments and never systematically prune, producing portfolio dilution over time.
Write a one-paragraph quarterly thesis
Write a one-paragraph strategic thesis for the coming quarter that specifies what you are optimizing for and what success looks like in 90 days, providing the frame within which weekly and daily reviews operate.
Annual review phase 1
When conducting an annual review, go through your calendar month-by-month for 90 minutes, marking people, activities, and commitments with + for peak positive experiences and - for peak negative experiences before attempting any analysis.
Apply the Stoic audit in annual reviews
During annual reviews, apply the Stoic audit by asking 'Did I live well this year?' focusing on alignment between stated values and actual behavior rather than productivity or goal achievement.
Retire reflection questions that produce the same answer 3…
When a reflection question produces the same predictable answer three consecutive times, retire it temporarily and rotate in a replacement because stale questions optimize neural search paths without generating insight.
Replace "Why am I such a pushover?"…
Replace characterological reflection questions like 'Why am I such a pushover?' with behavioral ones like 'What did I do when the client pushed back on the deadline?' to generate usable data instead of identity narratives.