For the past decade, every Sunday morning, I do a weekly review. It’s based on an organizational system called “Getting Things Done” (GTD) created by David Allen.
During this weekly review, which is focused mostly on the nuts and bolts level of prioritizing individual projects and their tasks, I do spend a few minutes taking a look at my big picture—my 5 Year Goals, my areas of Focus, my Purpose, and my Principles.
The photo above is a snapshot of a list of my Principles. For the most part, they are aspirational, and I have mastered none, but even at the level of apprentice, I find them to be a useful tool.
For example, it’s not uncommon for me to run across a tweet I strongly disagree with, even find offensive, and I momentarily consider amplifying it with a snarky comment, perhaps adding a hashtag or two which could potentially allow the digital hordes to descend on this person and their tweet.
But based on my written Principles, how in the world can I justify this? Calling someone out on Twitter, may or may not be “justified”, but it is always an act of bullying (an act of “anti-kindness), and for the past decade I have decided it is not a tradeoff I am willing to make. I review Kindness, “Be kind. People—all people—are sensitive.” each week, which helps remind me what is was like to be bullied as a child, and I am not going to become a bully to momentarily feel righteous on Twitter.
Here’s another example. Over the past several years, one of my creative paths has been photography, expanding my creativity, but along the way I have intentionally directed myself towards Black and White photography, moving towards simplicity.
Anyway, my list of Principles is my list, developed quietly by me over ten years (I added Anti-fragility over 2 years ago). They are a touchstone for me each week to make sure I am acting in line with my foundational Principles. And, although it’s unlikely I will ever reach the level I want on even a single one of them, taken as a whole they are as a useful tool for many of my day-to-day decisions.