My Operating System

The general principles that manage my life's processes

Crossposted from https://kirstenangeles.com/writing .

An operating system manages a computer's memory and processes, its software and hardware. In this post I detail what I believe is my life's operating system, beginning with my life mission:

⭐ My mission in life is to be fiercely critical of, deeply curious about, & radically caring for both myself and the world.

This entails constant analysis and questioning of, as well as consideration and kindness to both what I give to the world and what the world throws at me – to become the best version of myself so that I can help others the most.

Aligned with this mission, I hold these general principles (I admit, I'm still working on making some of these principles come more naturally to me):

1. Thoughtful and strong opinions, weakly held. It's alright to be bold despite uncertainty, and it's alright to be proved wrong. We must be willing to explore our guesses and update our beliefs in order to grow.

2. Kindness is potent. It is not weak and it does not require self-sacrifice, rather, it is a sign of strength and leads to lasting well-being. Kindness should be extended to as many people and beings as possible, including ourselves.

3. Privilege must be acknowledged. We must be grateful for the cards we are dealt, and we ought to use that as an opportunity to help those who were dealt with worse cards. It's important to always check on ourselves and call ourselves out when needed.

4. Leisure > Pleasure > Entertainment. In the age of information overload, we must embrace true leisure, learn to be okay with boredom, and shun unconscious entertainment. Also, there's no problem in pursuing pleasure, as long as it doesn't border on pure hedonism.

5. Own your actions. We are responsible for our mistakes, and we learn quicker when we are open to feedback and correction.

6. Opportunity costs are reflective. What we are willing to let go of by taking certain courses of action reflects our values and priorities. Most of the time, we in fact do have a choice (this is not to say that everyone has an equal set of choices, cf. principle #3).

7. Thinking counterfactually ≠ overthinking. Thinking "what would happen otherwise" is not overthinking– it's considering the best actions or decisions relative to alternatives, and it should be done more (caveat: with purpose. I do think that there are times that thinking this way may lead to bad results).

8. Disagreements aren't necessarily conflict, and they should be approached with good faith. Whether they are resolved or reach an impasse, disagreements lead to important learnings. We should let differing perspectives or opinions become thoughtful discussion rather than conflict.

9. Direction over speed. It doesn't matter how fast you're going, as long as you are pointed in the right direction.

10. Live deliberately. We must be mindful and proactive of our thoughts and actions. We need not wait for an easier life before deciding to properly live.

• Here are some resources that inspired some of these principles:

  • Principles, Farnam Street (Highly recommended)

  • The Update Project, Julia Galef

  • The Path, Akira the Don

  • How I Manage My Time - 10 Time Management Tips, Ali Abdaal

  • Deep Work, Cal Newport

Do you resonate with any of these principles, or have some of your own? Feel free to comment down below!