Ray Dalio’s book, Principles, is having a big influence on me. I am enjoying the process of writing out my own principles in an Evernote document I have labeled “@Principles.”
Years ago I started doing something similar with procedures. I started documenting the step-by-step checklists I used to accomplish recurring tasks. For example, when I do the accounting for my business each month I open my “TRT Procedure: Accounting” document so I can follow the detailed checklist and make sure I do not miss anything.
For other procedures, I use checklists and templates in Trello. For example, I have Trello cards that repeatedly create themselves at designated times each day for my Morning Preview routine, Daily Review, and Weekly Review. I have Trello templates for webinars and blog posts, too.
Documenting procedures helps you do a job well. A procedure reminds you of the how.
Documenting principles helps you make good decisions about what to do. A principle shows you the what and the why.
Both are important and both make life a lot easier when they are documented and applied to daily tasks and situations.
For a good book on documenting your procedures, check out Sam Carpenter’s Work the System.
