Systematic thinking is the process of seeing how something fits into something else

Understanding one system enables one to think about how they can use that system to manage other pursuits. Including themselves as a person. Take a chartered accountant for instance with the efficient categorization of assets. How could that system be applied on personal level?

For a person mentality, emotionality, spirituality, physicality are components of energy- the assets of a person- of a person.

Expenditure, and time are constraints that need to be managed against liabilities. Failures are debts, along with the need to bring down those debts. Failure is a liability that can be paid off by trying again. Use revenue- or success, to pay off liability. Acknowledge improvements and failures (liability) equally.

From a skills perspective you cannot manage assets without energy- learning how to manage energy is the key.

Lack of focus is an inability to manage energy. But how can one become more focused? Synthesizing information, logical intuition and emotional regulation enable you to redirect energy into productive creativity.

Improve the odds of success. Develop an efficient, repeatable system. Assets need to be used responsibly to decrease liability or generate more assets. Therefore, focus needs to be allocated efficiently.

Language/analogies

Learn the language of your new skill. The process used for previously learned skills can be translated through analogies.

Business- The language of accounting: Personal life- Energy

How can these be combined

Chess- Candidate moves: Business- strategic moves

Utilizing the project management lifecycle

The project management lifecycle is a systemic framework that can be applied to projects and skill acquisition.

Test your ability to think systemically by applying it to an endeavor you are planning.

Initial– what’s the initial? Identify and break up into phases, what is involved

Planning– project management plan, scope, risk management- best case, worse case quantitative analysis and likely outcome, time management, cost management.

Execution– put the plan into practice

Monitoring/controlling– review effectiveness of process

Close project– lessons learned templates and project summary

Useful strategic thinking subsets

Convergent and diverging thinking

Convergent thinking is identifying aspects from previous experience that can give an advantage in the new venture.

Divergent thinking is the application of processes of the current project applied to other ventures in the future. Opening and closing these facets of thinking can enable progression.

Other ideas

Break it down- what are the small steps that are required.

Possible integrations into future systematic thinking process

• PMBOK (initiating, planning, executing, controlling & monitoring, closing)
• Accounting (assets, expenses, liabilities, revenue, owners equity)
• Master plan (strategy, tactics, operations)
• Logic (informal, formal. symbolic, mathematical)
• Reasoning (deductive, inductive, abductive)
• Metacognition (self-system, the metacognitive, and the cognitive system)
• Solution orientation (divergent, convergent, lateral)
• Awareness (conscious, pre-conscious, unconscious.)
• Theory of mind (cognitive, affective, interpersonal, intrapersonal)
• Empathy (cognitive, emotional, empathic)
• Perceived reality(actual reality)
• Observational psychology (mentality, emotionality, physicality, spirituality)
• Organizational psychology (biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic.

Concepts introduced to me by Melad Arop (stay tuned for book release)