During the third century, schools of stoic philosophy flourished in the Greek and Roman worlds. These schools were not simply theoretical. They were applied schools of philosophy that provided a clear framework for how to live a good life. Since then, there hasn’t been anything like them. The closest comparison might be organized religions, but religions primarily focus on ethical and moral matters. They don’t provide tools and practices that improve how we work or live in a practical sense.
These days, you can find any number of programs that teach you how to make a plan, create a vision for your life, or set goals for yourself. These are all important aspects of leading a successful life. More important, however, are the daily routines, practices, and rituals that will get you where you want to go. Intentions and plans are just illusions if you don’t have the discipline and the practices to make them a reality.
A Personal Operating System is something you can apply in your life that gives you the routines, practices, and habits for success. It’s a human software upgrade. It will help you engage your full intelligence and to access capacity that you’re currently leaving on the table.
A Personal Operating System is incredibly useful. By habituating high-value practices, you make decisions about how you want to respond to life in advance. This makes life simpler. For instance, having a morning routine means not burning precious creative energy in the first few hours of your day by trying to decide how to organize your time. There are countless micro-decisions that you make every day that can be removed by adopting a broader philosophy for how you want to live your life.
This kind of Personal Operating System is a precious thing. Having clarity about how to live your daily life is powerful. By adopting a systematic approach to your life, you take responsibility for the way it will turn out. Out of responsibility comes meaning. You have something you are committed to, a reason for doing what you are doing, and the tools you need to achieve whatever it is you want out of your life.
By having a Personal Operating System, you face challenges and responsibilities in your life head-on. You immediately lower stress and anxiety by avoiding the things you’re doing or not doing in your life that will cost you in the future.
This is why, in the words of Jocko Willink, “Discipline = Freedom”. Taking responsibility for your life and cultivating the discipline to apply a Personal Operating System for yourself gives you agency and ownership over your life and gives you the freedom to focus on what really matters.
At the heart of Nature of Work’s Foundations Program is a call to action:
Take responsibility for your time and attention to unlock your full potential.
By accepting this seemingly simple call, you unlock profound potential for your work and your life. Like the ancient schools of philosophy, our program provides you with the principles and practices to apply in your life as well as a guide and a community that will walk alongside you as you do so.
