I was struck this past race weekend by identifying a model that has clear patterns of success: the routines and rituals of doing work.
Routines require known goals.
Routines (can) require teams.
Rituals are individual.
Rituals fit within Routines.
% chances of success are a function of smooth systems.
Routines are required in a world of unknowns. Routines bring some semblance of ‘control’ when the chaos of work swirls around us. It’s not that our Routines can control the un-controllable (which is 99% of everything), but rather, our Routines give us psychological grounding and focus on the job-to-be-done towards a known goal.
Rituals are personal-routines that the individual has found useful as a balm or calming effect in the process doing-the-work. While rituals have little functional value towards the known goal, rituals are required for the individual to ‘feel’ ready or ‘enabled’ to execute well.
You might be thinking, “Well, Peter, duh. This is all obvious.”
Yes. I concur. To the observant eye, you can see the behaviors of well-tuned machines (systems of humans) that work efficiently. At the race-track you can see the greased-wheels, easily.
The non-conversation as engineers and techs move about.
The shared-understanding of jobs-to-be-done based on latest information-in, being very agile with change and adaptation of track conditions.
Watching the driver go through personal-rituals while getting dressed and ready.
Talking to the machine in whispers as spoken between priest and sinner, the double tap on the wheel, the gentle pat on the stick.
It’s all so obvious and wonderful to watch… But don’t misunderstand the larger implication here.
I’ve seen this process work everywhere.
Routine and Ritual Life
Like all things, there is a balance.
Over-systematize your life, and emergent discovery reduces.
No-systems in life, and chaos reigns.
I’d say I’m very much 80/20 on the systems. It’s how I’m built.
Building companies, startups, businesses, or anything worthy of your time requires both Routine and Rituals.
These are the required behaviors for any wall to be built, brick by brick.
Find the daily rituals that help you get-the-work-done.
Create optimized routines that allow for speed of work.
Inspect and adapt, the agile way.
We’re driving to the end of 2025. Man, it’s been a whirlwind.
I’m hoping for the best for all of you, always.
Best,
ps