How to create resilience and agency in you life?

One of my favorite and most prevalent concept in life is system thinking and system design.

I see it everyday as an agroecologist and startup coach.

As shared previously in this newsletter, everything around you is systems: businesses, professional networks, ecosystems (it's in the name!), family dynamics, soils, brain network and neurons, watersheds, organs in your body, etc.

Design your own life by leveraging system design

Systems are defined by the interactions within those systems.

Whether you discuss your own body, life, or network, leveraging those interactions you can:

• build resilience

• reduce uncertainty

• lower input/needs of your system

• increase input/production of your system

• create a sense of agency over your own life

In short, by acknowledging and influencing those interactions you can influence your system.

There is a science behind this. It's called permaculture.

Permaculture is system design

It primarily applies to farming systems but it can be used in other domains such as industrial design, entrepreneurship, networking, and many others.

Permaculture strives to develop efficient and resilient systems using system design.

Here is an easy framework to design better systems in your life.

Let's use a famous example: a chicken on a farm. Again, you can apply to anything in any system.

1️⃣ List the elements composing your system

In our case, the system is a farm. What do we have on our farm?

• the garden

• the greenhouse

• the farmer house

• the neighbors

• the orchard

• the chicken coop

• the chicken

• the dog

• the pond

• the farmer

• the children of the farmer

• the kitchen

• etc.

This a non-exhaustive list. There are more elements.

The more complete you are, the more interactions you create.

2️⃣ For each element, analyse input and output

The inputs are what's going in, that is the needs of this element.

The outputs are what's going out, that is the productions or behaviors of this element.

Let's take our chicken.

Chichen’s input/needs:

• warmth

• other chicken

• diversified feed

• soil for scratching

• gravels for digestion

• safety from predators

• shelter from heat/cold

Chicken’s output/productions/behaviors:

• nitrogen-rich feathers and manure

• meat and eggs

• scratching

• feathers

• noise

• heat

3️⃣ Match your elements

Connect as many productions from one element to the needs of another element, and vice-versa.

Examples:

1. the kitchen scraps feed the chicken

2. the chicken/eggs feed the farmer or make money for the farmer

3. the manure and feathers fertilize the vegetable garden

4. the heat of the chicken warm the greenhouse and extend your growing season

5. Etc.

For each elements there are dozens of possible interactions. Try to match as many elements in your system as possible.

Permaculture says: “Yields are theoretically unlimited”. The only limit is your own imagination and capacity to connect elements to each other's.

What's important to remember is the following:

It works everywhere!

In business:

The more connections and relationships you have, the more chance you have to become successful.

At StartLife, the more we connect entrepreneurs with the ecosystem (corporates, investors, academics, mentors, coaches, lawyers, banks, grant providers, etc.), the more chances he/she will raise money, find customers, and find product/market fit.

And in life:

The more people you know, the more easily you will find a job, a school for your kid with special needs, or the right guy to fix your attic.

How do you make it happen in your own life?

Be intentional in designing your own systems. Focus on interactions.

Here are few examples 👇

• Send thank you cards

• Invite friends at home

• Get to know your neighbors

• Organize highschool reunions

• Join clubs and social organisations

• Connect stakeholders with similar interests at work

Be intentional with your systems and you will build efficiency and agency in your life.

Good luck! Jean

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