My Love Of Structure

Structure. Little loved, but so effective. Whenever I am starting a new project, I am faced with a fluid, ambiguous landscape. It doesn't matter whether its building a website, shaping a team or forging a new habit (like this!). And it stresses the living hell out of me. My mind wanders; I get easily distracted. So when there is no agreed rhythm or process in my day, I am an unproductive, scatter-brained disaster. Hence, why I am such a fan of the alternative.

So what do I mean by structure? At a high level, it is a commitment to regular, repeatable action. It is a map, ensuring that I am intentional with my time and energy. That's not to say I live a rigid, mechanical life. Quite the opposite! But without some form of structure, I would be an untethered yacht; floating around randomly whilst edging ever closer to the rocks.

Structure is not just a spreadsheet, or a foundation. It is much more than that. Structure is the home that you live in, the company that you keep, and the habits you build. Structure is the port in the storm. Or the personal trainer. It is just something to keep that rhythm; that process that aligns with your life preferences.

For example; this very website. The HTML and the word editor are a structure; they align with my preferred aesthetic. The time I am writing is structure. 30 minutes every morning between 07:30 and 08:00am. This aligns with when my manic mind finds time to settle. The spreadsheets I use to manage teams are structure. They in turn provide rhythm and process to the projects within the team. And it aligns with everyone's ultimate preference; to feel productive and present.

So yes, I do love structure.

Signing out, Steven.