System 1 Guide

Key Components of System 1 for the Individual:

1. Daily Tasks and Responsibilities: • This includes all the actions taken in day-to-day life, such as work tasks, personal care, social interactions, and recreational activities. • Example: Completing a project at work, going to the gym, preparing meals, etc.
2. Cognitive Functions: • The mental processes that allow for decision-making, problem-solving, and planning, carried out in real time. • Example: Managing a schedule, solving a problem at work, focusing on a task, learning new information, etc.
3. Emotional and Physical Self-Regulation: • Managing one’s emotional responses to daily stressors and physical upkeep through activities like exercise, rest, and proper nutrition. • Example: Practicing stress management techniques, getting enough sleep, eating healthily.
4. Body Budgeting and Energy Management: • Allocating physical, emotional, and cognitive energy to various tasks throughout the day. • Example: Deciding when to take a break during work, balancing energy levels between professional duties and personal life.
5. Operational Role Execution: • This involves executing roles that the individual identifies with, such as being a professional, partner, friend, parent, etc. These roles come with associated tasks. • Example: Playing the role of a parent by helping with children’s homework, or the role of a professional by leading a work meeting.
6. Routine and Habitual Actions: • These are automated actions that occur as part of daily routines, reducing the need for conscious effort and conserving cognitive resources. • Example: Morning routines, commuting habits, or regularly scheduled exercise sessions.
7. Task Completion and Monitoring: • This is the mechanism that monitors and checks if tasks are completed according to the individual’s plans and goals. • Example: Keeping track of deadlines at work or using a habit tracker for daily exercise.
8. Interaction with the Environment: • This involves real-time adaptations to external circumstances, such as reacting to unexpected challenges or opportunities. • Example: Adjusting your plans when a work task takes longer than expected or a new social invitation arises.

System 1’s Outputs:

• Completed tasks and achievements: The actual work done, such as accomplishing a work task or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. • Physical and emotional states: The results of energy expenditure, including fatigue, satisfaction, or stress. • Behavioral feedback: The individual’s actions and their consequences, which are fed back into the larger systems (System 2, System 3, etc.).

How System 1 Operates in Alignment with System 5 (Identity):

• Core Values and Roles: The tasks and responsibilities handled by System 1 should align with the individual’s identity (System 5). For example, if a core part of someone’s identity is “being a good parent,” System 1 activities would involve daily care for children, managing time for family, etc. • Resource Allocation: System 1 needs to execute tasks in a way that preserves the individual’s resources (time, energy) for other responsibilities that align with their identity and philosophies. For example, someone who values health highly would ensure that exercise is a key part of their daily routine (System 1 activity).

System 1 tasks are influenced by internal elements from System 5, such as:

• Human Systems: managing health, exercise, nutrition. • Human Scale Development: satisfying existential needs like subsistence, affection, participation. • Emotional Attitudes: regulating emotional responses to different life situations. • Knowledge Systems: applying beliefs and knowledge to decision-making.

Example System 1 Tasks:

• Daily exercise routine to maintain the muscular and cardiovascular systems (Human Systems). • Engaging in social activities to fulfill the need for affection and participation (HSD). • Using emotional regulation strategies to handle stress at work (Emotional Attitudes). • Applying scientific models or philosophies in problem-solving at work (Scientific Attitudes).

Interaction Between Systems 1, 2, and 3

The key to effective functioning lies in the interaction between Systems 1, 2, and 3. Here’s how they integrate:

1. System 1 performs the core tasks of life—these operations are the building blocks of daily life and are driven by the identity, needs, and goals established in System 5.
2. System 2 coordinates these tasks to prevent conflicts and ensure balance, making sure that one task or area doesn’t overwhelm the others.
3. System 3 monitors the resource use, ensuring that operations are efficient and sustainable. It allocates energy, attention, and time according to the goals and feedback it receives from System 3\* and 4, and ensures that System 1 tasks remain aligned with the overall purpose.