Start with the smallest version of the system

00:34:07 — Start with the smallest version of the system

Tim’s first rule for installing a new system is to design the smallest version of it that can be done consistently. Trying to launch a complex system on day one generates resistance and quiet anxiety; a stripped-down version sidesteps both. His running example is deliberately tiny — putting on the running clothes the moment you wake up — because the action that fits today’s reality is the only one that compounds. The size of the first iteration matters less than its survivability.