Systems Thinking: Thinking With Structure

Bringing Order to Chaos (Like the Borg!)

This is what MidJourney thinks the Borg Queen looks like.

Introduction: Unleashing the Power of Structured Thinking

The world needs more systems thinkers! This has been my mantra and mission as I work tirelessly to create 100 million new systems thinkers over the next decade and establish systems thinking as a core competency in primary education worldwide. Today, we dive into a crucial aspect of this journey: thinking with structure.

As the Borg Queen famously declared, “I bring order to chaos.” While we may not have her cybernetic enhancements, we can still harness the power of structured thinking to navigate the complexities of the world around us. By organizing information, breaking down problems, and identifying patterns, we can tackle challenges with greater clarity and effectiveness.

But before we explore the specifics of thinking with structure, let's take a step back and revisit my framework of Systems Thinking: Inside and Out. This approach recognizes two distinct orientations: extroverted systems thinking and introverted systems thinking.

Extroverted Systems Thinking focuses on the objective behaviors and outward principles of systems, encapsulated in what I call the “Five Pillars”: communication, people, measurements, outcomes, and networks. These pillars provide a comprehensive lens for understanding and influencing the external dynamics of systems.

In contrast, Introverted Systems Thinking introspects into the cognitive and metacognitive skills that all systems thinkers employ. This is where the “Trinary Model” comes into play, comprising thinking with purpose, thinking with clarity, and thinking with structure. Today's article will explore the latter, as we examine how tools like lists and taxonomies can help us bring order to the chaos of complex systems.

By internalizing and practicing both the Five Pillars and the Trinary Model, you will develop the skills and mindset to become an influential powerhouse in your field. From visionary entrepreneurs like Elon Musk to transformative leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, history is filled with examples of individuals who have harnessed the power of systems thinking to shape the world around them. And with dedication and practice, you too can join their ranks and make a lasting impact.

The Humble List: A Powerful Tool for Structured Thinking

My love affair with formalized systems thinking began with Atul Gawande's pivotal book, The Checklist Manifesto. In this groundbreaking work, Gawande explores how a simple tool—the checklist—has revolutionized fields from aviation to medicine, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and safety in complex, high-stakes situations. By breaking down processes into clear, step-by-step lists, experts can navigate even the most challenging tasks with greater ease and fewer errors.

At their core, lists come in two primary forms: collections and checklists. Collections, like a grocery list, are straightforward enumerations of related items, helping us remember and organize information. Checklists, on the other hand, are procedural, guiding us through a series of actions or considerations to complete a task thoroughly and efficiently. Both types of lists are invaluable tools for bringing order to chaos in our thinking and decision-making processes.

Simplification and clarification are among the key strengths of lists. By breaking down complex subjects into discrete, manageable components, lists help us focus on one item at a time, reducing cognitive overload and allowing us to tackle problems with greater clarity and precision. This simplification enables us to communicate ideas more effectively, ensuring that critical information is conveyed concisely and comprehensibly.

Lists also help us impose order and priority on the chaos of information and tasks. By ranking items according to their importance or urgency, we can ensure that we address the most critical elements first, optimizing our time and resources. This prioritization is especially valuable in decision-making processes, where competing demands can often obscure the most essential considerations.

Another crucial benefit of lists is their role in tracking and accountability. By creating a record of tasks, steps, or items, lists provide a clear view of what has been accomplished and what still needs attention. This transparency is invaluable for project management, enabling teams to collaborate effectively, monitor progress, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.

Perhaps most fundamentally, lists are a manifestation of our human capacity for categorical thinking. Our brains are wired to organize information into categories, a skill that has been honed over millennia of evolution. By grouping related items together based on shared characteristics or attributes, we can navigate the world more efficiently, identifying patterns and making connections that might otherwise elude us. Lists are a formal expression of this innate ability, allowing us to harness our categorical thinking to bring order to the chaos of complex systems and problems.

I have come to believe that all systems thinkers should start with lists, and in specifically, should start with Checklist Manifesto. By practicing this sort of categorical, structured thinking, you begin to bring order to chaos and you start looking at the world differently. While some people, particularly maverick physicians who think they know better, read Checklist Manifesto with a scoff and some chagrin, others read it and realize that this is a book that serves as a way to start to structure your own mind.

The Wonderful World of Taxonomies: Organizing the Universe of Knowledge

If lists are the building blocks of structured thinking, taxonomies are the architects that organize them into grand edifices of knowledge. At their core, taxonomies are simply lists of lists, but their power lies in their ability to capture and represent the complex relationships between concepts, entities, and phenomena. By arranging information into hierarchical categories and subcategories, taxonomies enable us to navigate the vast universe of knowledge with unprecedented clarity and precision.

• Here’s the first category of a taxonomy

  • Here’s a subcategory

  • And a second

• And here’s the second main category of a taxonomy

  • And so on

  • And so forth

• Congrats, you actually know what a taxonomy is!

  • Tables of contents

  • Project documentation, etc

One of the key strengths of taxonomies is their ability to impose hierarchical structure on information. By organizing concepts from the broadest, most inclusive categories down to the most specific and granular, taxonomies help us understand how different ideas relate to one another. This hierarchical arrangement enables us to grasp the big picture while still being able to drill down into the details when necessary. For example, the Linnaean taxonomy of life on Earth begins with the broadest categories of kingdom and phylum, then progressively narrows down through class, order, family, genus, and species. This structure allows us to comprehend the overarching relationships between different forms of life while still appreciating the unique characteristics of individual species.

Taxonomies also facilitate standardization and uniformity in how we organize and communicate information. By establishing clear rules and criteria for categorization, taxonomies ensure that information is classified consistently across different contexts and disciplines. This standardization is particularly important in fields like biology, where a shared taxonomic language enables researchers around the world to collaborate and build upon each other's work. The Dewey Decimal System, used in libraries worldwide, is another example of how a standardized taxonomy can bring order to vast collections of information, making it easier for users to locate and access the resources they need.

Another key benefit of taxonomies is enhanced retrieval and navigation. By grouping related concepts together and providing clear pathways between categories, taxonomies make it easier to find and access information quickly and efficiently. This is especially valuable in today's age of information overload, where the sheer volume of data can be overwhelming. A well-designed taxonomy acts as a map, guiding users to the information they need and helping them discover new connections and insights along the way.

Perhaps most fundamentally, the process of creating a taxonomy is itself a powerful tool for deepening understanding. By carefully analyzing the characteristics and relationships that define different categories, we are forced to engage with a subject at a profound level, identifying patterns and connections that might otherwise remain hidden. This deep engagement is the essence of systems thinking, as it enables us to grasp the underlying structures and dynamics that shape the world around us.

In my own work on systems thinking, I have relied heavily on taxonomies to organize and communicate my ideas. At the highest level, I divide systems thinking into two broad categories: introverted and extroverted. Within each of these “kingdoms,” I have identified key subcategories: the trinary of structure, clarity, and purpose for introverted systems thinking, and the five pillars of people, communication, measurements, outcomes, and networks for extroverted systems thinking. And within the realm of thinking with structure, we find the powerful tools of lists and taxonomies themselves.

Below is my complete model of systems thinking, which is being enumerated in these blog posts as well as in my upcoming book Systems Thinking: Inside and Out, subtitled What are you trying to optimize for?

• Extroverted

  • People

    • Neuroscience

    • Psychology

    • Biology/evolution

    • Sociology/Anthropology

  • Communication

    • Verbal

    • Written

    • Nonverbal

    • Digital

  • Measurements

    • Theories/models

    • Calculations/measurements

    • Qualitative vs Quantitative

  • Outcomes

    • Expected results

    • Unexpected results

    • Unintended consequences

    • Obfuscated results

    • Multivariate results

  • Networks

    • Inputs and Outputs

    • Boundaries

    • Nodes and Entities

    • Relationships and linkages

    • Emergent characteristics

• Introverted

  • Structure

    • Lists (categorical thinking)

    • Checklists (procedural thinking)

    • Taxonomies (hierarchical thinking)

  • Clarity

    • Distillation - the core cognitive skill of systems thinkers

    • Cognitive Dissonance - the hidden super power

  • Purpose

    • BHAGs and MTPs

    • Vision and mission statements

This taxonomic approach to systems thinking is not just a convenient way to organize information; it is a reflection of the inherent structure and relationships that underlie the discipline. By arranging these concepts in a hierarchical, nested fashion, we can better understand how they interact and influence one another, and how they contribute to the larger goal of understanding and influencing complex systems.

By meticulously going over my notes and structuring my own thoughts, I have created the above taxonomy of systems thinking skills. Anyone who masters these skills will be a consummate systems thinker and will almost certainly change the world in a profound way.

Adding Structure to Your Mind: Harnessing the Power of Lists and Taxonomies

At its core, “thinking with structure” is not just about organizing information into lists and taxonomies, though these tools are undoubtedly valuable for managing our mental resources, techniques, and frameworks. Rather, it's about practicing and embodying the very characteristics that make lists and taxonomies so powerful. These tools are, in essence, outward reflections of our brains' natural capabilities for categorization, abstraction, clustering, and characterization. By understanding and harnessing these innate cognitive abilities, we can develop a more structured, systematic approach to thinking that enhances our problem-solving skills, creativity, and overall mental agility.

When we engage with lists and taxonomies, we are tapping into a fundamental aspect of human cognition. Our brains are wired to detect patterns, group similar items together, and organize information into hierarchies. This ability has been crucial to our survival and success as a species, enabling us to navigate complex environments, make sense of vast amounts of sensory data, and communicate our knowledge to others. By consciously practicing and refining these skills through the use of lists and taxonomies, we are essentially training our brains to be more effective at what they naturally do best.

The benefits of this kind of structural thinking extend far beyond mere organization. Just as learning math or a second language has been shown to confer significant cognitive benefits, so too does the practice of thinking categorically, hierarchically, and structurally. When we engage in these modes of thought, we are exercising mental muscles that can atrophy if not used regularly. By constantly challenging ourselves to break down complex ideas into their component parts, to identify the relationships between seemingly disparate concepts, and to arrange information into clear, logical structures, we are building a more robust and flexible cognitive framework that can adapt to a wide range of challenges.

Moreover, as we become more adept at structural thinking, these skills begin to feel more intuitive and natural. Just as reading and writing become second nature with practice, so too does the ability to think in terms of categories, hierarchies, and relationships. This is because these practices are literally rewiring our brains, strengthening the neural connections that underlie these cognitive abilities. Every time we create a list or construct a taxonomy, we are reinforcing these pathways, making it easier and more automatic to think in these terms in the future.

The implications of this kind of neural rewiring are profound. As structural thinking becomes more deeply ingrained in our cognitive toolkit, we can approach problems with greater clarity and precision. We can break down complex issues into manageable components, identify key variables and relationships, and develop more comprehensive and effective solutions. We can communicate our ideas more clearly and persuasively, using the inherent logic and structure of our arguments to guide others along our line of reasoning.

Practical Example #1: How I Became a Famous YouTuber

Becoming a famous YouTuber was not an end in itself for me, but rather a means to an end. As part of my mission to spread my work and solutions to a wider audience, I recognized that attaining a certain level of fame was an instrumental requirement. By systematically applying the principles of structured thinking, I was able to navigate the path to YouTube success with greater clarity and intention. Here's how I did it.

Like most people starting out in a new field, I began in a state of naivety. As an ENTP and a natural dilettante, my default approach was to dive in headfirst and figure things out as I went along. This “screw it, let's do it” attitude, as Richard Branson puts it, can be a great way to overcome initial hesitation and get your feet wet. However, it's important to recognize that this is just the starting point, not a sustainable long-term strategy.

In these early stages, I embraced the mantra of “fake it ‘til you make it,” or more maturely, “act as if.” By embodying the qualities and behaviors of a successful YouTuber, even before I had achieved any significant level of fame, I was able to build confidence and momentum. This mindset shift helped me push through the initial discomfort and uncertainty that often accompanies new ventures.

Of course, no amount of faking it can substitute for genuine practice and improvement. I started making videos, and like most YouTubers, my earliest attempts were far from perfect. However, I committed to learning from my mistakes and making tiny improvements with each iteration. As Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson), one of the most famous YouTubers of all time, advises, focusing on just a 1% improvement in each video – whether it's the title, content, or delivery – can lead to substantial growth over time.

At this point, let's pause and tie this back to the concept of structured thinking. By breaking down my journey into discrete steps and stages, I was able to approach the process of building my YouTube fame in a more systematic way. Over time, I developed a taxonomy of skills, practices, and knowledge that I could refer to and refine as I progressed.

One of the key insights I gained during this process was the importance of focusing on the cardinal metric, or main KPI (key performance indicator), which in the case of YouTube is subscriber growth. This realization came from immersing myself in the world of YouTube creators, watching various channels and signing up for platforms like VidIQ that provide metrics, AI-powered insights, and training to help creators optimize their growth strategies.

As I moved beyond the naive stage and became more oriented in the world of YouTube, I entered a phase of intense information gathering and learning. I consumed a wide range of resources, from VidIQ's tutorials to the advice of successful creators like Jimmy Donaldson, as well as books on marketing and business strategy such as Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson, Launch by Jeff Walker, and Automatic Customer by John Warrillow. This process of absorbing and integrating knowledge from diverse sources was crucial in refining my own business model and practices.

I actually found these books by having a long conversation with Claude, the chatbot from Anthropic, about my mission, conversations I’ve had with people along the way, and where I was at the time. Claude helpfully supplied a list of ten or so books, and I’ve read half of them. This structured approach at seeking out new knowledge is a quintessential example of thinking with structure.

Through this sustained learning and application, I gradually progressed from a novice to what I would consider the beginning of an “expert” phase. While I hesitate to call myself a master YouTuber until I reach the milestone of 10 million subscribers, I have undoubtedly built up a substantial taxonomy of principles and best practices that inform my ongoing growth and success.

• Naive Phase

  • You’re basically just guessing

  • Dive in, get oriented

• Intermediate Phase

  • Oriented enough to structurally add knowledge

  • Familiar with the key skills and metrics of success

• Expert Phase

  • Producing real, valuable results

  • Established as “above average”

• Master Phase

  • Years and years of practice

  • Total command of the discipline

This taxonomy encompasses a wide range of skills and knowledge areas, from understanding social media trends and algorithm optimization to the art of crafting compelling thumbnails and titles, to the more interpersonal aspects of engaging with an audience, hosting webinars, and collaborating with other creators. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in the larger mission of building and sustaining a successful YouTube presence.

Of course, becoming a famous YouTuber is just one example of how structured thinking can be applied to a practical pursuit. The same principles of systematic learning, iterative improvement, and taxonomic organization can be leveraged in countless other domains, from mastering a new skill to launching a business or spearheading a social movement. The key is to approach each endeavor with a commitment to clarity, intention, and continuous growth, using the tools of structured thinking to illuminate the path forward.

My Six Nines Initiative: Achieving 99.9999% Uptime Through Structured Thinking

One of my proudest achievements from my time as an IT infrastructure and automation engineer was the successful implementation of my “Six Nines Initiative.” This ambitious project aimed to achieve an unprecedented 99.9999% uptime for the critical systems under my responsibility. As the backbone of a large retailer, these systems—including sales applications, internal databases, and other core infrastructure—were the lifeblood of the business, making their reliability and availability paramount. When these systems went down, sales stopped.

The Six Nines Initiative was born out of a frustration with the status quo in many IT departments, where a certain level of downtime and firefighting is often accepted as an inevitable part of the job. I had witnessed managers who believed that frequent emergencies and reactive problem-solving were simply the nature of the beast in IT. However, I firmly believed that this mindset was not only unnecessarily stressful but also detrimental to the business as a whole. My very first IT instructors had regaled me with stories from their youth about sleeping at their desks because they ran a tight ship, and believed that there should never be emergencies in IT.

I set out to challenge this notion by establishing a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) of achieving no more than 32 seconds of downtime per year—the equivalent of 99.9999% uptime. This was a daunting target, but I was convinced that by applying the principles of structured thinking, it was achievable.

To begin, I took a systematic approach to identifying and categorizing the various causes of downtime. These fell into two broad categories: predictable issues, such as human errors in making changes to the systems, and seemingly unpredictable issues, such as random hardware or software failures. By breaking down the problem into these two main areas, I was able to develop targeted strategies for each.

In tackling the predictable causes of downtime, I focused on implementing rigorous change control procedures and access controls. By ensuring that all changes to the systems went through a strict approval process, with clearly defined failback strategies and best practices, we were able to dramatically reduce the incidence of human error leading to outages. This also meant locking out everyone who had no business with elevated privileges. This structured approach to change management was a critical factor in minimizing preventable downtime. Number one rule in IT: don’t break it! To be fair, all this falls under a well understood best practice: the principle of least privilege.

The “unpredictable” issues posed a different challenge, but one that I believed could be addressed through a data-driven approach. I realized that our systems were generating vast amounts of log data that were largely being ignored. This was a wealth of information that could provide invaluable insights into the health and performance of our infrastructure. Machines tend to complain long before they fail. They generate error warnings and oodles of telemetry. But that does nobody any good if no-one looks at it!

To harness this untapped resource, I initiated a project to set up dedicated servers for collecting and analyzing log data from across our systems. Several of these servers were canned applications by folks like VMware and Microsoft, but a few of them were homebrewed by myself. By aggregating and processing this data, we were able to identify patterns and early warning signs of potential issues. For example, if a particular server or database was generating a high volume of critical or warning-level log messages, it was a strong indication that it might be on the verge of failure. Shocking revelation, I know. But 9 out of 10 IT departments don’t look at their logs. Search me as to why.

Armed with this predictive insight, we were able to proactively address potential issues before they resulted in actual downtime. By combining this data-driven approach with a commitment to following best practices in system administration and maintenance, we made significant strides towards our Six Nines goal.

Throughout this process, structured thinking was the guiding principle that allowed us to break down a complex, multifaceted problem into manageable components. By systematically analyzing the causes of downtime, developing targeted strategies for each area, and leveraging data to inform our actions, we were able to approach the challenge of maximizing uptime in a methodical and effective way.

The results spoke for themselves. In my final year in the corporate sector, I'm proud to report that we achieved 100% availability for the systems under my purview. This was a testament to the power of structured thinking in tackling even the most daunting of challenges.

The Six Nines Initiative was not just a technical achievement, but a demonstration of how a systematic, data-driven approach can yield dramatic improvements in even the most complex and critical of systems. By refusing to accept the status quo and instead applying the principles of structured thinking to break down the problem, analyze the data, and develop targeted solutions, we were able to achieve a level of reliability that many thought impossible.

Now, I can imagine that more than a few sysadmins reading this will call me full of baloney and a total charlatan for claiming that it is even realistic or possible to achieve Six Nines, and to that, I will say you should go read my article on institutionalized incompetence. Humans have a weird habit of projecting their limitations onto everyone else. This article is not for those people.

The best crisis the one that never happens

You see, it goes beyond just collecting facts and figures. Structured thinking meant that I categorically and methodically evaluated the human factor, the machine factor, and my own internal factors. The honest truth is that I was tired of late nights, fire drills, and 12 hour calls that were totally preventable. Rather than playing IT whackamole, as most departments do, I systematically eradicated the moles!

Don't Take My Word for It: The Power of Taxonomies in Industry Best Practices

While my personal experiences with structured thinking have yielded significant results, it's important to recognize that this approach is not unique to me or my field. Across industries, organizations have developed taxonomies of best practices, frameworks, and methodologies that bring order to the chaos of complex systems and processes. These structured approaches have proven time and again to drive remarkable improvements in efficiency, reliability, and outcomes.

One prominent example in the field of IT service management is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ITIL is a comprehensive set of best practices for delivering IT services that has been widely adopted by organizations around the world. At its core, ITIL is a taxonomy that organizes the various aspects of IT service management into a coherent framework, covering areas such as service strategy, design, transition, operation, and continual improvement.

By providing a structured approach to managing IT services, ITIL helps organizations to align their IT operations with business goals, improve the quality and reliability of services, and drive continual improvement. The ITIL framework includes detailed processes, procedures, and metrics for each stage of the service lifecycle, as well as guidance on roles and responsibilities, governance, and tools. This comprehensive taxonomy enables IT organizations to break down the complexity of service delivery into manageable components, ensuring that best practices are followed consistently and that issues are identified and resolved proactively.

Beyond IT, the principles of structured thinking and taxonomic organization are equally applicable to the broader challenge of organizational transformation. One well-known framework in this area is Kotter's 8-Step Model for Leading Change. Developed by Harvard Business School professor John Kotter, this model provides a structured approach to guiding organizations through the complex process of change.

The eight steps in Kotter's model are:

1. Create a sense of urgency

2. Build a guiding coalition

3. Form a strategic vision and initiatives

4. Enlist a volunteer army

5. Enable action by removing barriers

6. Generate short-term wins

7. Sustain acceleration

8. Institute change

By breaking down the change process into these discrete steps, Kotter's model provides a roadmap for leaders to systematically navigate the challenges of organizational transformation. Each step is accompanied by specific actions, metrics, and best practices, forming a taxonomy of change management that has been successfully applied in countless organizations around the world.

The power of frameworks like ITIL and Kotter's 8-Step Model lies in their ability to bring structure and clarity to inherently complex and chaotic processes. By organizing best practices, key performance indicators, and procedures into coherent taxonomies, these frameworks enable organizations to approach challenges in a systematic and methodical way, driving better outcomes and continual improvement.

It's important to note that there's nothing mystical or esoteric about these taxonomies. At their core, they are simply lists of lists, breaking down complex systems into their constituent parts and organizing them in a logical and actionable way. The power of these frameworks lies not in their complexity, but in their ability to simplify and bring order to complexity.

The impact of structured thinking and taxonomic organization extends far beyond IT and change management. As Atul Gawande illustrates in his book Checklist Manifesto, the humble checklist—a simple form of structured thinking—has revolutionized fields from medicine to aviation to construction. By ensuring that critical steps are followed consistently and completely, checklists have dramatically reduced errors, improved outcomes, and saved countless lives.

In the same way, taxonomies and frameworks that organize best practices, processes, and metrics have the power to transform any human endeavor. From education to politics, from space flight to social change, the ability to break down complex challenges into manageable components, establish clear metrics and best practices, and drive systematic improvement is the key to achieving extraordinary results. The longer you use these models, the more you internalize the structure, the more systematic your thoughts will become.

Bringing Order to Chaos: Lessons from Practitioners

While we've explored the power of structured thinking in depth, it's important to recognize that it is just one component of the larger discipline of systems thinking. In my interviews with systems thinkers from various fields and backgrounds, I've encountered a wide range of approaches to structuring thoughts and tackling complex problems.

One particularly memorable example came from an individual who used Pokemon cards as a framework for organizing his work. He classified tasks and projects based on the kind of mental and emotional resources they required, with emotionally taxing tasks being categorized as “psychic” type Pokemon attacks. This unconventional approach may seem playful or even frivolous, but it underscores the fundamental value of finding a structure that works for the individual and the context at hand.

Ultimately, the power of structured thinking lies in its ability to bring order to the chaos of complex systems and challenges. When combined with the other key components of systems thinking—clarity and purpose—structure forms a perfect trinary, a sort of Holy Trinity of effective problem-solving.

This trinary, which I like to think of as the TriForce of systems thinking (in a nod to the legendary video game series, The Legend of Zelda), creates a powerful nexus in the minds of practitioners. It's not just a theoretical or conceptual framework, but a neurological shift that fundamentally alters the way systems thinkers approach the world.

In many ways, systems thinkers are a different breed, akin to the Mentats of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel, Dune. These individuals, trained in the art of complex analysis and problem-solving, are able to navigate the intricacies of systems and challenges that would overwhelm the average person. Like Mentats, systems thinkers have honed their minds to cut through the noise and distraction, to identify the essential patterns and levers that drive change.

Central to this ability is the power of clarity. As one systems thinker I interviewed put it, “confusion is the enemy.” In a world of complex systems and wicked problems, it's all too easy to get lost in the weeds, to become paralyzed by the sheer volume of information and the seeming intractability of the challenges we face. But as the saying goes, if confusion is the villain of the story, then clarity is the hero.

By bringing structure to our thinking, by breaking down complex problems into their constituent parts and organizing them in a logical and actionable way, we can achieve the clarity needed to drive effective change. Whether it's through frameworks like ITIL or Kotter's 8-Step Model, or through more unconventional approaches like Pokemon card categorization, the key is to find a structure that enables us to see the forest for the trees, to navigate the complexity with purpose and precision.

In this light, perhaps the Borg Queen was onto something after all. While her methods may have been a bit extreme (to put it mildly), there's no denying the power of a collective consciousness united in purpose and organized in structure. Of course, I'm not advocating for the assimilation of all sentient life in the galaxy—that would be a bit much, even for the most ardent systems thinker. But there is something to be said for the idea of bringing order to chaos, of harnessing the power of structure to drive clarity and purpose.

So the next time you find yourself faced with a complex challenge or a seemingly intractable problem, remember the power of structured thinking. Whether you choose to organize your thoughts with Pokemon cards, ITIL frameworks, or good old-fashioned lists and taxonomies, the key is to find a structure that works for you – one that enables you to bring order to the chaos, to find clarity in the confusion, and to drive purposeful change in the face of complexity.

In the end, that's what systems thinking is all about—not just analyzing systems, but transforming them. And with the power of structured thinking as one of the key tools in our arsenal, there's no limit to what we can achieve. So go forth, my fellow systems thinkers, and bring some order to the chaos—the galaxy (and the Borg Queen) will thank you for it.