Everyone has an Internal Operating System (IOS). It’s your unique way of processing information, making decisions, moving through projects, and navigating roadblocks. Each person is unique and has their own Unique Abilities, instincts, and preferred operating process. Understanding your IOS is like getting the manual to your brain and how you work.
What is an IOS?
Think of your IOS as your personal workflow DNA. It’s how you think and work best. It includes:
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Your natural instincts
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Your strengths and weaknesses
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Your preferred problem-solving methods
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The patterns that lead to burnout or stalling out
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The actions that help you get unstuck and move forward
An IOS is not a rigid checklist. It’s a framework that helps you understand what’s working, or not working, and why.
Rediscovering My IOS
Earlier this year, I was stuck on a project.
There was a project I just couldn’t seem to make headway on, and I brought it up with Craig. He listened, asked a few questions. We agreed the first step to getting unstuck was to “Create a checklist of deliverables for each section of the project.” And then he said, “You need to create your IOS.”
He told me to talk to his assistant, Chelsea, who could send over examples of IOSs he and his team had created. I emailed her as we were sitting there, and a few minutes later, my inbox pinged with an email from her with seven attachments.
I opened them all. The last one made me laugh out loud. It was mine.
I didn’t remember creating it. Had no idea where it was. But there it was, my own Internal Operating System. Of course, Chelsea had it organized somewhere!
And the best part?
Step 1 of my IOS read: “Create a checklist of deliverables for each section of the project.” The exact thing I had written down 20 minutes earlier as my next action step.
Turns out, I already knew how to get unstuck, I just needed to revisit my IOS. Amazing how, after years, my IOS still clicked with me and how I work. Very little had changed.
Where Do You Start? How Can You Create Your IOS?
Begin with a few simple questions:
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When am I at my best? What’s happening around me? What am I doing?
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When do I get stuck? What situations make progress feel impossible?
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What small action usually helps me move forward?
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What projects have I started and stopped? Why did these projects end up in a black hole? (Craig calls this his black hole list.)
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What projects have I crushed that I can use as examples for myself in the future? Where am I winning or doing really well in life right now, and how can I use those successes to help me with other projects? (I call this my cookie jar!)
Write it down. Progress starts the minute you write something down.
Then revisit it—especially when you feel blocked on a project. Your IOS is a playbook for your productivity and progress.
Takeaways
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Everyone has an IOS, even if they haven’t documented it yet.
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Your IOS can help you break through bottlenecks, keep the ball rolling, and stay aligned with how you naturally work.
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Documenting your IOS gives you a framework to return to whenever you feel stuck.
Click here to check out my IOS!
Charlie Coppola
