Skip to main content

Welcome to Version 2

This is a full rebuild.

Version 1 of the Adaptable Discipline guides was a starting point. It introduced the core ideas — drift, return, the role of friction, the value of reduced versions — and it helped many people think about discipline differently. That was its job, and it did it.

But v1 had a structural problem. It mixed concepts, mechanics, and prescriptive advice in the same layer. You would find the definition of a term in the same section as a step-by-step routine. The framework's ideas were there, but they were harder to use as a framework because they were tangled up with specific applications. It was a good introduction. It was not a good reference.

Version 2 was built to fix that.

What Changed​

The Architecture​

V1 was organized around content categories: Foundations, Getting Started, The Four Pillars. Those categories made sense for an introduction but they did not reflect how the framework actually works or how someone would use it once they understood it.

V2 separates the documentation into functional layers:

  • Core Concepts — the precise vocabulary of the framework. Eight terms, each defined carefully: drift, return, coherence, comeback speed, friction, capacity, self-governance, and discipline itself.
  • Framework — how those concepts connect and behave together. The return loop, the comeback model, the four pillars, drift channels, adaptation.
  • Putting It Into Practice — how to use the framework to build, diagnose, and redesign a practice. A full cycle: from where to start, through diagnosis, experimentation, evaluation, iteration, and stabilization.
  • Tactical Guides — how the framework applies under specific conditions: ADHD, burnout, creative practice, emotional regulation, relational drift, loss of purpose.

Each layer has a clear job. Core Concepts define the terms. Framework explains the mechanics. Building shows how to apply the mechanics. Tactical Guides show what application looks like in particular contexts.

The Vocabulary​

V1 used looser language. V2 introduced precise definitions for every term that matters. Drift is not vagueness or inconsistency — it is the pull away from intended behavior under real conditions. Return is not "getting back on track" — it is the specific moment of choosing to re-engage with coherence. Comeback speed is not motivation — it is the measurable rate at which that return becomes available and cheaper.

The vocabulary change is not cosmetic. Precise language makes diagnosis more useful, because you can name what is actually happening instead of guessing. It also makes the framework applicable to more contexts, because the concepts are defined clearly enough to translate.

The Framework Comes First​

V1 told you what to do before you fully understood why. V2 inverts that. The framework explains the mechanics of drift, return, and capacity before asking you to apply them to anything. You understand how the system works first. Then you use that understanding to design your own.

This means V2 does not prescribe your practices. It gives you the tools to build and diagnose your own.

Tactical Guides as a Dedicated Layer​

In v1, context-specific content was mixed into the foundations. V2 separates it. Tactical guides apply the framework to specific populations, conditions, and needs — without changing the core. This means the framework stays clean, and the applications can grow without cluttering the foundation.

Tactical guides are ongoing. If there is a context, condition, or situation you think is missing, share your suggestion.

Available in 10 Languages​

Both v1 and v2 are fully translated into Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese. Every page, in every language, from the same source.

Why It Matters​

V1 helped people think differently. V2 helps people build differently.

The goal was never to produce a compelling read about discipline. The goal was to give people a working set of tools for designing conditions that make disciplined action more available, more sustainable, and easier to recover after it breaks.

V2 is closer to that.

V1 is still available at /guides/v1 for reference.

Last updated on