The Mensch Protocol
What is this?
A framework for living well — the whole of it, not just one corner.
It's built in three phases: first the setup, then the seven pieces of a mensch's life, then the routine that pulls them all together.
| # | Piece | Human need |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ■ Calibration | Direction |
| 2 | ■ Connection | Belonging |
| 3 | ■ Wellness | Restoration |
| 4 | ■ Movement | Vitality |
| 5 | ■ Exploration | Growth |
| 6 | ■ Work | Contribution |
| 7 | ■ Art | Expression |
What principles inform our approach?
Every chapter is built on three principles:
- Organization. Order matters. Ideas arranged so they build naturally.
- Simplicity. Keep only what's essential. Everything else gets thrown out.
- Practice. Live it, don't just read it. Test each chapter against your week.
Why did we built this?
Information isn't scarce anymore. Podcasts, articles, and AI will tell you everything about health, work, movement, art — more than you could ever read. What's missing is a frame to hang it on. Not more advice, but an order for it: somewhere each piece fits.
What inspired this?
The model is Maimonides' Mishneh Torah — his attempt to organize the whole of Jewish law into a single coherent structure, so that an ordinary Jew could pick it up and know how to live a holy life. This is my attempt at the same thing for the real world and the modern mensch.
Won't the pieces overlap?
Every moment has a primary activity even when you're moving and connecting at once — and naming that one thing is what lets you task and be present in the moment.
Why "Mensch Protocol"?
Mensch stands for a person of good character — the fundamental unit of living a good life.