I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, I create processes (and so should you).

I spent 6 and a half years studying chemical engineering at the University of Florida and the University of Colorado at Boulder, writing out flow charts for industrial processes. Much of my time was spent thinking about oil rigs and pharmaceutical companies.

Earlier this year, while talking to a professor friend of mine, the thought occurred to me that my chemical engineering background has trained me to think about problems in a unique way.

Prediction models can help us recognize early signs of systemic failure and develop methods for managing risk more effectively. These models can be applied to prevent everything from blackouts to oil spills to the spread of infectious disease.

So why not think of your life as just another complex system?