Personally, I've established a small set of organizational, duty-commanding, and diplomatic principles. These principles are based on a small circle of conditions that dictate what ought be done and how my daily regiment ought be structured.
First, the most salient organizational principles are precision, effectiveness, and efficiency. In any planning, action, or decision I undertake, I dispassionately apply each of these principles, which help me determine what ought be done given my goals.
Second, duty-commanding principles are countless, from a basic rule that one's regular barber ought be tipped considerably, while a waitress and bartender need not, to basic braindead business logic like when one's going to buy something that will be paid for in cash, and one's negotiating price, one should (1) put one's money in multiple pockets and register how much is in each (2) never show more money than one is willing to pay. And so on.
Third, in establishing principles of diplomacy, it is necessary to establish an overarching organizational principle that defines the movement of humanity. To that end, the principle organizer is the will to power (could manifest as a will to truth, a will to knowledge, a will to dominate, a will to make children's clothes, and so forth). Given that humans are power-seeking creatures, the principles that define my diplomacy reflect this reality. I'm a realist, the archrealist. As such, realists see humans as self-interested power-seeking creatures trying to better their lot in a jungle where the strongest get their way. Realists view power as a zero-sum game, which means the accumulation of power by one results in a loss of power for another, which creates a security dilemma. An example of this principle applied was in a small Metaphysics class I took as an undergrad, where the "smart" people formed a study group and wanted me in it, and I reasoned that in such a small class my participation would provide comparatively more gains for them than they'd provide for me. Moreover, if my participation allowed enough of them to get higher marks this would inevitably make it harder for me to get a higher mark, given that not everyone can get 95 in such a class. And so I abstained, and got the highest mark on the mid-term. Then finals came around and they sent a piece of paper around for people to sign up for their little study group, and I just said to the women passing the sign-up sheet, "I don't do those," with an ironical smile. But this did not require consious contemplation. It was a decision made automatically due in part to my realist perspective, which determines my principles of diplomacy. Furthermore, realists view conflict as inevitable given the human condition, but insecurity can be minimized by establishing a balance of power. In this sense, although I don't care much for power in the sense of dominating others, (though I do in a self-mastery sense), I will build an alliance with a weaker party if I reason that such an alliance will dismantle a common aggressor/threat and provide the weaker party and I with gains in utility.
On a more critical level of analysis, it should be noted that every so often one will encounter a circumstance in which one's circle of rules doesn't exactly apply. As such, one may find one's self without a compass and no map. This could ostensibly be the case if one is out on a battleground and is ambushed by the enemy, and forced to respond to instinct rather than carefully considered principles. Similarly, the moose hunter who inaudibly creeps in the woods responds to his hunter's instinct when he sees a moose. However, I submit that from a higher level abstraction, in both cases instinct itself is the principle. Namely, to let the instrument play as it will.
In summary, the adoption of organizational principles, duty-commanding principles, and diplomatic principles have created good order in my life, which is a precondition for being more industrious, creative, and intellectually productive. Under certain conditions, one may find one's self in a situation where one's principles are insufficient or irrelevant. This could be the case when one is in love, going through a divorce, is being tortured in a prison cell, or just had one's best friend or spouse die, and there are no clear principles to define what ought be done. Lacking clear definition, the fundamental principles of human nature, particularly those stemming from self-preservation and the will to power, become the rule.
