I am reading James Clear's book 'Atomic Habits' and so far I really like it.
In the beginning he lays the course for why tiny changes make a difference, and the idea that we need to FORGET ABOUT GOALS, AND FOCUS ON SYSTEMS INSTEAD.
Still fresh in the new year, this is good to know. We are so accustomed to goal-setting (or New Years Resolutions) as a form of motivation... and we so often fall short. James suggests a better way (which he credits to Scott Adams).
He says, "Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results."
Let me drop a page from the book in here:
Now for the interesting question: If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your systems, would you still succeed? For example, if you were a basketball coach and you ignored your goal to win a championship and focused only on what your team does at practice each day, would you still get results?
- If you're a coach, your goal might be to win a championship. Your system is the way you recruit players, manage your assistant coaches, and conduct practice.
- If you're an entrepreneur, your goal might be to build a million-dollar business. Your system is how you test product ideas, hire employees, and run marketing campaigns.
- If you're a musician, your goal might be to play a new piece. Your system is how often you practice, how you break down and tackle difficult measures, and your method for receiving feedback from your instructor.
I think you would.
The goal in any sport is to finish with the best score, but it would be ridiculous to spend the whole game staring at the scoreboard. The only way to actually win is to get better each day. In the words of three-time Super Bowl winner Bill Walsh, "The score takes care of itself." The same is true for other areas of life. If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.
What do I mean by this? Are goals completely useless? Of course not. Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems.
James lays out several ways goals can fall short. I, for one, am looking forward to reading some more about this systems approach. It makes good sense to me. We will see...
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