We are heading into the middle of February and how are those New Year’s Resolutions going? We’ve all been there. Having ambitious well intentioned goals, only to have them fizzle out by the middle of February and non-existent in March.
The problem isn’t your amibiton…it’s your system setup. If goals are your destination, then systems are the vehicle that get you there.
Let’s look at this more in depth:
Feature Goals (The “What”) Systems (The ‘How”)
Focus Results and Outcomes Daily habits and processes
Duration Temporary (ends once reached) Continuous (lifestyle based)
Control Often influenced by luck 100% within your control
Happiness Deferred to the finish line Found in the daily progress
3 Reasons Systems Beat Goals Every Time
Goals Have an Endpoint Problem
Have you ever trained for a race, finished it, and then stopped running entirely? That’s
the goal trap. Once the target is hit, the motivation evaporates. A system makes you a runner, regardless of whether there’s a medal waiting at the end of the week.
the goal trap. Once the target is hit, the motivation evaporates. A system makes you a runner, regardless of whether there’s a medal waiting at the end of the week.
Systems Build Consistency, Goals Build Stress
When you focus solely on a goal, you are perpetually in a state of "not being good enough yet." Systems flip the script. If you show up and do the work today, you’ve succeeded. It replaces the anxiety of the "gap" with the satisfaction of the "gain."
Success is a Lagging Measure
Your bank account is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your fitness is a lagging measure of your eating habits. You don't "attain" success; you inhabit the systems that produce it as a byproduct.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." — James Clear
How to Build Your First System
Don’t scrap your goals. They are your “direction finders.” Once you know where you are going, pivot your focus to the minimum repeatable action.
Goal | System |
Lose 20 pounds | Walk for 30 minutes every morning and prep high-protein lunches on Sundays. |
Write a book | Write 200 words every day at 7:00am with a cup of coffee. |
Goals are great for setting a course, but systems are for making true progress. If you ignored your goals for a month and focused only on your daily habits, would you still see results? YES! You’ve built a system that works.
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