👋Hey Friends,
Welcome to “Not So Secret”, a didactic blog, where two dudes Naveen and Hari from Tamil Nadu, share about books, productivity and lifestyle.
We all know that the best way to achieve anything — learning a new language, getting into better shape, building a successful company— is to set specific, actionable goals. This is what New Year’s resolutions are all about. Here’s an interesting thought experiment: if you completely ignored those goals and focused only on what you did to achieve them, would you still succeed? For example, if you were a soccer 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?
Why? Because, as James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, “whilst goals are good for setting a direction, systems matter more.”
Systems > Goals
A system can take on many forms. For instance, my goal here on Medium could be to reach 50,000 readers each month or to get a certain number of followers. The system that would ensure we actually reach those goals is to sit down and write 1,000 words every day without fail.
- If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal might be to build a million-dollar business. Your system is how you run your marketing campaigns, test product ideas, and hire employees.
- If you’re a football coach, your goal might be to win the championship. Your system is the way you conduct training sessions, recruit new players, and manage your assistants.
- If you’re a YouTuber, your goal might be to hit a million subscribers. Your system is how you shoot your videos, promote your content, and your method for receiving feedback and engaging with your viewers.
After all, you don’t want to be climbing the ladder of success if it’s leaning against the wrong wall. Goals are good for planning your desired progress, systems are best for actually making progress. Although goals can give some direction and maybe even push you forward in the short term, eventually a well-designed system always wins.
The purpose of setting goals is to win the game; the purpose of designing systems is to continue playing that game. As James Clear puts it, “True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”
The goal in any competitive sport is to finish with the highest score, but it would be crazy to spend the whole game staring at the scoreboard. The only way to actually win is by getting better each day.
This quote rings true for all other areas of life. If you want better results, forget about setting goals. Focus on building your system instead.
What? You haven’t read Atomic Habits by James Clear
you are missing out on one of the most actionable books ever written. It’s an engaging mix of proven science, interesting stories, and practical strategies. Go pick it up and read it twice like we did.
Thanks for reading, See y’all in the next post,
Have a nice time,
Hari and Naveen 🙂