# Why You Need Systems, Not Goals
source: https://www.instapaper.com/read/1523694907 tags: #literature #living-well #productivity #favorites #goalsetting #advice uid: 202210042101 —
What Is The Difference Between A Goal And A System? Goals are merely a representation of the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes. The good daily habits that will lead to those results.
Goals help you set direction, but they are nothing on their own. They are focused on a future state. Systems are about the things you need to do daily, that will make you the person you want to be. They are focused on the present.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” James Clear
What happens when you set a system to maintain your weight? You daily exercise and you are always in shape. That’s why I define systems vs goals in the following way:
Goals are good intentions with an end date whereas systems are daily actions without an ending.
Systems people succeed every time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to do. The goals people are fighting the feeling of discouragement at each turn. The systems people are feeling good every time they apply their system. That’s a big difference in terms of maintaining your personal energy in the right direction.
Direction: Goals are good for setting direction in your life. You can boldly acclaim that you’ll become a writer. By doing so, you’re no longer directionless. You have the base to set daily systems. Decision-making: Goals help you filter incoming information and make decisions. For instance, if you have to pick between jobs, you’ll choose the one that contributes to your goal — a.k.a., the person you want to be. Or, if you’re wondering what to read. You can focus on the material that will get you closer to your goal.
These are the main advantages of setting goals:
Direction: Goals are good for setting direction in your life. You can boldly acclaim that you’ll become a writer. By doing so, you’re no longer directionless. You have the base to set daily systems. Decision-making: Goals help you filter incoming information and make decisions. For instance, if you have to pick between jobs, you’ll choose the one that contributes to your goal — a.k.a., the person you want to be. Or, if you’re wondering what to read. You can focus on the material that will get you closer to your goal.
For instance, I write every morning between 05:00 and 08:00 AM for a simple reason: There are fewer things that can go wrong. Fewer things that can disturb my morning writing session.
It’s quiet. No one to call or message me. My wife and kid are sleeping. My mind is pure. Unviolated from the outside noise — e.g., emails, demands from others, pop-up messages on websites…
Answering “What?” clearly defines what you’re going to do.
Addressing “Why?” is about the person you want to become.
When you define “When?”, it’s no longer a vague claim. You’ve scheduled the activity.
Considering “What’s needed in advance?” sets the scene. This is something I’ve stolen from cooks. In particular, the famous mise en place technique. It’s a culinary phrase that means “putting in place”. In other words, you are organizing and arranging the ingredients needed for the dish you are going to prepare.
This question will guide you: “What’s the bare minimum I can do daily that can have a meaningful result?”
Obviously, writing 2 sentences per day won’t make me a writer. But 500 words? Much better.
Very simple: One that runs daily.
That’s what we are doing with the above questions.
We are preventing failure. Preventing the system from malfunctioning.
When you are creating your system don’t assume you’ll want to do what you’re planning to do. Assume the opposite — assume you won’t want to do what you’ve planned.