I first stumbled upon the
concept of choosing systems versus goals while reading Tools of Titans by Tim
Ferriss. In the book, creator of the Dilbert comic strip & best-selling
author, Scott Adams, discusses his strategy of choosing systems versus goals.
According to Scott, “choosing systems versus goals involves choosing projects
& habits that, even if they result in failures in the eyes of the outside
world, give you transferable skills or relationships.” While researching for
this post, I stumbled across a 2013 blog post by Scott that I highly
recommend, even if I
don’t agree with his pasta versus potatoes argument.
An example of choosing systems
versus goals that Scott uses is contrasting the goal of losing 10 pounds versus the system of learning to eat right. Both initiatives are likely to result in
weight loss, however learning to eat right is much more likely to produce
long-term, sustainable results, whereas the goal of losing 10 pounds is likely
to be successful in the short-term, however as most of us have experienced, we
are likely to put that weight back on even more quickly than we took it off. As
Scott puts it:
My problem with goals is that they are limiting. Granted, if you
focus on one particular goal, your odds of achieving it are better than if you
have no goal. But you also miss out on opportunities that might have been far
better than your goal. Systems, however, simply move you from a game with low
odds to a game with better odds. With a system you are less likely to miss one
opportunity because you were too focused on another. With a system, you are
always scanning for any opportunity. Goals vs Systems by Scott Adams
In other words, by focusing on creating
a system around your goal, you
will develop a new set of skills that even if you don’t ultimately achieve what
you set out to do, you can parlay into success in a new, potentially larger endeavor
that will lead to previously unexpected, or unforeseen, benefits.
How to choose a system
You may be thinking to yourself
that systems and goals seem very similar, and the reality is that they are. In
fact, I find that to choose an effective system, it is best to start with an
end goal. Again, I will return to the healthy eating example that Scott
provided in his blog post; if it weren’t for the goal of losing 10 pounds, it
is quite likely the system of learning to eat right may never be taken on,
& the benefits never experienced.
What a system involves then, is
looking at an end goal & determining the best long-term, sustainable way to
achieve this goal, focusing on the process versus the end result. Instead of
crash dieting or fasting to lose the 10 pounds, you are far more likely to
achieve sustainable weight loss by learning to eat correctly. Not only will
this new knowledge of healthy eating aid you in your short-term weight loss
(goal), but it will develop a new set of skills that will help you keep the
weight off (sustainable results) & very likely lead to a healthier, happier
life in the future (unexpected benefit).
Why systems work better than goals
As we have all experienced, failing to achieve your goals can be devastating & de-motivating. To tie our identities to a goal that can take up days, weeks, months, or even years of our lives to achieve, only to fail can be debilitating. If instead we make a small shift to focus on developing the skills & knowledge required to achieve this goal, we shift the paradigm to focus on developing ourselves to achieve the goal. This small shift in paradigm makes it much easier. Back to the weight loss example, if come your end date, you have only lost 6 pounds, the result can be devastating if your identity was tied to the number on the scale. If instead you have learned about diet & nutrition, you may better understand the effects of water weight or weight fluctuation, & instead focus on the way you feel or the bodyfat that you have lost.
Additionally, by focusing on
creating a system versus a goal, it is much easier to track & celebrate the
small successes, a process that makes you far more likely to succeed in the
long-run. Developing a system often involves a series of many different process
changes in your life that ultimately lead to achievement of your end goal. Each
of these process changes afford you an opportunity to identify & celebrate the
positive change you have made in your life. If the only thing that is important
to you is the number on the scale, it is far too easy to overlook these
positive changes & instead think of yourself as -4 or +2.
Perhaps the biggest reason to
adopt systems versus goals lies beneath the surface. It is the unforeseen benefits. If you set out to
achieve a goal, there is a good chance you achieve it & then move on to the
next thing. By creating a system, you often change the way you live your life.
This includes developing new skills & abilities that can have unforeseen
benefits. In the weight loss example, by developing a healthier lifestyle, you
may have more energy to put into your work that has positive career
implications. Had you simply crash dieted, you likely would have been more
tired & less likely to perform. The key with systems is that although you
will hopefully achieve the tangible results you’re looking for (original goal),
often far greater are the benefits that come as a result of your new system
that you did not anticipate (unforeseen circumstances). The reality is, you
never know what doors your new, healthy system will open!
My Systems
To this point, it may seem as I am simply paying lip service to this concept. After all, in each of my weekly summaries, I discuss my 3 goals for the next week. To reiterate, the idea behind this systems versus goals concept, in my opinion, is not to eliminate goals from your life, but instead to shift the focus from achieving your goals to developing new abilities that will lead to long-term, sustainable results.
Below I discuss two of the ‘systems’
that I have developed in my life, & what I am looking to achieve from them.
- Health & fitness education: this entire journey began when I signed myself up for a Spartan
Race 42 days ago. At a surface level, the goal was simply ‘to run a Spartan
Race,’ but there was a lot more behind this goal which I discussed in my day 18 post on ‘My Why.’ I wanted an activity that was going to force me to adopt a healthier lifestyle
& finally get into the physical shape that I know I was capable of. A great
way to achieve this goal was to challenge myself & use the ‘motivation of
fear’ that the looming Spartan Race represented. That said, the reason I
believe I will achieve long-term, sustainable results from this journey, is
because I developed a system of thinking about health every single day, continuously
learning about how to live a healthier lifestyle, executing on my research, &
holding myself accountable to my health & fitness goals. Out of this simply
goal of ‘running a Spartan Race,’ I have completely transformed the way I live
& have truly seen some incredible results through 43 days. Had I just been
focused on running the Spartan Race, it is quite likely a lot of my new habits
would simply fall by the wayside come June 23rd at the finish line.
Instead, I have used this goal to create a system, or an entirely new way of
living, that will sustain long after the race is finished. This new lifestyle
will grant me increased energy, happiness, vitality, & likely a whole host
of positive benefits that I cannot yet fathom. The key is to develop a system
that will improve your skills & prospects of future success.
- Blogging: while providing myself with a fitness & nutrition education was within my ‘regular activities’ or at least within my interests, creating this blog has come totally out of left field, & if I’m being honest, nobody in my life except for my girlfriend knows about this weird endeavor I’ve started upon that eats up hours of my life. It is very likely, or almost guaranteed, that little to nothing comes out of this blog. Perhaps a few thousand people will read it, & it will die in the depths of the internet like so many blogs before it. And that’s okay. The system of daily blogging was also born out of my goal to improve my health & fitness. By forcing myself to sit down each day & write a blog post focused on health & fitness, I am (1) making sure I think about fitness in some capacity every single day, (2) learning about the best ways to achieve the fitness level I am searching for, (3) hold myself accountable to the schedule & routine that I’ve set out for myself. These are the benefits that I was searching for when I began this blog which have been greatly effective. The benefits I have already experienced that were not expected were (1) a deepening of my love for health & fitness, (2) finding a community of like-minded people, (3) vastly improving my writing & creative abilities, (4) learning to better manage & optimize my time. Although my girlfriend (who may or may not be reading this) thinks I’m crazy for pouring so many hours into this blog, those are 7 benefits to this blog that I have already experienced over the first 42 days, & I cannot wait to see what some of the unforeseen benefits will be in the future.
In conclusion, systems versus
goals does not mean throwing your goals out the window. Instead, systems versus
goals focuses on shifting your paradigm from goal-achievement, to system
creation. By taking the goals you have for yourself, & building a system
around achieving these goals, you can ‘stack the deck’ in your favour to
guarantee yourself success. If you set out to lose 10 pounds by October 1st
& attack it by crash dieting & fasting, you may achieve your goal,
however it is far less likely that you maintain your new weight than if you had
instead created a system of healthy eating & exercise around your goal. I
challenge you to look at the goals in your life and think ‘how can I shift this to become a system.’ This small shift in
perspective has already had a substantial impact on my life, & I can’t wait
to see what some of the unforeseen positives coming down the line will be.
100-Day
Spartan
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