Set systems, not Goals!

Systems matter more than goals and dreams, that’s one of the things I have realised in the last couple of years. The secret to long-term success is looking at the big picture but acting in the current moment, in the here and now. And soon these little successes add up. It’s like integration in mathematics, each strip adds up and creates the Integral.

Optimise for starting line not the finish line. Any outcome you want to achieve is just a point along the spectrum of repetitions.

– James Clear

So without further ado let’s start building systems for success. And the way we do that is not by aiming for the finish line but by aiming for starting line because we often want things just because they are an option, there’s a possibility for that, and the environment is conducive to that outcome.

Look at the modern living room for example, the entire room is literally designed for one purpose and that is to make you watch Television, all the sitting is oriented towards the TV and the Television hangs beautifully on the finest wall above the entertainment system like a piece of art. And no doubt we are so addicted to it to the point where we even want to avoid conversations and just stare at a screen.

The point is that our environment controls us more than we’d like, it shapes our habits and behaviours and if something is out of sight, it’s out of mind. But at the same time, we are not slaves to our environment.

We can shape our environment. So, first of all, think of what you want to achieve and then start removing everything from your environment that could stop you from achieving your goals. Conduct a Failure Premortem analysis and remove all the friction.

Then start shaping your environment to aid in achieving your goals. For example, if you want to read more before bed then just put a book over your pillow and see the magic, if you want to learn to play the guitar just put it on your favourite sitting spot within the house, possibly the sofa and then every time you sit down and chillax you’ll be greeted by your guitar.

And the more you repeat something, the more you identify with it and true change is a change in identity. So if I practice French three days a week and even if I am not very good at it I still start identifying as a French speaker and soon that change of identity will drive me into learning more and refining my skill.

The more evidence we have of something the more likely we are going to believe it. In the 1950s, Curt Richter, a professor at Johns Hopkins, conducted a famous drowning rats psychology experiment. This experiment, though cruel, demonstrated the power of belief, hope and evidence in difficult situations.

Richter put rats into large buckets, half-filled with circulating water. Being notoriously good swimmers – the rats lasted about 15 minutes before giving up and succumbing to the depths of the bucket. But then they decided to try something else.

In a follow-up experiment, as the rats started to give up and sink, he pulled the drowning rodents to safety, dried them off, and gave them a brief period of rest only to put them right back into that same bucket. Here comes the amazing part – those same rats now swam for an average of 60 hours i.e. two and a half days. A rat that was temporarily saved survived 240 times longer than one that was not given any intervention. That’s the power of belief.

Let me know your thoughts on this topic in the comments below, and like and share the post with your family and friends because sharing is Caring ;).