Systems, Not Goals

Minette Yu
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

“Goals are for losers, but systems are for winners.”

This is a controversial quote from the book “How to fail at almost everything and still win big”, a book by comic artist Scott Adams. I usually don’t trust life advice given by a cartoon artist, especially if the book has a very verbose title. But that quote has given me great clarity in a lot of things, and it makes me more focused. My goal today is not to persuade you to adopt this thinking, but simply to share my own experience and maybe you can try apply that lens to your own decision making process and see if that works for you.

First, let me explain what is a system, and what is a goal. I will also provide more examples later on to illustrate the difference. A system is a set of rules that can be repeated over and over again, without an explicit goal. And goals are, goals, you all know the definition.

I have been setting and chasing after goals my whole life. And I know a lot of you do. In high school, my goal was to get all As in classes, get ranked number 1 in my class, and get a certain SAT school. In college, my goal was to get certain grades in classes, get kickass internships, make lots of friends, and find a great job after college. Setting and chasing after goals seemed to work well for me, and I always set another goal after I achieved one. And I couldn’t imagine my life without goals.

When we set a goal, we only get validation when we achieve the goal; when we have a system, it’s a success every time we apply the system. This epiphany came when I decided to be more fit and strong. Never a runner, I decided to push my own limits by signing up for a half-marathon and training for it. I drafted up a training schedule that plans out how many miles I should run on a given training date. When I couldn’t reach those miles, I felt bad that I wasn’t reaching my goals. After I completed the half-marathon, I quit long distance running cold-turkey. It was not because the whole process was not enjoyable. I was very proud of myself for doing what was unthinkable for me. I quit because I reached a goal, and I’m not motivated to keep running when I no longer have a goal. If I had decided to pursue a system, rather than a goal, things would’ve been different. Instead of setting a goal of running a half marathon 3 months from today, I could set up a system of simply going outside and running every day, or every other day. Every time I lace up my shoes and start running, that would be a success. I would get validation every time I go outside, instead of waiting until I achieve a goal.

I learned the lesson, and now I’m smarter. I still want to be fit and strong. But instead of downloading an iPhone weight loss app and setting a weight goal (lose 5 pounds in a month, let’s say), I set up a system. My system is that I work out every other day. When my schedule gets busy, I still manage to squeeze in some workout time. Every time I put on those workout clothes and exercise, I’m applying my system, and it’s very gratifying. I’m now motivated, because I get validation every time. I’ve been doing this for three months, and I can already see a noticeable difference in my body. I can do workouts that are a lot higher in intensity, and I can see more muscle definition in my arms. None of this is explicitly planned for, but rather they are pleasant byproducts form applying my system repeatedly.

In a world full of goal setting for everything that we would do, having an alternative can help us examine our habits more closely. This simple change of mindset has benefitted me, and I hope one day it can help you too.

Minette Yu

Written by

product manager turned entrepreneur | avid traveler

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