3 Reasons to Ditch Your Goals and Build a System Instead

Why a Goal Is Your Compass, but a System Is Your Engine

Now that you have your main goal, let's figure out how to set yourself up for success and build a consistent habit that actually moves you toward that goal.

Once you've set your goal — shift your focus to the system. If you don't see progress happening, you'll give up. That's why you need to zero in on the processes that lead to the results you want.

In my case, learning Spanish, I focus on my system: attending classes at a language school and doing my homework. I also throw in watching TV shows and movies in Spanish, plus practice sessions in an app.

Same with my NotNowSchool project. My system involves reading books, diving into research, practicing coaching, writing posts, and analyzing feedback.

That's why the only path to winning is committing to getting a little better every single day.

Because if I'd been expecting to understand Spanish movies anytime soon, or waiting for quick results and fluent conversations, I would've gotten frustrated and quit.

If you spend too much time dreaming about goals and not enough time building your system, you're going to run into problems.

Flip it around — if you dedicate your time to the system, the results will feel like they happened almost by themselves.

Your goals are your compass, but your system is the engine that drives progress.

How to Outsmart Your Monkey Brain: Making Hard Things Easy

If you haven't heard Tim Urban's theory about the Instant Gratification Monkey and the Panic Monster, consider this my official recommendation.

Here's the gist. The Panic Monster shows up when deadlines loom and forces you to do whatever it takes — procrastination be damned. But the monkey? The monkey is ready to work any day, any time — as long as the tasks are dead simple and crystal clear.

So take your main goal and break it down into a specific sub-goal.

For example, I need to learn Spanish. But for the monkey, that's a vague, overwhelming goal with no clear action. Hearing that phrase won't summon the monkey to grab the wheel and start learning Spanish. I study Spanish in different ways: at a language school, at home with textbooks, and in the Busuu app.

And I want to build a habit: every time after I eat, while my food digests, I spend thirty minutes practicing in the app.

Or here's a trickier example — if you want to become a graphic designer, set a goal to learn how to create killer posters.

Then your routine habit could be: recreate one poster from your saved inspiration folder.

If your goal is more complex, then as I mentioned in the previous lesson, commit to just one hour.

For my own goal, I create conditions that make things easy. Because in my view, the golden rule of willpower is this: don't make your willpower do the heavy lifting. Create an environment where the actions you want to take are effortless. And make the behaviors you want to avoid a pain in the neck.

For example, want to read more? Put the book where your TV remote usually sits. Then stash the remote on the highest shelf, in a box in the back. Unplug all the cables from the TV and throw them in the box with the remote.

Want to eat less junk food? Stop buying it. Want to work on a project more often? Create a comfortable workspace for it. An empty, inviting chair and a big reminder on the wall so you don't forget.

For instance, to play my accordion even occasionally, I had to put it right next to my desk.

So design your environment to encourage the habits you want to build, and you'll progress faster without burning through extra effort.

Quick recap of this section. Ask yourself: "What's the very first step I need to take toward my goal?" And remember — a simple, clear action is something you can start doing right now. Something the monkey can handle: open the app and follow the instructions, just read or study a book, recreate a poster. If you can't figure out where to start — ask people who've done it before you, or learn from them. Reach out to professionals in that field or do some research on YouTube.