How to Build Systems to Actually Achieve Your Goals

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares strategies for balancing a busy career, learning, health, and relationships through a systems-based approach. By moving away from relying on willpower and motivation, the key lies in creating repeatable processes that adapt to life's challenges. The speaker introduces three key principles: holistic thinking, repeatability, and peeling the band-aid, helping professionals design systems that evolve over time for long-term success. This method allows for meaningful progress while maintaining freedom and reducing overwhelm, enabling individuals to achieve their goals efficiently and sustainably.

Takeaways

• 😀 Thinking in systems helps you balance work, learning, health, and personal life effectively by reducing dependence on willpower and motivation.
• 😀 Systems focus on creating processes that automatically help you achieve your goals rather than relying on motivation to get things done.
• 😀 Most people fail because they operate in terms of intentions and tasks, but thinking in systems turns those intentions into repeatable processes.
• 😀 Build your system by thinking holistically about all factors that influence your goals, and expect challenges like tiredness or distractions.
• 😀 Systems should be designed for repeatability, ensuring that your plan works even on your worst days and doesn’t rely on willpower alone.
• 😀 It’s important to continuously evaluate your plan’s repeatability, making adjustments to reduce friction and make it easier to follow.
• 😀 The process of thinking in systems involves solving a series of problems and iterating on solutions until you find a combination that works.
• 😀 Discomfort from making changes is a sign of progress. The discomfort of staying stagnant is far worse than the discomfort of change.
• 😀 Systems help you learn more about yourself, and over time, your plans become clearer, more specific, and adaptable to life’s challenges.
• 😀 To sustain your system in the long term, remove temporary ‘band-aid solutions’ and focus on solving underlying problems like poor sleep or lack of focus.
• 😀 Building a system takes effort, but it’s a more efficient and sustainable way to achieve your goals and regain freedom in your life.

Q & A

What does thinking in systems mean?

Thinking in systems means creating processes that help you achieve your goals automatically, reducing your reliance on willpower and motivation. It involves setting up repeatable systems that work even on bad days, allowing you to achieve success consistently without depending on fluctuating energy or willpower.

How is thinking in systems different from just making plans?

Thinking in systems goes beyond just making plans by anticipating obstacles and building processes to handle them. It focuses on creating solutions that work consistently, not just on good days, and removes the need for constant motivation, unlike traditional planning which often relies on willpower.

Why is it important to think about your goals holistically?

Thinking about your goals holistically means considering all the factors that can affect your success, such as your energy, time constraints, and potential obstacles. This proactive approach helps you anticipate challenges and design a system that can overcome them, rather than being caught off guard when problems arise.

What does building a system for repeatability involve?

Building a system for repeatability involves designing a process that works even when things aren't ideal. This means reducing friction in your plans and making them as effortless as possible, so they can be consistently executed without relying on motivation or willpower.

Can you give an example of how thinking in systems helps in real life?

An example is the story of an accountant preparing for a challenging exam while working full-time. Instead of relying on motivation to study after work, the system was adjusted to make studying easier by changing the location or time of study, thus reducing barriers like traffic and fatigue.

Why is it not sustainable to rely on motivation alone?

Relying on motivation alone is unsustainable because motivation fluctuates, and it can be challenging to execute plans consistently when your energy levels are low or life gets in the way. Systems are designed to work even when motivation is absent, ensuring progress despite challenges.

What role does discomfort play in building effective systems?

Discomfort is a natural part of building effective systems because it often requires you to step out of your comfort zone and make changes to your habits. While the discomfort of change may be unpleasant, it is less stressful than the discomfort of not progressing towards your goals.

What is the importance of contingency planning in systems thinking?

Contingency planning is essential because it prepares you for unexpected challenges. By building in alternatives for when things don't go according to plan, you ensure that your system remains functional, even when life throws curveballs.

What does 'peeling the band-aid' mean in the context of systems thinking?

'Peeling the band-aid' refers to removing temporary, short-term solutions (band-aids) that help you in the immediate term, but don't address the underlying problems. The goal is to eliminate these quick fixes by addressing the root causes, leading to more sustainable, long-term solutions.

How does a system evolve over time?

A system evolves by constantly refining itself based on feedback from the challenges encountered. Each iteration of the system becomes more effective as you address underlying problems, improve habits, and find new ways to make processes more efficient, allowing the system to adapt to life's changes.