Creating Systems to Crush Your Goals

We live in a world that constantly tells us to “dream bigger!” 

And so many of us live most of our lives trying to follow this advice as best we can. We aim for the stars, daydreaming about our wildest ambitions. We think of ourselves as main characters in a world that is for us and about us. 

And yet for all of that dreaming, how many of us actually reach that success that we are constantly promised? 

There is nothing wrong with dreaming. Quite the opposite—dreaming is the very thing that gets us started on the path towards success. But the essential truth that so many people miss is that dreaming is only the starting point. It is the first step of a long journey that will hurl countless obstacles in our way. 

Dreams tell us where to go, but they cannot take us there. Enter: systems. 

Moving Forward with Systems

If you are reading this article, you most likely have all kinds of aspirations. You want to write a book or run a marathon or start a successful business. And for most people, these goals are absolutely achievable. But they do not come without dedication and hard work. 

And it’s not enough to just say, “work harder.” You’ve probably tried that with little success. We have human limitations, and we cannot count on tapping into a well of infinite motivation. Some days, we simply don’t feel like making progress towards our goal. 

What is the solution? Shifting your focus to systems over goals. 

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” While this might sound complex, it is actually very simple. Systems are the routines, schedules, and methods that you use to make progress in your desired area. If you aspire to be a writer, then a basic system might be a daily writing schedule. “If you’re an entrepreneur,” Clear writes, “your goal might be to build a million-dollar business. Your system is how you test product ideas, hire employees, and run marketing campaigns.”

In other words, systems are simply structures that you put in place to help you do the work. 

Systems don’t run themselves. They require you to show up and put in the time. But by creating concrete systems, you are saving yourself the confusion (and therefore the excuse) that often comes with working on a new and overwhelming task. With systems, there is no guessing game—rather, you have a clear metric that tells you whether or not you are making progress. 

Creating Realistic Systems

When making systems to help you make incremental progress toward your goals, it is important that you realistically assess how much you can get done. If you are only just beginning to work on maintaining discipline in your habits, you should begin by setting the bar a little lower. A person who never runs can’t be expected to get up one day and complete a marathon. It will take hours upon hours of preparation and the discipline to maintain this habit daily. So set for yourself realistic objectives. Write a page. Learn one piece of information about your target market. Run one mile. 

And do this every single day. 

Over time, your systems will change. As you learn new skills and gain more competence, your daily schedule will become more rigorous. But you will be ready for it because you understand that this journey must be completed one step at a time. 

After you have set systems in place that seem to strike the right balance for you, follow them consistently until they become second-nature. You might consider making time for monthly check-ins to review and, if necessary, revise your systems. This will allow you to make the most of the habit-forming power of systems without becoming too rigid or inflexible. You will grow, branch out to new interests, and go through changes in life circumstances. Through all of this, your systems are here to serve you (and not the other way around). Use them strategically and consistently, and they will help you to crush your goals.