How to Build Systems to Actually Achieve Your Goals

Balancing a full-time job with continuous learning, personal health, social life, and hobbies can seem impossible, yet it is achievable by adopting a systems-based approach rather than relying solely on willpower and motivation. This method, refined through a decade of coaching professionals, emphasizes building automated processes to achieve desired outcomes. By shifting from mere intentions and tasks to proactive problem-solving and systematic planning, individuals can regain control over their time and make consistent progress on their goals. The core idea is to anticipate obstacles and design repeatable solutions that work even on "bad days," leading to sustainable success and a sense of freedom from the perpetual feeling of being busy without real achievement. This philosophy aims to optimize effort and discomfort by redirecting them towards more effective strategies for personal and professional growth.

What Does Thinking in Systems Mean?

Thinking in systems is a paradigm shift that moves away from dependence on willpower and motivation. Instead, it focuses on creating automated processes that naturally lead to desired results. When effective processes are identified, they are linked together to form a cohesive system. Most people operate based on intentions and tasks, such as "I need to exercise today" or "I need to finish that course." However, busy lifestyles make it difficult to consistently act on these intentions. Even when turning intentions into plans, like dedicating an hour to reading every evening, unforeseen circumstances such as tiredness or unexpected events can derail these plans, leading to frustration and disappointment. A systems-based approach, in contrast, aims to build resilience into plans by proactively addressing potential failures.

The point of thinking in systems is that you reduce your reliance on thinking in terms of willpower and motivation. The aim is to reduce your dependency on these two things. And instead what we do is that we build processes that automatically help us to achieve the types of results that we're looking for.

Principle 1: Think Holistically

The first principle of building systems is to think holistically. This involves looking at an intention and considering all the factors that could influence its success. It requires proactively expecting plans to fail due to common issues like tiredness, laziness, or unexpected events. The key question to ask is: "What can I do about that?" When coaching clients, the first step is often to review their past attempts at achieving a goal, understand why those attempts failed, and observe how they responded to obstacles. This deep dive helps in identifying all possible barriers, as the eventual system will need to account for these factors. This comprehensive understanding ensures that the system is robust and adaptable to various challenges.

Principle 2: Build for Repeatability

The second principle, directly tied to the first, is to build for repeatability. A system should not rely on ideal conditions or perfect alignment of circumstances. Instead, it must be designed to work even on the worst day. This means evaluating plans to determine how much they depend on willpower or motivation for execution. The speaker notes that many conventional plans often require a significant injection of motivation, which violates the principle of repeatability. The goal is to minimize friction, making it as easy as possible to follow through. The process of building a system often involves cycling between these two principles: identifying high-effort aspects that rely on willpower, finding ways to make them easier, and then revisiting potential challenges or obstacles that might still derail the plan.

For example, an accountant studying for chartered accountancy exams while working full-time initially planned to study immediately after getting home. This plan consistently failed due to traffic, fatigue, and family commitments. Instead of advocating for more willpower, a systems approach involves exploring alternatives. One solution could be to extend work hours to study at the office, allowing the individual to beat traffic and complete studying before returning home, thereby reducing effort and tackling fatigue. However, this raises new questions, such as potential impacts on family dinner times. Another option could be studying in the morning before work, which then brings up concerns about sleep. This iterative process of identifying a low-effort solution and then analyzing its potential pitfalls continues until a combination of solutions is found that locks in success. This continuous problem-solving mindset is crucial, as the first attempt at a solution is rarely perfect. The pursuit of the right combination of solutions is a commitment often requiring more persistence than individuals typically exhibit on their own. This iterative process is what allowed the speaker to manage a full-time medical career, a full-time business, full-time master's studies, regular gym visits, a social life, family time, and 8-9 hours of sleep daily.

Okay, sure. What can we do about that? Perhaps we can uh stay at work for longer after work. And then you you beat the traffic, you do the work and the study that you need to do in your office and then you come home after that. So that's us trying to reduce the amount of effort, tackle some of these barriers that come up in terms of feeling too tired, not enough energy.

While the solutions derived from this process might involve some discomfort, the speaker emphasizes that this is a positive sign. Discomfort indicates a departure from old habits, which is precisely the goal of system thinking—to achieve different results. The discomfort of making a change is often less severe than the long-term stress, anxiety, and disappointment of not making progress on important goals.

Principle 3: Peel the Band-Aids

The final principle, "peel the band-aids," is vital for the long-term sustainability and evolution of a system. Initial systems often include temporary "band-aid" solutions that provide immediate relief without addressing underlying issues. For instance, if tiredness is a problem, taking a nap or using a timer for focus might be initial band-aid solutions. However, the root causes may be insufficient sleep or poor attention span. While these temporary fixes are helpful in the short term, they lead to an over-bloated system and introduce limitations—what if a nap isn't possible, or a timer isn't available? These conditions can cause the plan to fail.

Therefore, band-aid solutions should be temporary, allowing time to work on the underlying problems, which typically involve changing habits. The process of unlearning old habits and retraining new ones takes time, and this habit change itself should be integrated into the system as a new intention. For example, while continuing to use naps and timers, the system should also include efforts to improve sleep habits and train attention span. By continuously addressing these deeper issues, the system becomes effective not only in the short term but also evolves for lifelong maintenance and adaptation, making it more robust and less reliant on temporary fixes. This iterative process, though seemingly complex, involves the same or even less effort than perpetually struggling with unfulfilled intentions, channeling that effort into a more strategic and effective direction.

Takeaways

System Over Willpower: Achieve goals by building repeatable processes rather than relying on inconsistent willpower and motivation.
Holistic Problem Solving: Proactively anticipate and address all potential obstacles and factors that could derail your plans.
Design for Repeatability: Create systems that function effectively even on "worst days" by minimizing friction and dependence on perfect conditions.
Iterative Improvement: Continuously refine your system by cycling between identifying high-effort points, finding easier solutions, and anticipating new challenges.
Address Root Causes: "Peel the band-aids" by replacing temporary fixes with habit changes that resolve underlying issues for long-term sustainability.
Embrace Discomfort: Recognize that solution-driven discomfort indicates a shift from old patterns and is often less burdensome than the stress of inaction.