We’re in the waning days of 2022, looking forward to a fresh start in 2023. Time to reflect on what we accomplished this year and set new goals for next year. Right?
I don’t know about you but that’s enough to make me hit the snooze button and roll over for another hour of sleep.
What if I told you I discovered a different way to achieve goals? An almost effortless way. “Almost” because nothing important is completely effortless. But this way builds on what you’re already doing–or might be doing–on a regular basis.
I’m talking about leveraging the power of habits and systems to reach your goals.
Here’s a quote that got me thinking along these lines: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This is from James Clear, author of the best-selling book, Atomic Habits. He goes on to explain: “Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there. This year, spend less time focusing on outcomes and more time focusing on the habits that precede the results.”
Intriguing. I’m not sure what that actually means but I’m willing to give it a try.
And because I like to try out what I recommend, I'm going to share an example of how to use habits and a system to work toward a goal.
I’ve identified a potential goal that I’d like to work on in 2023. I’ll walk you through the steps in the process and then give you a template to use for a goal of your own.
Let’s say my goal is to show my art at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Martha’s Vineyard. How could I create a system of habits that results in showing my art at Featherstone?
Here's what I came up with:
1. Envision the goal: Show my art at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Martha’s Vineyard. Since I’ve never shown my art before, this feels like a big leap. But maybe this new approach will work wonders. We’ll see.
2. Clarify why the goal is important: Working toward that goal will enable me to take my art more seriously. It will enable me to stop thinking of my art as a hobby. And participating in an art show could introduce me to other artists in the area.
3. Brainstorm what habits might help me reach that goal: For me, there are four categories. Learning, Creation, Production, and Community. You might have different categories even if you have the exact same goal. I’m a little concerned that trying to establish four habits might be too many. If that turns out to be the case, I’ll see if there’s one “keystone” habit that will lead to the others if I just focus on that. I don’t know what that will be at this point, though.
4. For each habit, answer these questions: What do I mean by this? What’s the purpose of the habit? Here’s one example for “community.” "Community" is a network of people with whom I can give and receive feedback and encouragement. The purpose is to build accountability and support. For each of the other three habits, I also answered those questions. It's kind of like a mini-version of Step 2.
5. Create a Virtuous Cycle that depicts how each habit feeds into the next. That’s the magic, why I’ll be able to achieve this goal in an almost effortless way. You may need to play around with the order by asking how this will result in the next habit. For example, the link between “learning” and “creating” is that I become excited to apply my learning when I create.
6. Once you’ve got the loop put together, you can do some further action planning. How often do I want to practice each of these? How will I make it a priority to do these? What happens if I hit an obstacle? How will I restart if I get distracted by other things? And you might also want to do some research on the goal itself. For example, how often does Featherstone do art shows? What is the application process? Do particular shows have themes that might be suitable for my work?
7. Celebrate: You’ve created a system for success!!
Here's a visual of my original drawing of the Virtuous Cycle.
Now it’s time for you to try this out. First, download the worksheet here. Then pick a goal you’d like to achieve in 2023. Something that you care about, but that you also want to feel somewhat effortless. Run a marathon. Compete in a ballroom dancing competition. Or to get that promotion at work. For more advice on what goals lend themselves to this process, check out Michael Hyatt’s blog post on the topic.
And make sure to share your progress with me! Happy 2023!
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