During the last week in December, as I was finalizing my goals for 2015, I read an insightful post by my friend Grant Porteous that referenced nationally known author and peak performance coach, James Clear, who, during a recent interview, shared a story about a friend of his who wanted to improve his writing.
“Instead of holing himself up somewhere for three days trying to complete an entire book manuscript,” Clear explains, “my friend instead committed to write one thousand words a day without fail, which isn’t much for a writer — around two pages. He did this for 259 consecutive days, accumulating enough content for three books, all of which were published within one year, earning him over $300,000.”
His point: Had his friend treated his writing project as a one-time event centered around a specific outcome, he never would have published three books in one year. But by focusing on small wins and slow gains, he accomplished far more than he ever thought possible in such a short time.
Putting Process Over Goals
Clear’s story underscores his advice to anyone who wants to improve: Instead of focusing on some distant outcome (example: Lose 20 lbs by May 1st), focus instead on the process (run four miles, four times per week).
If you’re a life long goal-setter like me, the idea of relinquishing setting specific, measurable, and time-bound outcomes might seem like heresy. Yet I admit in recent years I have struggled with setting goals that motivated me enough to review them frequently. Often, as the year went on, they gradually lost their relevance and inspiration, like a motivational seminar that pumps you up for a awhile then wears off like a suntan. But when I reflect on my most successful accomplishments in recent years, most were built on creating new sustainable habits — simple, repeatable disciplines that, over time, produced dramatic results in my life.
To be honest, I’m still setting goals (I’ve been doing it for too long to quit!), but I am also committing to changing my approach. Here’s what I’m working on — and how it can work for you.
- Instead of prioritizing your schedule, schedule your priorities. Don’t focus on how much money you want to earn this week, for example, or how much weight you want to lose. “Lose five pounds,” is not an action you can perform; “Do 200 pushups and 200 sit-ups” is.
- Commit to developing one to three new habits for the next 30 days and stick to them. Focus on consistency, even if you have to adjust on the fly. If you’ve committed to exercising for one hour a day, for example, but your schedule unexpectedly changes on one of those days, commit to thirty minutes, fifteen minutes, or whatever you can do. The key is to keep your commitment. (That’s why you must limit them — less is more!)
- Take stock of your results. Track how you feel, what you accomplish, and the impact on those around you. Chances are, you’ll need to make some changes, but give the process enough time to give you honest feedback before you make adjustments.
What about you? Are there one or two habits you can identify that, if you stick with them, will fundamentally impact your future? What are they, and what would it mean to the quality of your life, if you made them a reality?
Excellent blog post! I, too, am a goal-oriented person (or a frustrated perfectionist) and far too often set big goals with no real plan for accomplishing them. But by breaking it down into daily steps and forming them lifelong habits seems to make it much more achievable. Thank you for such a great article!
Thanks for your feedback, Carrie. If you’re looking for an excellent resource on harnessing the power of habits, check out “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. Great book!
Good insight. Goals have help my stay out of activity traps. The ‘A’ item, ‘B’ item, ‘C’ item technique for manageing daily activity is guided by my goals. Several times a day as contacts and activities are presented to me I ask myself whether this particular activity is related to a primary activity or is it a ‘C’ item. I have conditioned myself to yearn for the the process of working on my ‘A’ items (which is most always more rewarding).
This is an excellent article Bill! I am one who hasn’t attacked the “goal setting” way of life, yet at the present I am living day to day with a “daily goal” that has no “due date” or “termination date”, as your article suggested. It’s purpose is to keep me focused on my goal, the more battles I win, the better chances I win the war.
I appreciate your comments, David. I like your thinking on accumulating daily “battle wins” as the key to winning the war. The key is consistency of execution: I know the most successful people in my life leave clues in the habits and disciplines that define them.