Goals

• Learn about a crucial but often overlooked part of getting what you want: Setting up systems.

Introduction

“Is it still January? Do we still need to talk about new years resolutions?” Yeah, we do. People keep looking for ways to make their resolutions stick, and I’ll ride that wave till it inevitably fizzles out in February. It’s good for engagement and stuff.

Breaking down some big, ambitious dream is tedious, isn’t it?

If you want to become a tenured professor in a prestigious ivy league university, you need to teach for a couple of years. In order to do that, you need to apply and get the position. Having a bunch of published and ground-breaking research might help. Which means you need to work on a doctoral degree first. You can only do that if you have a master’s though... College it is then. So you need good grades. You should probably attend a top-notch high school... And to do that, you need to be born into an upper-middle-class family (or higher) in one of those privileged countries. Too real? Ok, let’s turn it down a few notches, sorry.

But as you can see, it’s exhausting to plan all of that from the start. There’s gotta be a better way...

Hmm, Nah, I'm afraid I’m out of shortcuts. Some influencers with millions of followers sold all of them already... Oops. But they tend to blow up in your face eventually, poor quality control these days... So actually, that’s good news! We’ll have to stick to some proven, albeit a bit strenuous methods. But hey, at least they won’t explode, pinky promise!

Systems are for lazy people - and being lazy is best!

One method that’s sure to snowball into an overall easier life is to work on your systems. What’s a system? Think of the way you go about personal hygiene. You brush your teeth at certain times throughout the day, you take a shower when you get out of or into bed. You found products that work in conjunction with these routines. And you optimized it over the years. I’m pretty sure you’re not spending too much thought on when and how to brush your teeth. You just do it.

Similarly, you can find systems for pretty much anything else in life. And it’s usually the ones who found and perfected a system that magically achieve what many others fail to get. Those with a ripped beach body have a workout plan and certain rules they follow when it comes to their nutrition. Money tends to aggregate for those individuals who routinely invest. And laid-back, carefree people do fun stuff to get in a good mood on a daily basis. All of them don’t have to spend a lot of time on those habits. Over time it has become their default mode of going about life.

So the key is to set up systems that work for you, that increase the quality of your life (by getting you closer toward a certain goal, saving time, letting you enjoy life, etc.), optimize them, make them stick, and then reap the rewards. These systems might be hard to get going but are quite effortless to maintain. We are simple creatures. We like to do the same things over and over again. We might as well exploit this little quirk.

Try the “systems first” approach

Whenever you set out to do something, get something done, go for a new goal, try asking the following question before breaking it down into smaller steps:

Is there a system I can create or a habit I can adopt that will make this easier in the future?

Thinking about what to eat today? You could create a list of recipes that you keep in rotation. Want to earn more money? Spend a few hours every week to hone some of the key skills your job hinges on. Fix your stale marriage? A dinner date each week (you'll probably need to hire a nanny...) might do the trick.

Personal examples

I’m a system fiend - as in I go crazy for systems. These habits have become second nature at this point, I barely spend a single ounce of thought on them anymore.

My systems to stay healthy and fit:

• Workout first thing in the morning
• Basic supplements and vitamins (I’m not a doctor, do your own research) and a banana + 2 kiwis every day
• Get enough protein by supplementing if needed
• Track weight daily and micro-adjust my calorie intake accordingly. Again, super simple. Weighing more than I should? Let's eat a little less this day.
• Create a new workout program and optimize it every couple of weeks to target weak points
• Have a list of healthy recipes, meal prep as much as possible
• 7-8 hours of sleep every night
• 1 liter of green tea every day

My systems to cultivate mental health:

• Daily reflections (Morning and Evening)
• Journaling if needed
• Meditate for 10 minutes when switching between work and free time
• Regularly reflect on past learnings from my therapy

Don’t just copy other people’s systems though. They might not work for you. Try a few things, review how well they get the job done, optimize and repeat.

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