As we move into the new year, many of us have set goals.
There is a lot of conversation about creating habits and routines.
However, what may be more important is setting up systems.
Systems to ensure our planned actions (habits & routines) happen.
Systems for tracking progress. And even “systems” for celebrating progress. Let’s look at all three.
Systems for Action
These systems take the friction out of the activity we want to do.
They make us more likely to act and eliminate (or reduce) excuses.
Here are a few examples:
- Plan meals for the week and prep on Sunday = weeknight healthy eating smoother.
- Determining exercise type, location and time the night before = workout routine.
- Prepping a project at the end of the workday = diving into deep work quickly.
For me, an example is this blog. I’m always thinking of ideas and jotting them down in the file.
That way, when I sit down to write, I have inspirational notes to act as a springboard.
Systems for Tracking
Tracking our goals is important to know if we are progressing forward.
We can’t pivot if we don’t know we are off the path.
For each of the habits that lead up to our goal, we need to set metrics.
This could be a performance number, a streak of days, or feedback from others.
Once tracking metrics are set, determine the frequency of checking in – weekly? Monthly?
Systems for Celebration
We tend to be hard on ourselves.
We are frustrated when we don’t meet our goals and provide plenty of negative self-talk.
On the flipside, we rarely celebrate our wins.
Set a day each month (or quarter) to sit back and celebrate what has been accomplished.
Your Turn
Do you have the systems in place to make it easy to meet your goals?
Of the three types of systems, which one(s) is missing from your plan this year?
Could you spend 10 minutes today thinking about the systems for one of your goals?