Focus on Systems, Not Goals
In 1973, John Darley and Daniel Batson conducted The Good Samaritan Experiment at Princeton University’s Theological Seminary. Half of the students in the class were told they needed to give a speech on the story of The Good Samaritan in another building across campus. Little did the students know, that they were the real experiment. An actor was placed in their path, who had fallen and needed help. The actor would moan, cry out in pain, and actively make it clear to all who walked by. The professors' told some of the groups of students that they were already late for the speech and needed to hurry to get to the other building. Now what do you think happened…the students would walk, run, and step over this placed actor in need on their way to give a speech on helping people in need. So, why did this happen? The students were so narrow focused on getting to the speech on time that they missed the point of the speech. 1
This is the importance of focusing on systems and not goals. The goal was to give a great speech on The Good Samaritan but if they focused on being a person that seeks to help the lost and hurt. Imagine how cool the speech would have gone…”Sorry, for our tardiness, we almost ran past this guy who was hurt but then it hit us we NEED to be the good samaritan here.”
3 Reasons Why Not to Focus on Goals:
- Goals don’t drive sustainable results
- Winners and losers have the same goal
- Score takes care of itself
Goals don’t drive sustainable results
I love goals don’t get me wrong, I have yearly, quarterly, weekly, and daily goals that I set. Goals are very limiting though, they truly put us in a box. Let’s say you had a goal to get a 3.5 average at the end of the semester. If you ended with a 3.2 was the semester a complete failure…NO WAY. What if it ended with you getting a 4.0 average should you stop learning and coast through the next semester, once again…NO WAY. The goal here is only a number. After the semester try to figure out what you can improve in your study and work habits to improve your GPA.
Winners and losers have the same goal
All students that care go into the semester wanting a 4.0. The goal is not the difference-maker that’s going to get you there. It’s the process and habits you form during the semester to stay on top of your course load. Coach Dabo Swinney was on the Positive University Podcast and he talked about his first few years coaching at Clemson. He said you don’t always get the results you want, that is why you can’t be defined by them. There are a lot of wins to be had that are outside the scoreboard.
Score takes care of itself:
3 time Super Bowl Coach Bill Walsh says “The score takes care of itself”. If you are checking your GPA consistently that will not help. Growing your knowledge of what you are studying will help increase your GDP not focusing on your goal.
3 Reasons to Focus on Systems:
- Showing Up
- Long-term Success
- Adaptability and Growth
Showing Up
I love people that make a commitment and stick to it. Even if that’s a commitment to yourself. The principle of showing up takes grit and knowing exactly why you are continuously showing up. It takes intentionality, going through your calendar, and making a plan. I will attend these classes, go to this weekly Tuesday study group at 8 pm, and commit to reading the assigned reading on Thursday mornings. It’s knowing that you’re not going to be doing this for the rest of your life but to be very consistent for a season.
Long-term Success
Creating systems in your everyday life sets you up for long-term success, not just reaching one goal. Systems allow us to scale and grow as we build our processes. Becoming a lifelong learner, developing habits of reading, and growing your ability to retain information will pay off way more in the long run than just achieving a semester of 4.0. Who knows maybe you can learn to do both.
Adaptability and Growth:
Life is unpredictable, you will change, your surroundings will change and chances are your overarching goals with fluctuate. By focusing on building effective systems, you become more resilient and open to learning from the journey itself, rather than being fixated on a specific destination. Once you graduate, the goal post changes completely. However, if you incorporate systems such as eating right, getting 8ish hours of sleep, working out, and reading into your daily routine, your learning will smoothly transition into your next season, whether it’s grad school, the workforce, or something else.
Keep Goals for Planning but Systems for Making Progress
Okay, I’m still keeping goals as a part of my life and I think you should too. I think goals are great at planning your progress. They help give you a target to shoot for but goals will not get you there without systems in place. Systems are how you will make the actual progress.
“Instead of focusing on the prize, focus on the process. The prize will come naturally.” - Denzel Washington