I just read this article, which says that rather than setting goals, we can work on changing systems for how we do things. This, eventually, will lead to achieving our goals. One example the author gave was that if you are a runner and your goal is to run a marathon, your system is your training schedule. He suggests that by focusing on systems or processes, rather than goals, we can increase happiness and motivation.
I like this way of thinking because it seems to me that it’s easy to lose sight of goals. Or get discouraged if they don’t happen immediately. Weight loss is another example. If we focus on a goal of losing a certain number of pounds it may seem to take forever (or never happen). But if we focus on changing eating habits (whether that’s adding something healthy, or avoiding something less healthy), we may have more success in actually losing weight and keeping it off.
This has me thinking about New Year’s resolutions now. I think I’ll adjust my resolutions to focus on changing processes rather setting goals. I’m excited to see how this goes!