PL 101: Systems vs. Goals (Discussion 4)
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Hello Leadership Crew!
Welcome to our 4th discussion in this first course. In todays discussion, we will be talking about systems vs. goals.
To start, please read this post here  and watch this video.
The basic argument here is that having a system is better than having a goal. A system is a way of behaving that helps you move towards accomplishing something. A goal is usually and end state that happens after you have accomplished something. I think eating healthy is a good example. A goal might be to lose 10 pounds. In this case, you feel kind of bad about yourself until you hit that goal; and then, once you hit it, you kind of lose the purpose because the goal has been reached. If you relapse and gain wait again, then you fall back into feeling bad about yourself again. Contrast this with a system of eating healthy. A system might include things like: having a big glass of water prior to each meal; eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; not eating after 9pm; and/or doing some level of intermittent fasting. You wouldnt integrate all of these new healthy eating behaviors at once. Instead, youd gradually introduce one and then another and then another over whatever period of time makes sense. The system enables you to continuously get healthier and healthier. You will eventually reach the goal, but itll be the byproduct of eating healthy.
Another example might be education. I dont really care all that much about grades for my kids. I mostly want them to learn and enjoy learning. We talk about what they learn, we draw things, they make their own educational videos, they explain things to me in their own words etc. I want them to have a system of learning and refining their perspective on things. If they have this system, then having good grades will be a natural result of enjoying learning.
This also has implications for 7 Cups as well. We might have goals of having a certain amount of group support messages or 1:1 messages. Those are fine goals to have, but we mostly want to create a system of support where people care for one another and then the natural result is an increased number of messages. Or, zooming back, think about this leadership development program. We could have an arbitrary goal of training a certain number of new leaders to serve our community; or we can co-create a system - this leadership development program - that helps people become leaders. The natural consequence of the program will be a higher number of trained, competent, and strong leaders that can better support our community. Â
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed? What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
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@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed? *
I need to set up a system of studying efficiently to achieve my academic goals and prepare well for my future career.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
Create a schedule with regular breaks, joining study groups and discussing study-related topics with my friends and classmates, and tracking my progress.
@MoonlightHelper1
Heya, Helper (again)! Best of luck with studies, I know how hard it can be to get the motivation to push through! Keeping in mind your end goal can be helpful sometimes as well, as it lets you know why you're doing what you're doing at the moment. :) xx
@rebecca947
Thank you so much for your encouraging words!! :)
@GlenM
I really like the example you used! I think especially during the pandemic everyone including myself has gotten worried about their health. In a way, I am obessed with the number on the scale and am desperate to see a lower number. To make this 'healthy' life a lifestyle, I've slowly started to cut out caffeine! Another thing I will start doing is sleeping early! All my doctors keep telling me to start sleeping earlier. And finally, I'm going to start is meditating! I've read so much about its physiological benefits in the long run and I'm excited to start it and notice a differance!
@pizzaiscool
Jen! (I hope I got your name correct...) Good on you for cutting out caffeine! It can be difficult to get started but good on you for doing so regardless. Sleeping early means having dinner early, which is also a good thing. Meditation is indeed truly amazing, and something so free! Best of luck with your implementation xx
@rebecca947
You did! And thank you! I hope it all works out. figers crossed :)
@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
A key system I need to set up in my life is getting my room cleaned. Having a clean room can actually motivate you to do things you like.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1: Writing down that I need to clean my room
2: Not clumping up stuff upon stuff upon stuff
3: Putting stuff back where I got them from
@SophTheListener2022
Hey, Soph! Indeed, a clean room is a clean mind too! What has helped me is at the end of the night, put everything back where they belong. What also helps is each time I leave a specific room, I'll take an item out that belongs in the room where I'm next headed to. I hope they are some suggestions you'll think about and possibly implement if you find them helpful! Best of luck with tidying your space xx
@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
A key system I need to set up in my life is getting my room cleaned. Having a clean room can actually motivate you to do things you like.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1: Writing down that I need to clean my room
2: Not clumping up stuff upon stuff upon stuff
3: Putting stuff back where I got them from
@SophTheListener2022
Liked your answer :)
My key system is to be more organized and productive. I can do that buy eating healthier, exercising, and going to sleep earlier at night.
@FrostyMonkey
Sounds great! Good luck.
1. I need to find a way to manage my time, because I'm a very stressful person and I can easily loose track of time.
2. I need to limit my phone time and set some boundaries here on 7cups mostly, because I often have lend much of my time to help people when I should be doing homework or getting ready for bed, and that's only making me feel worse in the end. I also need to schedule my time better by putting specific timetables on when to be online and when offline so that I can do everything.
@GlenM
1, Get enough sleep and stop binging junk food at night. ( this makes my brain fog getting worse, a night of good sleep means a good morning) so maybe set up my alarm, sleep enough 7 hours and avoid the kitchen at night
2, Being more productive by setting a timetable.
3, being happy. Enjoy the moment, try to not care too much about what others think of me ( as in both appearance and freely express myself)
@GlenM
A key system that i need to set up in my life is doing things step by step. I want it all and i want it now. But this is not realistic.
3 behaviors you I can implement to help you gradually grow that new system:
- One project at a time
- Plan each step of the project
- Be patient
@Vintagechoc That's the spirit! You'll soon realize that if you take one step at a time, things will look easier!
@GlenM
I need to set up a system to make sure I do the activities that I value the most, and do not neglect them because of inertia, impulses, distractions, etc. In particular, I want to make sure that every day I allocate some time to meditation, some to studying the piano, and some time to drawing or painting. Not necessarily a lot of time, but at least a little time to each of all three.
Three behaviors I can implement to help me establish this new system could be: 1) Adopt the "2-minute-rule", that is, allocate daily at least 2 minutes to each of these activities 2) Write down every day in a notebook, diary, or calendar, whether I did or didn't spend some time on these matters 3) Hang a "Congratulations !" banner over my desk every day that I have done at least 2 minutes of each one.
@GlenM
Awesome, very insightful discussion, loved every bit of it!
As far as the question goes:
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed? What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
There are so many very important systems I need to set up in my life that's actually very hard for me to pick one.
However, I'll go with living a healthy emotional lifestyle, if that makes sense.
The 3 behaviors for me to implement to gradually grow that new system in my life would be:
- Focus more on self-care (crucial - doing physical activity, mindfulness, etc.)
- Listen more to others, open more to them, but being able to take major decisions on my own without striving for others agreeness with my vision.
- Better time-management, especially at work, and no attempts of multitasking as to not lower my energy/stamina levels.
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Thanks again for the productive discussion, and insigtful reflection, @GlenM
