Atomic Habits: System vs. Goals

A lot has been discussed on this. Instead of having goals, we should aim to develop good systems. Instead of having a goal of losing 10 pounds in two months, we should have a system of eating healthy or being fit. 

The main reason behind this approach is: Goals gives us negative stress. If we fail to reach our goal, we may curse ourselves and lose motivation. If we have a system, many of our actions and habits can align towards it.

I am now reading, James Clear's short and excellent book, Atomic Habits. James makes the interesting point is to make the system as an extension of our identity. Instead of saying, I am trying to be in a diet, or I am trying to avoid sugary foods, we should frame it as: I don't eat sweets, or I don't eat high carb food. The advantages with the later framing are that we are building habits based on our identity. Our identity let us choose the habit. It is like a loop.

But I feel goals are really helpful in many cases. In case of any short projects, we should have a goal. If you are building a new product, the goal is to ship the product on a specific date with a scoped set of features. If you are preparing for a half-marathon, the goal is to run a marathon on a specific date or with a specific finish time.

Advice is a tricky tool. It is wise upon on to choose and apply it based on our context.