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System over Goal aka process-oriented, system-oriented, process over outcome see habit, aspiration, goal, system you do not rise to the level of your goals. you fall to the level of your systems --- Atomic Habits, p. 27 most of our culture is outcome-oriented instead of process-oriented. focusing on outcomes can lead to feeling overwhelmed and can prevent people from even starting the process itself (which could be wrongly rationalized as a lack of motivation or as laziness) --- https://youtu.be/_ZVGXmafWqY?t=72. while goals are lighthouses helping set a direction, systems are best for making progress --- https://youtu.be/D_F45YuUHUA and https://youtu.be/Duo7OB3NEQg?t=7m15s and https://youtu.be/Duo7OB3NEQg?t=9m53s because of system over goal, tracking something is often better than trying to restrict it through willpower and self-control --- https://youtu.be/ewzC_ica4Fw. this is often referred to as habit tracking --- Atomic Habits, pp. 195--196, 200. however, for the measure to remain relevant, it must not become the target, see goodhart's law tradeoffs advantages of system over goal successful and unsuccessful people share the same goals, and therefore goals cannot be what differentiates winners from losers achieving a goal only feels good for that moment in time, but then hinders longer-term progress as motivation quickly fades afterwards goals can create an either-or conflict: either you achieve the goal or you don't, even if you were making progress in the right direction --- https://youtu.be/PZ7lDrwYdZc?t=215 --- Atomic Habits, pp. 24--27 examples example seeing jobs in a system over goal way focusing on getting a job is very abstract and outcome-oriented, see aspiration. instead, one should focus on applying for 10 jobs a week, which is a concrete habit that is easy to measure even though that person wouldn't be guaranteed to get a job that way (as they are not focusing on the outcome), they are still way more likely to reach the outcome (as the process is what often leads to the outcome) getting a job is completely out of one's control, but applying to 10 jobs a week is entirely under one's control. this can also increase the likelihood of that person getting a job example how "the process" can be very valuable https://youtu.be/rzwaaWH0ksk?t=1749 from 29:09 to 31:22 example someone favoring system over goals --- https://youtu.be/ombpvrlglfU
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System over Goal

aka process-oriented, system-oriented, process over outcome

you do not rise to the level of your goals. you fall to the level of your systems --- Atomic Habits, p. 27

most of our culture is outcome-oriented instead of process-oriented. focusing on outcomes can lead to feeling overwhelmed and can prevent people from even starting the process itself (which could be wrongly rationalized as a lack of motivation or as laziness) --- https://youtu.be/_ZVGXmafWqY?t=72. while goals are lighthouses helping set a direction, systems are best for making progress --- https://youtu.be/D_F45YuUHUA and https://youtu.be/Duo7OB3NEQg?t=7m15s and https://youtu.be/Duo7OB3NEQg?t=9m53s

because of system over goal, tracking something is often better than trying to restrict it through willpower and self-control --- https://youtu.be/ewzC_ica4Fw. this is often referred to as habit tracking --- Atomic Habits, pp. 195--196, 200. however, for the measure to remain relevant, it must not become the target, see goodhart's law

tradeoffs advantages of system over goal

successful and unsuccessful people share the same goals, and therefore goals cannot be what differentiates winners from losers
achieving a goal only feels good for that moment in time, but then hinders longer-term progress as motivation quickly fades afterwards
goals can create an either-or conflict: either you achieve the goal or you don't, even if you were making progress in the right direction

--- https://youtu.be/PZ7lDrwYdZc?t=215

--- Atomic Habits, pp. 24--27

examples

example seeing jobs in a system over goal way

focusing on getting a job is very abstract and outcome-oriented, see aspiration. instead, one should focus on applying for 10 jobs a week, which is a concrete habit that is easy to measure

even though that person wouldn't be guaranteed to get a job that way (as they are not focusing on the outcome), they are still way more likely to reach the outcome (as the process is what often leads to the outcome)

getting a job is completely out of one's control, but applying to 10 jobs a week is entirely under one's control. this can also increase the likelihood of that person getting a job

example how "the process" can be very valuable

https://youtu.be/rzwaaWH0ksk?t=1749 from 29:09 to 31:22

example someone favoring system over goals --- https://youtu.be/ombpvrlglfU