“If you only set your goals well enough, you have already half fulfilled them”. This is how the core statement of John Doerr’s classic book “Measure what Matters” is generally interpreted. Yet goal setting is only one part of the very comprehensive OKR (Objectives & Key Results) framework Doerr presents in his book. The Key Results have to be achieved by people within the organization. And this requires systems, processes and structures that support the achievement of these goals.

It is formulated more clearly by Bill Walsh who, as a legendary NFL coach, won the Super Bowl three times and whose 8 assistant coaches in turn became later head coaches and in turn trained 35 later head coaches. Walsh says “the score takes care of itself” - though “goal” can also be used for score here.

Jeff Bezos says “focus on what you can control, on the input metrics. The output metrics will follow.” In Lean Analytics, target metrics are called “lagging indicators.” And James Clear, author of Atomic Habits and internationally acclaimed speaker, talks about “systems” that lead more reliably to the goal than an exclusive focus on your own goals. I can attest to the effectiveness of this approach. When I was 14 years old, my goal was to have abs. My system was to do 20 push-ups every night. I never achieved my goal, but the push-ups have become a habit. I now do 100 push-ups throughout the day, often supplemented by other exercises. I never had to make a New Year’s resolution to exercise more.

A similar system helps me learn relentlessly. Back when I still had an office job, the daily commute took me just under an hour. During this time I got into the habit of listening to audiobooks or reading non-fiction during commutes and while waiting for something. This yields about 2 hours of reading time a day for at least five days a week. Today I always have my eReader with me so I can spend my waiting time reading a good book.

Other systems are a bit more difficult for me. I have a lot of trouble implementing my own projects. So I aim to make at least one commit per day with my personal GitHub account. It doesn’t have to be a specific project or even a change to the code itself. The important thing is that I’ve opened an IDE and had a look at whatever project is currently in progress. Most days, I get sucked into the project and end up implementing more than originally planned. This doesn’t work every day, but often enough to do wonders for my motivation.

Writing is another great channel for clarity of thought. Which is why I try to produce something in writing each day. Curious Minds is great for this - I have a clear target audience for whom I need to structure my thoughts in a clear and understandable way.

I also want to spend as little of my life indoors as possible. As long as my work is still done exclusively on the computer, I am forced to work indoors. But I go for at least a short walk every day. Because I tend to feel unproductive while outside, I use the time spent walking to answer private messages and plan social activities. Once back inside, I have a clear head for the actual work.

Systems do not have to be work-related. They can also work wonders in a relationship. For example, when I get home before my girlfriend, I prepare her a hot tea for when she get’s home. When I get home after she has already gone to bed, I write her a love-note which she can then find on the kitchen table when she wakes up.

All these habits do not automatically lead to great success. They are small and incremental and the effect of working on a single day can often not be felt immediately. But trace these habits over a year and the impact is enormous. After all, I now not only manage 100 push-ups, but can also do push-ups in a handstand. I have acquired a broad knowledge of marketing, clean code, coaching strategies and democratic theory through my waiting time spent reading. Through my compulsion to make code changes, I’ve developed my own side project further than ever before. And Curious Minds is hopefully evolving in an even stronger direction soon as well.

There are still many things I can do better. I still have great difficulty motivating myself. I have not yet landed a project as a freelancer. I haven’t published a book or sold a software license. But I have a hunch that I can make progress in all these areas by setting up appropriate systems.

What are your systems? Do you guys have any suggestions for me?