Reaching Goals Via Systems & Stars
The Destinations & Systems that Move Us
Image by Estée Janssens from Unsplash
In his clarion-call book The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield asks “Are you a writer who doesn’t write? A painter who doesn’t paint? Are you an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.”
The War of Art reads like a personal essay, a confessional, and a How-To manual all at the same time. Steven Pressfield is a noteworthy writer in terms of volume of work, critical acclaim, fame, and financial gain. Despite his success, the author describes the life of a writer, of every creative, and of every person to be marked by ongoing battles with a universal force that keeps people from fulfilling their dreams and potential. Pressfield uses the word Resistance as an umbrella term for a force that acts against human creativity. Pressfield calls Resistance an invisible, self-sabotaging, impartial impediment to creating, making, doing, and reaching goals. Pressfield states simply that every person, each of us, knows Resistance all too well. Resistance can be overcome however. His ultimate advice for beating Resistance? His three-step system to overcome Resistance follows:
Turn pro when it comes to the goal; Treat accomplishing the goal the way an accomplished professional treats their work;
Remove friction that stands between you and your goals; Lay running gear out the night before a run, say no to commitments that keep you from painting every morning, etc.
Create, prioritize, and protect sessions with yourself to engage in work that inches you toward a goal. Sessions need not be long and they need not happen every day. 3x to 4x sessions weekly for 20 to 30 minutes is enough to move mountains.
Goals are reach them and be done. Systems on the other hand have no deadline, are wonderful set-and-forget tools, and systems beat motivation, planning, and passion every time.
North Star Objectives & Staying the Course
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The North Star is the name commonly attributed to Polaris, the star that lies directly above the Earth’s Northern pole. The term North Star is a metaphor for a point that acts as a beacon and a guide. Productivity gurus often refer to the value of setting North Star objectives to steer progress. North Star objectives are high-level coordinates that act as compass points. North Star objectives differ from goals — they are bigger than goals. They are destinations that guide our over-arching plans. How might we use North Star objectives and systems to progress toward what matters most? An achievable starting point might include:
Sketch out a rudimentary vision, the beginning of a North Star objective, in three areas — Health, Career, and Family. Where do you aspire to be healthwise, in your family life, and in your career in 5 years? In 10 years?
Choose one North Star objective that pertains to either Health, Career, or Family, and notate three tasks your will complete by the first of the month that will advance you toward your objective.
Turn pro — treat accomplishing the three tasks the way a professional treats their work.
Remove friction that stands between you and your three tasks. Set out your running clothes before you sleep, make Sunday a no-outside-commitments family day, etc…
Create & Show Up for time with yourself to work on the tasks you’ve deemed important.
Follow these steps, and you will have systemized progress toward one of your North Star objectives. That’s a big deal, and a manageable method that can be replicated.
The collective advice?
1) Determine two or three North Star objectives; then
2) Automate simple systems that move you incrementally toward your aspirations and North Star objectives.