Habits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life

Habits are algorithms operating in the background that power our lives. Good habits help us reach our goals more effectively and efficiently. Bad habits make things harder or prevent success entirely. Nothing will change your future trajectory like your habits. Habits powerfully influence our automatic behavior. Here’s how:

Habit is persistence in practice

Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not

The difference between habits and goals is not semantic
Each requires different forms of action
For example, if you want to learn a new language, you could decide to be fluent in six months (goal) or commit to 30 minutes of practice each day (habit)
You want to read more books, you can set a goal to read 50 books by the end of the year, or you can decide to always carry a book with you
Spend more time with your families, plan to spend seven hours a week with them, or choose to eat dinner with them each night

Why a Systematic Approach Works

By switching our focus from achieving specific goals to creating positive long-term habits, we can make continuous improvement a way of life

While goals rely on extrinsic motivation, habits are automatic
When seeking to attain something in our lives, we would do well to invest our time in forming positive habits, rather than a specific goal

Problems with Goals

Goals have an endpoint

They rely on factors which we do not always have control over
Willpower isn’t just a skill. It’s a muscle, like the muscles in your arms or legs, and it gets tired as it works harder, so there’s less power left over for other things.
Keeping a goal in mind and using it to direct our actions requires constant willpower
Unrealistic goals can lead to dangerous or unethical behavior