Scott Adams was not just a cartoonist.

Scott Adams passed away yesterday. You may or may not be aware of him. He was the creator of the hugely successful Dilbert cartoon strip. But there was a lot more to Scott than that. Prior to becoming a cartoonist, he had a corporate career in banking. He was also a trained hypnotherapist. Latterly, he was a social/political commentator of quite some impact. He also wrote some great books.

The first time I became properly familiar with Scott's work was when I read his book How to Fail at Almost Everything but Still Win Big about a decade ago. I sometimes think that if you can pick up one or two solid pieces of advice from a non-fiction book, then the time and money invested were well worth it. In the case of How to Fail at Almost Everything but Still Win Big, I think I gained several important and valuable insights. But perhaps the one that had the most impact on me related to goal-setting.

Not uncommonly, individuals set professional or personal goals that can be described as 'far off'. A classic example of this is some version of the interview or appraisal question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" It's not a bad thing to have long-term goals and aspirations but, as Adams points out in his book, this is not always the best approach. 

One reason for this is that the further away the ‘reward’ is, the less compelling and motivating it may be. But also, some of us may not feel we’ve really accomplished anything until we achieve the specific goal we have set for ourselves. Here’s how Adams describes the potential plight of those who set long-term goals:

Goal oriented people exist in the state of nearly continuous failure that they hope will be temporary. That feeling wears on you. In time, it becomes heavy and uncomfortable. It might even drive you out of the game.

This focus on long-term goals is what can cause some to default on the habit entirely. Plus, once the goal is achieved (which may not be assured, anyhow), where’s the motivation to continue? Once the weight is lost and the race is run, why carry on if there is no ongoing reward or defined motivation?

Adams’ solution is to focus not on goals, but systems. The approach here is to put our efforts into a process that we can repeat on a regular basis that gets us towards our goal, and that we can derive satisfaction from every time we successfully apply it. By all means set goals and have ambitions, but my advice would be to set things up so that we can ‘enjoy the journey’ towards your chosen destination. Here’s what Adams has to say on the subject of systems:

Systems people succeed every time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to do. Systems people are feeling good every time they apply this system. That’s a big difference in terms of maintaining your personal energy in the right direction.

For example, if the goal is to lose a certain amount of weight, the system might be to ‘eat healthily’. If your goal is, say, to be promoted, the system might be bringing your best self to work and doing your best work each day.

If you feel stuck on goals, that’s fine, too. You may think of each application of the process as a mini-goal that you have successfully achieved. The point is, even with a long-term goal, it can be good to revel in the feeling of accomplishment along the way.

Personally, I have found Adams' 'systems over goals' advice invaluable over the years. I have applied it to almost every facet of my life. I think it's really helped me enjoy the process of whatever it is I'm doing or working on, which has added immeasurably not just to my motivation and stamina, but to the sheer pleasure and satisfaction I have derived from life. I owe Scott Adams a debt of gratitude, which is why I'm honouring him here.