I shifted my focus to building systems and daily practices instead of setting achievement-based goals.
– Deep work on cool things for four hours every morning instead of “make $x amount of money.”
– Write for one hour every day instead of “write a book.”
– Exercise for 30+ minutes every afternoon instead of “run a marathon.”
– Spend time in nature (walk/run/hike) instead of “become a more calm and peaceful person.”
By building a set of my own daily practices, I live my own definition of a successful life every day of the year instead of feeling anxious about setting and reaching achievement-based goals.
Doing something every day makes it your normal behavior and shapes your identity as a result.
If you write every day, you become a writer. If you run every day, you become a runner. Daily deep work on cool things leads to you becoming someone who has fun building a successful business.
When your behavior and identity are fully aligned, you are no longer pursuing behavior change. You are simply acting like the type of person you already believe yourself to be.
Goals can exist only in the past or future – both of which are just a “stubbornly persistent illusion.” Daily processes and systems–just like reality–are timeless.