“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
— James Clear, Atomic Habits
We all know the feeling. You’ve got a new side project idea, a dusty Udemy course, or a blog post sitting in drafts with a title like “Why Async/Await is Underrated” — but somehow, you’re just not feeling it today.
So you wait for motivation to hit. But that ain’t happening soon!
I read Atomic Habits by James Clear a while ago, and one core idea hit me strongly.
Motivation is unreliable. Systems are everything.
Motivation is emotional. It fluctuates. Systems are structural.
So instead of saying “I need to be motivated to go to gym,” it is better to ask, “What kind of system would make me go gym, even on days I feel lazy?”
I used to go to the gym only when I felt like it. That meant I’d show up twice a week… maybe thrice if I had a good playlist.
Then I built a system. I fixed the time for gym. I should enter gym between 9 AM and 10 AM, no negotiation. No matter when I go, I should do a full body warm up, stretch, target one or two muscles, stretch again, cool down, grab a black coffee and continue with the day.
My gym clothes are ready by night to reduce that clanky morning friction. Good workout playlist which triggers me in the mood. BTW, I listen to Heavy Metal playlist in the Spotify.
Heavy Metal in the morning?? Hey don’t judge me :-|
Now? Even on lazy days, I just go. It’s not a debate, it’s a pattern.
So the main idea is that, you build a system that works for you. A system is just an algorithm that reduces friction, triggers you to get started and have a series of steps outlined.
I oversimplified systems. There is much more in that. I truly recommend you to read that masterpiece.
For me it feels like, systems are the ones that build “Discipline”. To be disciplined, you don’t need to go hard on yourself. Just build a system and follow it. If following the system feels tough, make the system in way that it feels easy and joyful to do.
In my own words, Motivation is a spark. Systems are the firewood.
As always, ending with a memes,
