Micro-goals and purpose-driven systems

Est. reading time: 5min 41sec

Looking at my backyard this morning reminded me of one thing…

Well, technically 2 things. The fact that I fell short of my goal to grow grass correctly (um yep, more about this on the podcast), and the end of summer.

Does the end of summer make you re-evaluate your goals? It’s one of those inevitable times of the year when we question our intentions. After the relaxation of the beach, the kids being home for a couple of months, and the one too many daiquiris by the pool wears off, it’s time to kick back into gear and re-focus!

Q4 will be different!

Think back on how many times have you been gung-ho, ready to start a fresh new goal. Whether it was January 1, you just turned 30, or it’s… Monday.

We’ve all been there.

The excitement is palpable. The planning, the freshness, current you telling future you how it’s gonna go down. You make a goal that has an end date of 6 months (or a year) out. Doable — sure. Probable? Maybe not.

In Joyful Productivity, George Kao says that we should create a system of micro-goals and then achieve the relevant milestones along the way.

Meaning that when we create big, future goals, the less we can accurately predict when (or if) we will achieve it. So instead of creating those big hairy scary goals, we should focus on creating a system for action that makes it more likely that we will actually complete that goal.

Want an example?

For the sake of simplicity, let’s do an easy one.

Goal: Run in the New York City marathon by the end of the year.

OK. Depending on your fitness level that’s a pretty lofty goal. If your fitness level is like mine (exercise a few times a week and sit most of the day), that’s probably a stretch goal, but let’s go with it. If it’s now January and you realize that you can’t run more than 10 minutes at a time, about 2 weeks in, the doubt will start to set in. You’ll start looking toward November to see how you’ll actually achieve this goal, and it will start looking bleak.

Instead of looking at the big picture, what system could you create for this goal?

System: Run 10 minutes a day.

Small? That’s the point.

Achievable? Absolutely.

As the months go by, you can adjust your system by increasing the number of minutes each day based on your progress.

Creating an achievable micro-goal is more likely to help you inch toward that big end-of-year goal and chances are it’s not the only goal you have. These micro-achievements not only give you results that you can see, but they also help create more meaning in your life. Because at the end of the tunnel there is always more purpose. At the end of that big goal is always another step.

Think about it. If you dig deeper into the why of all of your goals, you’ll likely find some sort of purpose, clarity, or growth. To make yourself even just 1% better. Micro-goals and systems help get you there (thereby achieving more in the process).

I discuss this a bit more in the podcast episode this week if you want to take a listen.

So how can you create systems or micro-goals around your business goals? Take a look at one of your big goals that you currently have — whether it’s income related, product related, health related, whatever. What are some micro-goals you can create to inch your way toward the big picture?

Then take it a step further — go beyond that big goal and really dig into the why of your goal. That is your end goal, and chances are, everything will lead to that end goal. Your purpose, your growth, your clarity.

If I think about it - my goal wasn’t better grass, it was a better quality of life on the weekends. To spend more time in the yard, get fresh air and exercise and spend it with my family. Those reasons are ultimately better than having green grass.

Those bigger purpose goals give you more reason to complete those micro-goals.

If you’re looking for a simple way to organize your goals into smaller micro-goals (or systems), I created a Google Sheets template to easily help you manage this. Grab it here for just $7. Prefer Notion? I made one of those too. If you are upgraded to Coffee Perks Premium, you get 15% off with your perks code.

☕️ Simmer on this tip

The biggest mistake that people make when trying to improve their productivity is making their new system too complex. Why do you think that is? Because if it’s too complex you won’t use it! It’s so exciting to get something new and use the shiny bells and whistles, but if you have to plod around figuring out how to use the damn thing, it’ll be something else that goes into your software graveyard. Save yourself the trouble and start small. Use the bare minimum features that will get you started and you can play with the bonuses later.

❤️‍🔥 Hot finds this week

1. 21 Small Things You Can Do For Your Audience from Pat Flynn. A quick infographic of key content upgrades you can offer your audience - I’m a fan of #13, I haven’t done it very often but when I did, it made their day. My gears are turning of how to work in some of these!

2. Scheduling and calendars! If you’ve been in the market for an online scheduler (think Acuity or Calendly) without the monthly price, AppSumo has a deal that’s going away this week — sorry, I don’t know exactly what day — Trafft. It does everything the well-known schedulers do and they are offering a white-label agency plan which means you can manage multiple client calendars under your account. Agency plans are great because you can set a price for your service of managing their account… basically forever unless they decide to change software. Check out Trafft if you’re looking for a scheduler.

3. In case you missed it, Florida State beat LSU 45-24 last week. Let’s do it again this weekend! OK not really a hot find (I owe you one) but I had to give a shout out to the start of college football season. Reply with your favorite team (rivals welcome)! Go ‘Noles!

🫣 Can you relate?

What I’ve been binging: I know I’m waaay behind - like what took me so long behind. But a couple weeks ago I started watching Seal Team and now I can’t stop. With the SAG-AFTRA strike still going on, who knows when our shows will trickle back, so I decided to discover some on my list that I never got around to. This one has 6 seasons (7 in November!), so it’ll keep me busy for a while. I mean… I can only watch the entire Vampire Diaries series so many times (is 7 too many?).

🎙️ Weekend listening on the pod

Today’s episode is an audio version of the micro-goal training above. If you prefer to listen along instead: How micro goals can lead to massive results.

If you listen to the episode, let me know on my X thread!

Until next time,

💌 Brought to you by

If you’re in the market for a daily planner app (and have the budget to do so), I invite you to check out an app called Sunsama that has seriously changed the game for me on how I plan. I discussed it in Episode 90: The reason I’m obsessed with my to-do list, so you can give it a listen to find out more or just click the box above to go directly to their website. Coffee Perks readers can use my link for a 30-day trial (normally 14).