Habits and Goals

I liked this blog by Shane Parrish on the importance of habits v/s goals. He starts by pointing out that the difference isn’t semantic. Habits have no deadline whereas goals do e.g. reading is a habit whereas trying to read 12 books a year is a goal.

So what are the issues with setting goals? Isn’t setting them supposed to be a good thing? Of course they are, but goals have their downsides too:

1)      Goals have endpoints; so people often revert to their old ways after achieving a goal.

2)     Goals may be interrupted by events outside your control. Like an injury.

3)     Pursuing a goal requires a lot of focus, which often comes at the expense of other things.

4)     People sometimes confuse setting a goal with achieving it! (Apparently this happens more if people declare their goals to others). Worse, unrealistic goals can lead to unethical behavior.

Ok then, what are the positives of habits?

1)      Once formed, you can do them on auto-pilot. That means doing those things doesn’t drain you.

2)     Habits avoid the pressure with goals; and can sometimes even result in exceeding goals.

3)     Habits can be for life, not just for the short sprint of a particular goal.

4)     Habits can have a compounding effect on each other.

5)     Habits can be small, and could be expanded later.

On the downside, habits can be hard to break.

I think the key difference is what Parrish himself points out:

“While goals rely on extrinsic motivation, habits are automatic.”

Of course, it’s not an either-or choice. The key takeaway is that one should know which is the right way to go about a particular end result you desire.