How to live

Systems for living a life worth living

This article and the ones that follow are a distillation of my big ideas about achieving long-term goals. I realize how obnoxious it is to tell someone how to live, but nonetheless, I want to defend an approach to life that is less balanced and more intensely focused on realizing longer-term ambitions.

I take an unusually intense approach to working on my life goals. I spend most of my time focused on things that are important but what others would consider non-urgent. I go to great lengths to narrow my focus to a few significant goals and then commit myself to working on them. While this is an unconventional approach to living, I think it is a more direct path toward a fulfilling life.

The crux of my approach lies in the realization that inspiration and motivation are fleeting. The sparks of motivation I feel to do something significant – be it running a marathon, writing a book, or learning a second language – almost never convert into meaningful output unless I establish systems that force progress after the motivation fades.

Over the last five years, I have refined a set of systems that have helped me more reliably convert those sparks of motivation into meaningful progress on my life’s ambitions. This article series will take you through those systems. As it turned out, I had a lot to say, so I have divided my approach into five articles, each tackling a step in achieving your life's goals. 

My five systems for achieving life goals:

1. Generating life goals - systems for clarifying what is important

2. Deciding what not to do - systems for narrowing your focus

3. Setting achievable goals - systems for refining your goals

4. Being consistent - systems for creating long-term accountability

5. Achieving a lot with a little - systems for converting complex goals into simple habits

For full effect, I think it is best to read these articles in order. However, if one does capture your interest, they can be read and applied in any order. Alternatively, if you need a lighter entry point to these ideas, I recorded this interview with my dad, where we discussed my systems for living a values-driven life.

All the best with your journey toward realizing your life's goals!