056: Set Your Compass—Systems vs. Goals

Free Time with Jenny Blake

Welcome Deep Questions with Cal Newport listeners! I had so much fun recording the "Help me do less!" episode — check it out here if you haven't already :)

[ 01:49 ] 🚀 I'd love to invite you to the Free Time book launch team! Learn more and join us for a pop-up private community and 5 bonus AMA behind-the-book calls at http://itsfreetime.com/launch-team

[ 04:12 ]🎙I'm starting a new featurette for the podcast called "My Favorite Time-Saving System." Do you have a cool little tip, trick, or sequence that helps you save time at home or work? If so, please record a short voice memo on your phone and send it to [e-mail].

[ 07:13 ] Shifting from specific goals toward surrender, surprise, and serendipity

[ 13:53 ] The problem with the Druckerism that "You can't manage what you don't measure"

[ 16:25 ] Why I find systems much more motivating; Scott Adams on goal-setting people vs. systems people

[ 18:39 ] James Clear: "You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."

[ 21:53 ] Book sales as an example of balancing intention, vision, and systems

[ 23:38 ] Setting a compass for the year ahead — Healthy, Wealthy, Wise, and Grateful — did I add something to every bucket every day?

[ 26:01 ] Also experimenting with Traction's EOS with my team by creating a weekly metrics scorecard so we can run split tests and improve our systems

[ 27:11 ] Closing reflection questions and Thoreau quote

📘 Books Mentioned:

• Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business
• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
• How to Be, Do, or Have Anything
• Outrageous Openness
• How to Fail at Almost Anything and Still Win Big
• Atomic Habits
• Traction

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• Author Toolkit
• Scott Adams on The Tim Ferriss Show
• James Clear on Brené Brown's Dare to Lead podcast: Part 1, Part 2
• Featured on CNBC: Kick-start your new year with a mind map like this
• Adele on Oprah: "It was never about losing weight. I'm an athlete."

🎙 Related Episodes:

• 012: Generating Personal MBA Momentum with Josh Kaufman
• Check out the full Free Time podcast archives here »

🎁 Give yourself (and a friend) the gift of Free Time as we head into 2022: Preorder and submit proof of purchase to get early access to the audiobook as part of the Buy One, Get One, Give One holiday bonus!

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