New Year, new you?
We’ve all been there. January 1st rolls around, and suddenly, your Notes App is bursting with ambitious declarations: I’ll hit the gym 5x a week. Meal prep like a pro. Swipe right smarter. Launch one side hustle (or two).
But while 92% of us kick off each year armed with a shiny list of goals, studies show that only a measly 8% ever cross that finish line. Those aren’t exactly odds worth betting on.
So what gives? Why do our New Year’s resolutions crash and burn faster than a snowman in July?
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says it all comes down to the difference between goals and systems.
Let me break it down.
Related: Realize Your Business Goals With These 4 Entrepreneurship Blogs by Black Women
The Difference Between Goals And Systems
@jordyepooh Trying to get these steps in #morningwalk #weightlossjouney #hotgirlwalk #earlymorning #blacktiktok #blackwomenoftiktok ♬ original sound – JHENÉ AIKO FAN PAGE
Here’s the thing about goals – they sound great on paper but often set you up for failure.
Why? Because goal setting is like giving yourself an all-or-nothing ultimatum. Either you crush your objective and feel like a champ, or you fall short and spiral into self-doubt.
So, say your big 2025 goal is to hit the gym. You’re fired up and do that every day for the first week of January (classic), but then life happens. You oversleep, travel for work, or catch a cold.
Suddenly, that ambitious goal feels impossible, so you give up entirely. Sound familiar?
That’s where systems come in to save the day. Because systems aren’t about hitting a singular target but about building a routine that keeps you moving forward, no matter how small the step.
With a systems-first approach, success isn’t tied to a distant finish line; it’s about showing up and sticking to the process.
So, rather than setting a goal to work five times a week in 2025, create a system where any movement – whether that’s a 10-minute Pilates workout or a 20-minute hot girl walk – counts as a win.
Here are examples of systems you can follow based on the James Clear approach:
- If you’re a digital marketing specialist, your goal might be to boost customer engagement by 30% in 2025. Your system is how you leverage AI-driven insights to personalize campaigns, integrate augmented reality to enhance customer experience, and continuously test and refine strategies based on real-time data.
- If you’re a model, your goal might be to land a major campaign or walk in Fashion Week. Your system is the way you maintain your portfolio, network with industry professionals, stay consistent with fitness and skincare routines, and practice your walk and poses to perfection.
- If you’re an agricultural engineer, your goal might be to increase crop yield by 20%. Your system is the way you design efficient irrigation systems, implement precision farming technologies, test soil quality, and monitor the health of crops through data-driven solutions.
The idea here is to show you that even if you completely ignored your goals and only focused on your system, you would still get results.
Like, say you’re looking to lose weight in 2025, and you completely ignored your goal of getting a flat tummy. If you focused on building a sustainable routine – meal prepping, drinking more water, and moving your body for 60 minutes a day – would you still get results?
I think you would.
Let me show you three more reasons why focusing on systems is a game-changer compared to relying on traditional goals.
1. Goals Often Create The Illusion Of Control Over Things You Have No Control Over
You can’t predict the future (no matter what your stars, astrology chart, and mom often tell you).
But every time you set a goal, that’s what you’re trying to do. You write down your list, envision the perfect outcome, and think you can map out exactly how everything will unfold, without accounting for circumstances or situations that might arise along the way.
The solution? Feedback loops.
As a content creator, feedback loops are my secret weapon for staying on track. Instead of stressing over whether my strategy is working, I focus on building a system that gives me real-time insights.
So, every week I take 30 minutes to check key metrics like engagement rates, follower growth, or video views. But rather than obsessing over the numbers, I review them and that helps me get a clear sense of whether my content is resonating or needs tweaking.
If my latest post gets less engagement than usual, that signals that I might need to adjust my content style, experiment with posting times, or explore fresh topics that my audience craves.
These feedback loops help me course-correct in real-time. I don’t need to predict the future or stress over every move I make. Instead, I focus on creating content and let the metrics tell me when to pivot or double down.
So, let go of trying to control every aspect of your life and rather create a system that can signal when you need to make adjustments.
2. Goals Tend To Sabotage Long-Term Progress
@benlionelscott1DON’T STOP WORKING♬ original sound – Motivational Videos
You signed up for a marathon last year. You trained tirelessly, adjusted your diet, and did everything right to cross that finish line – and you did.
But what happened next? You stopped training. Without the race as motivation, you no longer had anything to motivate you.
When all your effort is tied to a specific goal, what keeps you going after you’ve achieved it? This is why so many people slip back into old habits once they hit their targets.
The solution? Shift your focus from results to the process.
Take my September 75-day HIIT program as an example. I started strong, determined to crush every set, but then three weeks in, I got sick. I caught a respiratory infection and was ordered to rest.
At first, I felt discouraged because how could I possibly finish the program now? But I reminded myself that my objective wasn’t just to complete the 75-day program; it was to build a long-term fitness routine. So, I rested, recovered, and started again when ready.
In circumstances like these, a goal-based mentality might push you to ignore the doctor’s orders or worse, give up entirely because why bother? But a systems-based mentality lets you hit pause without guilt, knowing you can pick back up when the time is right.
A system-based approach is never about ticking boxes or hitting deadlines; it’s about committing to the process, not just when working towards a goal but long after. That is what truly drives long-term progress.
Of course, starting over is never easy, especially after making so much progress. But that’s why systems are more valuable than goals. Goals chase short-term results while systems create sustainable progress.
In the end, it’s not about what you achieve in a single moment. It’s about the progress you continue to make over time.
3. Goals Restrict Your Happiness
Do you ever find yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when I finally get there?”
“Oh, I’ll be the happiest when I save $500K before December 2025, I’ll be happy when I get that dream body, or I’ll be extremely happy when I get that promotion?”
Same here sis.
For years, I lived in this mental loop where happiness was tied to achieving a specific goal. I told myself I’d feel the happiest when I got into a long-term relationship or be the prettiest girl if I got leaner.
Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.
I boxed my happiness into this narrow corner of “I’ll be proud of myself when…” so much so that I forgot life rarely sticks to perfect plans. It felt like I was running a race where the finish line kept moving further away.
That’s when I stumbled upon a mindset shift that changed everything – fall in love with the process, not the outcome.
I stopped waiting until I hit certain milestones to feel good and started celebrating the journey itself.
As a content creator, I let go of the pressure to reach 10,000 clicks a day and started celebrating small wins: writing an article that moved just one person, shooting videos that felt authentic to me, or simply finishing a project.
And when I tell you the pressure lifted, I’m not exaggerating. My happiness wasn’t tied to some future milestone anymore. I was already fulfilled, just by doing what I enjoyed every day.
So, in short, when you shift your focus from performance to practice, you get to enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time. I’m living proof of that.
The Takeaway
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying goal-setting is useless or a bad idea.
James Clear himself states in his book—goals are great for planning, prompting new behaviors, and pushing critical thinking.
But systems? Systems are what actually create progress.
Goals offer direction and can push you forward in the short term.
But it’s having a well-designed system that really matters. Committing to the process, rather than the end result, is what makes a difference.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into creating good habits and elevating your life as a Black woman in 2025, we’ve got something special brewing at EmilyCottontop.
We’re transforming our platform to bring you weekly deep dives into everything from leveling up in your career to making your attachment style work for you, all through our unique lens as Black women.
We’re talking real conversations with experts who get it, authentic guides that speak to our experiences, and the kind of honest advice you’d get from your wisest girlfriend.
Want in? Hit that subscribe button and let’s make 2025 the year of transformation!
