When comparing habits vs goals, is one better than the other?

Will habits or goals help you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be?

Let’s start by defining goals and habits.

Goals are future results that we envision in the present.

Habits are behaviors that we repeat frequently without thinking.

Here are some examples of good habits to have:

• Go to bed early

• Write in a journal

• Be grateful

• Get up early

• Eat healthy

• Exercise

• Meditate

However, there are also some problems with habits.

Habits Can Get Boring

Did it ever happen to you that you start an exercise program full of enthusiasm? 

You truly enjoy the workouts and wonder why you didn’t try this program before?

However, as time goes by, and after the first month, things are getting a little repetitive. You still feel the endorphins at the end of the workout, you know it is good for you, and you continue to drag yourself to the gym.

During the following month, your mind starts considering alternatives such as: what about running,  walking, hiking, or following video classes at home.

In addition, things get hectic at work and you tell yourself there are things that are more important than going to the gym.

Moreover, you skip your workout habit more and more frequently until you decide it’s time to cancel the membership because you are not going anyway.

This is just one example of a good habit that feels boring after a few months.

Research on emotions associates feelings of boredom with anger, sadness, and worry. No wonder that we abandon a habit once it’s predictable and boring.

How to Keep Habits Interesting

In order to keep a good habit we need to always change something to keep it fresh.

Here are some options:

• Invite a friend

• Change slightly your routine

• Set a new goal and track it

• Add something exciting to the routine

• Reward yourself with habit related items

• Try new groups with similar interests or habits

• Consult with a personal trainer

• Add something that you enjoy to your habit

• Find someone you admire and get ideas from his or her routine

• Try apps that support that habit

We can anticipate that every habit will get boring sooner or later.

How soon it will happen depends on our personality. I have friends who have been having oatmeal for breakfast for more than 3 years. I have a hard time having the same oatmeal for breakfast for more than 3 months.

In addition, if our habit is closely related to our goals and to the person we want to become it will be easier to find ways to keep that habit.

When thinking about habits vs goals, our goals help to keep habits relevant and interesting.

Habits Can Be Misleading

One of the positive aspects of habits is that they create a predictable structure and routine.

We know what to do and what to expect.

However, sometimes our routines keep us stuck in a rut.

Here are some examples: 

• We are not happy with our job but we continue dragging ourselves to work everyday because there is free coffee and we enjoy talking to some coworkers

• Our friends keep tempting us with unhealthy eating and drinking choices every weekend that we hang out with them

• We drive through the coffee shop every morning, thinking that we should use that money to pay down our credit card debt

Therefore, some habits give us comfort and keep us on automatic mode even if we are not happy with the outcome anymore.

If you anticipate that your life is not going in the direction that you want, take some time to think on your habits vs goals to make the necessary adjustments.

Goals Can Feel Overwhelming and Vague

A common problem with goals is that we have an idea of what the accomplished goal looks like but we are not sure how to get there.

We may want to:

• run a marathon without any running experience

• lose 40 pounds in a few months

• invest money even if we don’t have any savings 

After setting a goal, we need to break it down into a list of tasks that we need to complete in the next weeks and months.

Once you created a timeline for the different tasks, think about systems and habits that will help you to achieve the goal. 

Goals Can Feel like a Rat Race

What happens once you achieve your goal?

Congratulations! You:

bought a new car

graduated from college

published a book

got a promotion at work

After feeling the joy and excitement of having achieved a goal, we set a new and more ambitious goal.

This can feel like we are never satisfied and we are chasing our happiness after every goal only to see it vanish after a short period of time. 

That’s the reason that we need to focus on the enjoyment of working on our goals instead of only focusing on the final result.

Here are more tips on How Working On Your Goals Makes You Happy.

Habits vs Goals

What is the right combination of goals and habits that will help you create the life you want to live?

The first step is to start with your goal in mind. If we don’t know where we want to go, no system or habit will get us there.

Once you decided what goal you want to achieve, you need to break it down into small achievable steps.

Then, we need to figure out how good habits will help us achieve our goal.

Let’s see how habits and goals can work together.

What is Your Goal?

Here are some questions that will guide you to set a goal:

What do you want to achieve? Be specific.

How are you going to measure that you achieved your goal?

Is it something that you will be able to achieve?

Once you have your goal, decide how long it will take you to achieve it.

What are the different steps you will need to complete to achieve your goal?

For example, if my goal is to make $10,000 extra in 5 months the next question is:

What are possible ways I could achieve this goal?

• Maybe working over time

• Selling products

• Offering a specific service

• Working a second job

• Freelancing

• Here are more  Ways to Make Extra Money.

If you break your goal down per month, you know you will have to make $2,000 per month.

This is about $500 per week and $100 extra per day without including weekends.

Your daily goal is to make $100.

What are the options to make this amount of money?

Once you decided what the best options are it’s time to start thinking about your habits.

How will Your Habits Support Your Goal?

Here are some questions to figure out what habits will help you achieve your goal.

What new behaviors will support your daily, weekly, or monthly goal?

At what time will you put in the extra work or how will you work differently?

Once you have a clear picture of your goal and how your habits support your goal, it will be easier to stick to your habits. 

If you want to learn more how goals and habits can make you happy you will find the information you need in this book Turn Your Happiness On.

What is your experience with habits vs goals? Do you start with a habit or with a goal?

Let me know in the comments below.