TL;DR: This article explains how to replace unreliable goal-setting based on motivation with sustainable systems that support consistent progress, even during busy or difficult times.
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đź“ş Title: How to Build Systems to Actually Achieve Your Goals
⏱️ Duration: 856
👤 Channel: Justin Sung
🎯 Topic: Build Systems Actually
đź’ˇ This comprehensive article is based on the tutorial above. Watch the video for visual demonstrations and detailed explanations.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How is someone meant to balance working full-time with constantly learning and upskilling, getting enough sleep, exercising, taking care of health, spending time with loved ones, AND having free time for hobbies?”—you’re not alone. The good news? It is possible. But only if you stop relying on willpower and motivation and start learning to build systems actually.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack the exact framework used by a coach with over a decade of experience helping thousands of professionals achieve career success while maintaining a rich, balanced life. You’ll discover the three core principles of systems thinking, learn how to design repeatable, resilient routines, avoid common pitfalls, and implement real-world strategies—even if you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or stuck in the “hamster wheel” of constant busyness without progress.
Why Traditional Goal-Setting Fails Busy Professionals
Most people operate on intentions (“I need to exercise”) or even plans (“I’ll study for one hour every evening”). But when life gets busy—and it always does—these good intentions collapse. You get home tired, distracted, or interrupted, and by day three, you haven’t followed through. The result? Frustration, self-doubt, and a cycle of failed resolutions.
The problem isn’t your commitment—it’s your approach. Relying on motivation or sheer willpower is unsustainable. As the transcript emphasizes: “You do not want to develop a system that relies on all the stars aligning. You want it to work on the worst day.”
What Does “Thinking in Systems” Actually Mean?
Thinking in systems means shifting from outcome-focused intentions to process-oriented design. Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” you ask, “What repeatable process automatically leads to that result—regardless of how I feel?”
When you build a system:
- You reduce dependency on willpower and motivation.
- You create automatic behaviors through structured processes.
- You chain successful processes together into a resilient, self-sustaining system.
This isn’t about discipline—it’s about intelligent design. As the speaker notes: “Once you find the processes that actually work, you then chain these processes together and now you’ve got a system.”
Principle 1: Think Holistically About Your Goals
The first principle of building systems actually is to think holistically. This means looking beyond your goal to examine every factor that could influence its success—including your energy levels, environment, responsibilities, and past failures.
Anticipate Failure Before It Happens
Instead of assuming your plan will work, assume it won’t. Ask yourself:
- “What usually derails me?”
- “When have I tried this before, and why did it fail?”
- “What obstacles am I likely to face—tiredness, distractions, family needs?”
The speaker coaches clients by first reviewing their past attempts: “I’m paying close attention to what they did, but also how they responded to that obstacle or challenge.” This creates a barrier inventory—a list of real-world friction points your system must overcome.
Principle 2: Build for Repeatability (Especially on Bad Days)
A system that only works when you’re energized, focused, and uninterrupted is not a system—it’s a fantasy. The second principle is to build for repeatability, meaning your process must function even when you’re exhausted, stressed, or off-schedule.
Evaluate Your Plans Using the “Worst-Day Test”
Ask: “Does this plan require willpower or motivation to execute?” If yes, it violates the repeatability principle.
Most conventional plans fail this test. For example:
- “Study after work” → fails when you’re tired from commuting and family duties.
- “Exercise every morning” → fails if you didn’t sleep well.
True systems eliminate or minimize these friction points. The goal is low-effort execution—not heroic effort.
Real-World Case Study: The Overwhelmed Accountant
Consider the example from the transcript: an accountant working full-time while studying for the demanding Chartered Accountancy (CA) exams.
Initial Plan (and Why It Failed)
His original plan: “Study every day after work as soon as I get home.”
But reality intervened:
- Heavy traffic delayed arrival.
- He was mentally drained from work.
- Family responsibilities (e.g., cooking dinner) took priority.
- By evening, he was too tired to focus.
The conventional advice? “Just push through—dig deep and try harder.” But the speaker rejects this: “That is not sustainable… and it’s also kind of a not a pleasant way to live every day.”
Systems-Based Solutions Explored
Using holistic and repeatable thinking, they explored alternatives:
| Solution Attempt | Potential Benefit | New Obstacle Identified | Resolution Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study after work at the office | Avoids commute fatigue; quiet environment | Comes home late → family dinner delayed | Discuss with family; shift dinner by 1 hour |
| Study before work in the morning | Fresh mind; no evening distractions | Not enough sleep | Adjust nighttime routine to sleep earlier |
| Sleep earlier | Enables morning study | Current evening habits prevent early sleep | Redesign nighttime routine (e.g., reduce screen time) |
This iterative process—constantly cycling between holistic analysis and repeatability testing—led to a workable solution tailored to his real life.
The Mindset Shift: Treat Obstacles as Problems to Solve
A key insight from the transcript: “Just because your first solution isn’t perfect doesn’t mean there is no solution.”
When building systems actually, you adopt a problem-solving mindset. Each obstacle isn’t a dead end—it’s a clue pointing toward a better design. Your role is to keep iterating until you find the combination that works.
The speaker shares his own experience: he once worked full-time as a doctor, ran a business full-time, completed a master’s degree full-time, went to the gym, maintained a social life, spent time with family, and got 8–9 hours of sleep nightly. How? By relentlessly applying this systems approach.
Embracing Productive Discomfort
Many effective system changes feel uncomfortable—like shifting your sleep schedule or restructuring family routines. But the transcript reframes this:
“The discomfort of making the change… is often not as bad as the discomfort of not making the change.”
Living with chronic stress, anxiety, and disappointment because you can’t make progress is far more painful than adjusting your habits. Discomfort is a sign you’re breaking old patterns—exactly what’s needed to get new results.
How Systems Evolve: From Rigid Plans to Adaptive Routines
Traditional planning is rigid: “I will do X at Y time.” Systems thinking is dynamic and adaptive. Your plan includes contingencies:
- “If I’m tired after work, I’ll do 15 minutes of review instead of 60.”
- “If my morning is chaotic, I’ll shift my learning block to lunch.”
This fluidity prevents total collapse when life intervenes. Instead of relying on unwavering willpower (which will waver), your system bends without breaking.
Principle 3: Peel the Band-Aid—Eliminate Temporary Fixes
The third and final principle is called “peeling the band-aid.” Many early system designs rely on band-aid solutions—short-term workarounds that don’t address root causes.
Examples of Band-Aid Solutions
| Symptom | Band-Aid Solution | Underlying Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Constant fatigue | Take a daily nap | Chronic sleep deprivation |
| Poor focus | Use a timer (e.g., Pomodoro) | Weak attention span due to distraction habits |
While band-aids help temporarily, they overcomplicate your system. What if you can’t nap? What if you forget your timer? Your plan fails.
How to Peel the Band-Aid
Instead of relying on band-aids, make fixing the root cause part of your system:
- Use the band-aid temporarily (e.g., take naps while rebuilding sleep habits).
- Create a new intention to address the root issue (e.g., “Improve my sleep hygiene”).
- Apply Principles 1 and 2 to this new goal: think holistically and build for repeatability.
- Integrate the habit change into your master system.
Over time, you replace fragile, condition-dependent tactics with robust, foundational habits.
How to Start Building Your Own System (Step-by-Step)
Follow this actionable process to build systems actually:
Step 1: Identify Your Goal and Past Failures
- Write down your intention (e.g., “Learn data analysis”).
- List every time you’ve tried and failed—and why.
Step 2: Map All Potential Obstacles
- Energy levels
- Time availability
- Environment
- Competing priorities (family, work, health)
Step 3: Design a Low-Friction Process
- Where/when can you act with least resistance?
- Can you attach it to an existing habit? (e.g., “After I brew coffee, I study for 20 minutes.”)
Step 4: Stress-Test for Repeatability
- “Will this work if I’m exhausted?”
- “What if my schedule shifts?”
Step 5: Build in Contingencies
- Create “if-then” rules: “If I miss my morning session, I’ll do a 10-minute review at lunch.”
Step 6: Identify Band-Aids and Plan to Replace Them
- Ask: “Is this a temporary fix?”
- If yes, add a parallel habit goal to solve the root cause.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building Systems
- Optimizing for best-case scenarios: Your system must survive chaos.
- Ignoring energy cycles: Schedule demanding tasks when you’re naturally alert.
- Overcomplicating: Start small. A 5-minute daily habit is better than an hour-long plan you never do.
- Not reviewing: Systems need maintenance. Weekly check-ins prevent drift.
Why This Approach Saves Time and Reduces Stress
Building systems actually may seem like more upfront work—but it’s the same effort directed more effectively. Instead of wasting energy on failed attempts, you invest once in a resilient design that runs on autopilot.
As the speaker states: “It is the exact same amount of effort… All we’re saying is that there is a different way that you can direct that time and effort which is much more likely to help you achieve your goal.”
Tools and Resources Mentioned
The speaker shares insights through two main channels:
- YouTube videos: Including tutorials like “how to create a learning system so that you can develop deep, meaningful knowledge for huge workloads in half the time.”
- Free weekly newsletter: Handwritten (not AI-generated) emails containing “the biggest needle movers” for effective learning, time management, and systems building.
These resources focus on practical, battle-tested strategies the speaker wishes he’d known earlier in his journey.
Advanced Tip: Make Habit Change Part of Your System
When you identify a root cause (e.g., poor sleep), don’t treat it as a separate project. Integrate it into your main system:
- Current system: “Study CA material after work.”
- New parallel track: “Improve sleep by going to bed 30 minutes earlier.”
- Apply the same three principles to the sleep goal.
This layered approach ensures your entire life ecosystem evolves together.
Measuring Success: When Is Your System Working?
Your system is effective when:
- You achieve consistent progress without daily willpower battles.
- You adapt smoothly to disruptions.
- You feel more freedom, not more constraint.
- You’re making meaningful progress on what matters—while still enjoying life.
Next Steps: Deepen Your Learning System
If your biggest time-suck is learning, the speaker recommends watching his dedicated video on creating a learning system that helps you:
- Master complex material faster
- Retain knowledge long-term
- Cut study time in half
This is the natural next step after mastering the three principles of systems thinking.
Final Takeaway: Freedom Comes From Structure
Paradoxically, true freedom—time with loved ones, hobbies, rest—comes not from doing less, but from building smarter systems. When you stop relying on motivation and start designing repeatable, holistic, root-cause-solving processes, you break free from the hamster wheel.
As the transcript concludes: “You’re not stuck on that hamster wheel of constantly feeling busy while at the same time not making progress on the things that you really care about.”
Start small. Think holistically. Build for your worst day. Peel the band-aids. And remember: there is a combination that works. Your job is to find it.
Key Action Items
- Write down one goal you’ve struggled with.
- List every reason it’s failed in the past.
- Design a process that works even when you’re exhausted.
- Identify one band-aid you’re using—and plan to replace it.
- Commit to iterating until it works.
