Simple actions with constraints might be better for you than goals
Innovation comes easier when experimenting within a specific niche
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Just watched Westernberg’s video about setting constraints instead of goals. It sounds like typical feel-good business/self help book stuff.
In this episode he explains how:
→ some people want to be someone. They set a goal.
→ other people want to do something. They set “constraints”.
Examples of goals:
- become a best selling author
- sell my paintings
- get a prestigious CV
- run an engineering company
- be recognised data scientist
- find a partner
Examples of constraints
- I’ll write every day but never anything I find boring
- I’ll show people my paintings regularly and won’t accept less than £100/hour spent producing them.
- I’ll spend 10 hours a week doing career-useful side projects or networking (maybe missing an extra element here?)
- I’ll spend 10 hours a week working on engineering projects I can do from my shed.
- make new dashboards regularly and share them from your phone
- lll go on dates each week and be frank with each person about whether we are compatible
The idea of constraints is to define a problem to work within. Then this results in better performance, more creation, better progress.
You’ll notice that the name isn’t perfect. Really this just looks like making smaller goals and adding a constraint with it. What do we call that?
I suspect it works for the following reasons:
- quantity over quality: best potters make many pots; rather than just perfecting a single pot (so the saying goes)
- experimentation: perhaps innovation can be found by specialising within a niche
- dedication: focus on the practice rather than the outcome
- SMART goals: the constraint definitions tend to tick some of the SMART boxes around simplicity, time-specific etc. Broad goals don’t always break down easily
- not intimidating: smart goals can be scary to set for some reason. It’s just sooo much effort to do. This constraints thing seems like a nice shortcut.
So, will I apply this rule? Not sure. It’s kind of nice. I suppose I appreciate the idea of dedicating to a practise rather than making lofty goals without thinking about the process.