I got a heap of replies to my emails from people telling me about their hopes, dreams, and goals for 2024. 

You know what nobody talked about?

The tangible systems they were going to use to accomplish these.

Very concerning.

See, there are three levels at which you can play the game of life and business in 2024.

Level 1 is the “resolution” or hope level.

This is where you hope for improvements in an area, then maybe take one or two of the easiest and least valuable steps towards accomplishing this (e.g., signing up for a gym membership or buying a podcast microphone).

I don’t need to tell you that hope is not a good strategy.

Level 2 is the goals level.

You've no doubt heard of SMART goals, right?

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. An example of a SMART goal:

"I’ll start my diet plan on the 1st of January, weighing myself daily in order to reach my goal of losing thirty pounds by the 31st of December." 

This is better than the hope level, because you're getting more specific, but not by much.

The problem with goals, whether SMART or not, is that they don’t tell you what to do to achieve them.

Level 3 is the systems level.

This is the level at which the pros play.

They understand willpower and motivation are finite, fleeting, and unreliable.

So they implement systems.

A systematic approach to getting what you want in life and business is made up of three things:

1. Setting Up Your Environment

Pros set up or move to an environment that’s conducive to getting where they want to go.

It’s hard to eat healthy when your fridge and pantry are full of unhealthy snacks and processed food-like substances.

This is why people who want to make it in country music move to Nashville. Aspiring actors move to Hollywood. Tech startup founders looking to create the next unicorn move to Silicon Valley. These environments are highly aligned with these outcomes.

Fortunately for most things you want to achieve, you don’t have to physically relocate. But you will have to set up an environment that’s conducive to your desired outcome.

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says, "The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."

2. Harness The Power Defaults.

One of the biggest threats to accomplishing what you want is decisions. In a moment of weakness or low motivation, you’ll often make the wrong decision.

One bad decision can easily compound into multiple bad decisions, and then you’re stuck with a bad habit.

What’s better than a wrong decision? The right decision.

What’s better than the right decision? No decision.

Instead of hoping to save more and spend less, set up an automated weekly or monthly transfer from your main bank account to an investment account.

The biggest reason people are doing what they’re doing is because they’re already doing it. Inertia explains almost all of your behavior-driven results.

Remove decisions wherever and whenever possible, and let inertia move towards your desired result.

3. Follow A Proven Framework

Amateurs do random stuff in the hope of success. They show up at the gym and randomly throw some weights around, hoping to get stronger.

They do random acts of marketing and hope to grow their business.

Pros make failure a highly unlikely outcome by following proven frameworks.

They don’t try and re-invent the wheel. They stick to the simple fundamentals.

They remove as much randomness from the equation as possible.

So back to you.

Have you created resolutions, goals, or systems for 2024?