Content
@
0 reply
0 recast
0 reaction
Tom Beck
@tombeck.eth
Setting objectives is so common in our culture, that we hardly even notice it. When you want to accomplish something, the first step usually involves setting a clear objective—a goal with legible, preceding steps. But when you approach achievement in this way, something counter-intuitive happens: you make it less likely that you will accomplish your objective. The more ambitious the goal (like creating something great), the more setting an objective will hurt you. What should you do instead? Follow what's interesting. Search for novelty. Do what feels fun. Because there's no guarantee that you'll ever reach your intended destination. But if you keep going, you may find something you never expected. Read the full essay here: https://paragraph.xyz/@driftless/why-you-should-not-set-goals?referrer=tombeck.eth
7 replies
4 recasts
11 reactions
Naomi
@naomiii
This resonated with me as I found that when I set myself goals to "publish xyz blog posts" a month, I am not actually finding it all that fun. But when I just go about my usual nerd areas, and writing down random pieces here and there, I end up writing without it feeling like a chore. I don't even know if creating something great is my aspiration in life, if I can impact a few people's lives in a positive way, I consider it a success. I recently decided to listen to one of cal newports podcasts again, and in that he also mentioned that often, when you find yourself procrastinating a lot on a certain thing you set out to do, it might just be your unconscious, your brain not actually being convinced of that being a good idea. Fun is certaily a great criterion then to overcome and identify what's really worth working on. It's like walking around and getting lost in new cities. Often leads to the nicest discoveries.
1 reply
1 recast
3 reactions
Tom Beck
@tombeck.eth
Thanks, Naomi, I’m so glad this piece resonated with you! I feel the same way—as soon as my writing starts to look too structured, I lose interest, and it becomes almost viscerally painful to continue. It works better when I have a light touch and go about it at my own pace (such as responding to your lovely comment a week later lol).
0 reply
0 recast
1 reaction
