A goal that's just a number isn’t smart

A story for better planning.

When we want something, it’s pretty normal for us to use some kind of number as the central focus. It could be a monetary goal, a number of followers, or even how many times we’ll hit the gym each week.

However, these are often too abstract and we quickly lose the meaning behind them. This often leads to decision-making that can actually work against what we really want.

In order to illustrate my point, I’m going to tell you a story about Sam. A man with a young family and a goal in mind.

Time to buy a house

Sam needs ￡20,000 for a deposit on a house. With this goal in mind, he embarks on a money-saving mission.

The family are renting an apartment, it’s not fancy but they have a long-term agreement and the comforts they need. The rent is ￡1,000 a month, plus bills. Desperate to get on the property ladder, they create a savings plan and stretch themselves slightly.

They can afford to save ￡600 a month, meaning it will take them more or less three years to get to ￡20,000. In an effort to speed up the process, they decide to move to a cheaper apartment.

They find a smaller place in a different area which saves ￡200 on rent. They now have ￡800 to save each month which makes a huge difference. They’ll get to buy their house nine months earlier!

Quickly after moving in they realise the new apartment is close to a railway. Trains roll through periodically, day and night. Weekend trips and days out become more common to get away from all the noise. Frustrated and tired after over a year, Sam decides again to look for another place.

Now desperate for peace and quiet, they find an old cottage further away from the city. A peaceful countryside setting looks like the perfect option and so they make the move. But the added commute loses Sam an extra hour each day and the old house uses a lot more heating to fight damp.

Unwilling to move again, Sam and his family stick it out while they finish saving. With all the added costs, it takes them three years anyway, but at least now they have over ￡20,000 and are ready to find a house.

Sam’s done a great job to get the money together, but was this the smartest path he could have taken?

Why, Sam?

Eventually, they find an apartment. They decided to buy somewhere in the same building they had lived in, three years earlier. They liked it there, they know the area and it feels comfortable.

Toasting with friends and family, Sam shares why he was so happy to have finally found a home. Welling up with emotion he explains that a stable environment to call their own was what they had long wished for.

And this is the deeper meaning that Sam would have been smart to think about at the beginning.

Sam and his family moved on. two extra occasions and spent much of their time frustrated. It didn’t even save them any time or money.

When we fixate on a number, we often see it as the only measure of success. After all, there’s no doubt Sam needed ￡20k to get that house and achieve his ultimate ambition.

But with the true motivations identified up front, a more balanced view of outcomes that add or subtract from them is gained.

This makes the journey less volatile.

The key takeaway

Keep asking yourself why until you run out of answers. This more meaningful understanding will help keep you on the journey. The wider perspective enables you to react better to curveballs and make the most practical decisions.

Remember:

• Numeric measures can be great for tracking progress, but they make for poor goals
• Get to the deeper meaning behind the outcomes you want in life
• Don’t just think about what moves you closer, but also what takes you further away.

This blog was originally posted on medium.