Podcast Summary
Taking Control of our Habits: Shaping our Actions for Success: Our habits shape our behaviors and outcomes in life. By understanding and consciously shaping our habits, we can take control of our actions and achieve positive changes in various areas of life.
Habits play a major role in shaping our behaviors and ultimately our outcomes in life. James Clear explains that a significant portion of our actions are automatic and habitual, whether we realize it or not. These habits not only affect our day-to-day activities but also influence the decisions and behaviors that follow. By understanding how habits work and learning to shape them consciously, we can take control of our own actions and become the architects of our habits rather than their victims. Clear emphasizes that our results in various areas of life, such as finance, health, and knowledge, are a reflection of our habits. Therefore, if we want to see positive changes and achieve our desired outcomes, focusing on our habits is essential.
The Mismatch Between our Ancestral Wiring and Modern Society's Demands: Understanding and navigating the mismatch between our ancestral wiring and modern society's demands is crucial for personal growth and success.
Our modern society is structured in a way that rewards delayed gratification, which can create a mismatch with our ancestral wiring for instant gratification. Our ancestors lived in an immediate return environment where decisions had quick payoffs that impacted survival. However, modern society has introduced structures that prioritize long-term rewards, such as saving for retirement or studying for a future degree. This misalignment between our paleolithic hardware and the demands of today's society may contribute to our desire to change our behavior and adjust habits. While some aspects of modern society are mismatched with our ancestral wiring, the desire for status and hierarchical recognition remains a consistent motivator. It is important to understand and navigate these mismatches to achieve personal growth and success.
The Role of Habits and Their Effects on Behavior: Understanding the immediate and delayed outcomes of habits helps explain why bad habits are easy to fall into and why willpower alone is not enough for long-term change.
Habits, whether good or bad, serve us in some way. Although we commonly classify habits as good or bad, researchers prefer to categorize them as adaptive or maladaptive. Most behaviors produce immediate and ultimate outcomes across time. Bad habits often have favorable immediate outcomes, such as socialization or stress relief, while the ultimate outcome is negative, as seen with smoking. On the other hand, good habits often require upfront costs and provide delayed outcomes. The misalignment between immediate rewards for bad habits and future punishments for good habits explains why we tend to fall into negative patterns easily. Immediate and intense feedback is crucial for behavior change, as behaviors that are immediately rewarded get repeated, while behaviors that are immediately punished get avoided. Willpower alone is not a sustainable strategy for long-term change.
The fluidity of discipline and the need for self-awareness: Discipline is not a fixed trait, but can be developed and molded over time by understanding and adapting to our individual tendencies.
Discipline is not a fixed trait, but rather dependent on different contexts and areas in our lives. James Clear shares how he was seen as disciplined in school, but struggled in sports. He also admits to avoiding certain behaviors out of fear of failure. This reveals that discipline can be molded and developed over time, as he learned to take risks and overcome his fears. The discussion on free will adds another layer to the concept of discipline, suggesting that our inclinations towards certain behaviors may be innate and require differing levels of effort. Overall, this highlights the need to understand and adapt to our individual tendencies in order to cultivate discipline in various aspects of our lives.
The Irrelevance of the Free Will vs. Determinism Debate: Regardless of whether our actions are predetermined or not, it is still important to make decisions that benefit us and focus on putting in the effort to achieve our personal best.
The debate between free will and determinism may not matter as much as we think it does. Whether our actions and choices are predetermined or not, it is still practical and beneficial to make decisions that serve us in the best way possible. Even if we don't have complete control over our habits or abilities, we can still learn and improve. Genetic factors may play a role in our predispositions and inclinations, but they don't dictate our level of effort or determination. David Epstein's research on sports reveals that qualities we often think of as choices, like grit and perseverance, actually have a significant genetic component. Therefore, rather than being discouraged by our genetics or comparing ourselves to unattainable standards, the key is to focus on putting in the work and effort to achieve our own personal best.
The Power of Passion and Curiosity in Achieving Excellence: By finding and pursuing activities that genuinely interest us, aligning our natural abilities with our work, and remaining curious, we can increase our perseverance, improve our abilities, and constantly strive for excellence.
Finding areas or skills that genuinely interest and fascinate us can increase our perseverance and discipline. When we engage in activities that we enjoy, it becomes easier to keep working and improving because we're having fun. This concept of "grit is fit" suggests that by aligning our natural abilities with the things we're working on, we stack the odds in our favor. While we may not all have the innate talent of individuals like Michael Phelps, we can always improve our abilities. It's important to remain curious and willing to explore different areas, as trial and error can lead us to discover what truly fascinates us and aligns with our natural propensities. Developing a strong aversion to losing and caring deeply about the details can also drive us to constantly strive for excellence in our chosen fields.
The Power of High Standards and Perseverance: Setting and maintaining high standards, along with a strong drive for improvement, can lead to remarkable achievements and a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.
Having high standards and refusing to settle for mediocrity can lead to better results. James Clear emphasizes the importance of finding something that lights you up and truly bothers you when it's not right, as this level of dedication and persistence can set you apart from others who may get bored or move on easily. Peter Attia illustrates this point by discussing Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, who was known for his perfectionism and was willing to push the limits even at the expense of his life. The takeaway here is that maintaining high standards and constantly striving for improvement can lead to remarkable achievements, even in the face of challenges and risks. Additionally, both Clear and Attia discuss the universal human desire for progress and the satisfaction that comes from surpassing one's own performance. Furthermore, they acknowledge the presence of a natural inclination towards status and recognition. Overall, this suggests that a combination of personal growth and relative advancement can contribute to a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.
The Power of Daily Habits in Achieving Success: To achieve success, focus on adjusting your daily habits and creating an efficient system, as they have a significant impact on your overall results.
Focusing solely on goals and outcomes is not enough to drive success. While setting goals is important, it is the daily habits and systems you have in place that ultimately determine your results. Your current habits are perfectly designed for your current outcomes. So, if you want to improve your results, you need to focus on adjusting your habits and creating a more efficient system. Just like a machine, if you fix the inputs, the outputs will naturally improve. This shift in mindset allows you to appreciate the power of your daily habits and the impact they have on your overall success.
Shift from goals to systems and habits for sustainable success: By focusing on building effective habits and routines, making small manageable changes, and fully identifying with desired habits, one can achieve lasting success and personal growth.
Achieving sustainable success requires a shift from setting goals to developing systems and habits. James Clear emphasizes that goals are for individuals who aim to win once, such as training for a half marathon and stopping afterward. On the other hand, systems are for those who prioritize continuous victories and lasting success. By focusing on building effective habits and routines, one can maintain consistent progress and performance. Furthermore, the concept of atomic habits, as explored by Clear, highlights the significance of small, manageable changes that accumulate to create remarkable results. Additionally, the idea of identity change is crucial in fostering long-term behavior change. Fully identifying with desired habits enables them to become ingrained, akin to how exercise comes naturally for some individuals. Ultimately, understanding the power of systems, atomic habits, and identity change can greatly enhance personal growth and achievement.
The relationship between habits and identity.: Our habits reflect our identity and shape the story we tell ourselves about who we are. By aligning our habits with the person we want to be, we can achieve long-term behavior change.
Habits are not just about external results like productivity or fitness, but about the identity we build for ourselves. Habits are a reflection of who we are and what we care about. Every time we perform a habit, we embody a particular identity. Over time, these habits provide evidence and proof of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. Instead of starting with the outcome or result we want, we should start by asking ourselves what kind of person we want to be. By aligning our habits with that desired identity, the outcomes will naturally follow. Shifting our internal story and identity is crucial for long-term behavior change, as it moves us from trying to be something we're not to simply acting in alignment with the type of person we see ourselves to be.
Changing your identity and beliefs for lasting habits: Small actions and habits can gradually change your identity and belief system, proving to yourself that you can become the person you want to be.
Changing your identity and beliefs about yourself is essential for creating lasting habits. James Clear explains that he already had an internal story that he was a healthy person, which made it easier for him to stick to his nutrition goals. On the other hand, his friend initially didn't believe in herself as a healthy person, but through small actions and habits, she was able to gradually change her identity. Clear emphasizes that relying on epiphanies or faking it till you make it is not a reliable way to change. Instead, he suggests that every action you take is like casting a vote for the type of person you want to become. By starting with small habits and proving it to yourself in little ways, you can gradually build a new identity and belief system for lasting change.
Integrating Behavior Change with Identity: Lasting behavior change comes from internalizing healthy habits as part of our identity, even without external validation. Life changes can catalyze lasting shifts by aligning with our values.
Lasting behavior change often stems from aligning our actions with our identity and making it an integral part of who we are. It's not just about following certain habits or routines, but truly internalizing them to the point where they become second nature. This transition from consciously practicing healthy behaviors to embodying them as a healthy person takes time and persistence. It may feel like a solitary journey, especially when external validation is lacking, but it's important to stay committed in the absence of immediate feedback. Additionally, significant life changes or impactful experiences, such as becoming a parent, can catalyze profound shifts in behavior. These changes tend to be more lasting because they are deeply tied to our values and involve irreversible decisions.
The Power of Irreversible Changes in Behavior: Making changes that are difficult to reverse or have immediate consequences increases the likelihood of long-lasting behavioral change. Integrating aspects of our identity into our habits can also make change more sustainable.
Making irreversible or hard-to-reverse changes in our lives can be a powerful driver for quick behavior change. James Clear shared his experience of setting an outlet timer to shut off the Internet at a specific time, but found it easy to bypass. However, getting a dog forced him to stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Similarly, Peter Attia's habit of biting his nails changed when he realized the importance of presenting himself well during interviews for medical school. Both examples show that when a change becomes difficult to reverse or has immediate consequences, it creates a tighter feedback loop and leads to lasting behavioral change. Taking pride in certain aspects of our identity and integrating them into our habits can also make behavior change more sustainable.
The Influence of Social Environments on Our Habits and Behaviors: Our desire to belong and fit in with social groups can shape our habits and behaviors, making it important to align our desired habits with the norms of our social groups for successful adoption and maintenance.
Our habits and behaviors are greatly influenced by the social environment we are in. The expectations and judgments of others play a significant role in driving our actions and choices. Being part of social groups or tribes where our desired behavior is the norm makes it easier for us to stick to those habits. We often adopt behaviors not just because of the results they bring us, but also as a way to signal to others that we fit in and understand how to act in a particular group. The desire to belong and be accepted by others can override our desire for personal growth and improvement. Therefore, it is important to align our desired habits with the social groups we are part of, as this increases the likelihood of adopting and maintaining them.
The predictive nature of human behavior and its role in habit formation.: Human behavior is largely driven by prediction rather than reaction, with dopamine playing a crucial role in anticipation and encouraging repetition. This understanding helps explain why individuals respond differently to the same cues and informs our understanding of habit formation.
Human behavior is mostly predictive rather than reactive. While previous frameworks focused on motivation and reinforcement, they failed to explain why people engage in certain behaviors in the first place. The four stages of habit formation identified by James Clear offer a more comprehensive understanding of human behavior. Additionally, neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett's insight that human behavior is driven by prediction rather than reaction added a crucial missing piece to the puzzle. Dopamine, often associated with reward and satisfaction, actually plays a key role in anticipation and prediction. It surges before the behavior, marking it as favorable and encouraging repetition. This understanding of the predictive nature of human behavior sheds light on why people respond differently to the same cues and guides our understanding of habit formation.
Factors influencing addiction and habits: Addiction is influenced by a combination of genetic predisposition, learned responses, and coping mechanisms. Understanding this interplay is crucial for addressing addiction and forming positive habits.
Addiction and habits are influenced by a combination of genetic and learned factors. The release of dopamine, a learning molecule, plays a crucial role in marking favorable experiences and creating cravings for future similar situations. However, the distinction in how individuals respond to addictive substances or behaviors can vary greatly. Some people may have a higher genetic predisposition to addiction, while others may develop addictions through learned responses and coping mechanisms. Our habits are often solutions to recurring problems, and once we find a method that works, we tend to stick with it, even if there are other healthier alternatives. Understanding the interplay between genetics, neurochemistry, and learned behaviors is essential in tackling addiction and forming positive habits.
The Four Steps of Habit Formation and the Power of Rewards: Understanding the sequence of cue, craving, response, and reward can help us understand how habits are formed, while the positive emotional signal associated with a behavior increases the likelihood of it becoming a habit. Variable rewards can intensify behavior and make it more addictive.
Habits are formed through a sequence of cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue is something that catches our attention, like seeing a plate of cookies. The craving is the meaning or prediction we assign to the cue, such as thinking about how sweet and tasty the cookie will be. This craving triggers a dopamine spike that motivates us to respond, which in this case is picking up the cookie and taking a bite. The final step is the reward, when we experience the satisfaction of the sweet and sugary taste. It is this positive emotional signal associated with the behavior that makes it more likely to become a habit. Additionally, research shows that variable rewards, like those in slot machines, can intensify behavior and make it more addictive.
The Four Laws of Habit Change: By making good habits obvious, attractive, convenient, and satisfying, it becomes easier to build and maintain them. The opposite is true for breaking bad habits. Behavior change is more achievable with these principles.
Habits can be changed by following four key laws. The first law is to make the good habit obvious by ensuring cues are visible and easy to notice. The second law is to make the habit attractive, increasing motivation to act on it. The third law is to make the habit easy and convenient, reducing friction and complexity. Lastly, the fourth law is to make the habit satisfying and enjoyable, increasing the likelihood of repetition. By applying these laws, it becomes easier to build and maintain good habits. On the other hand, breaking bad habits involves doing the opposite of these laws. Overall, by understanding and implementing these principles, behavior change becomes more achievable.
Building positive behaviors to crowd out negative habits.: By incorporating positive habits into our daily routine and analyzing the cues and rewards associated with bad habits, we can successfully break them and create a supportive environment for our desired behaviors.
Good habits have the power to crowd out bad habits. By focusing on building positive behaviors and incorporating them into our daily routine, we can reduce the time and space for negative habits to occur. For example, if we start working out for an hour each day from 6 to 7 PM, we naturally create a time slot where we are not watching Netflix. This principle applies to various habits, even though they may seem unrelated. To successfully break a bad habit, it can be helpful to analyze and address the specific instances in which it occurs. By understanding the cues and rewards associated with the habit, we can intervene and replace it with a more positive alternative. Additionally, our environment plays a significant role in reinforcing habits, so it's essential to be aware of the triggers and make intentional changes to support our desired behaviors. Ultimately, by continuously striving for higher leverage actions and improvements, we can optimize our time and habits towards our goals.
The influence of our environment on our behavior and choices.: Creating a supportive environment can greatly affect our behavior and make it easier to adopt desired habits, leading to positive choices and long-term change.
Our environment plays a significant role in influencing our behavior and choices. Just like a cavity that pulls us in, our environment can exert a strong pull on us, making it difficult to resist certain habits or temptations. It is essential to consider the impact of our surroundings and make intentional changes to support the behaviors we want to adopt. Whether it's removing cues that trigger unhealthy habits or creating an environment that makes the desired choices more accessible and obvious, these small changes can have a collective and meaningful impact on our overall behavior. By consciously shaping our environment to align with our goals, we can increase the likelihood of making positive choices and achieving long-term change.
Shaping Our Surroundings for Success: By intentionally designing our environment to align with our goals, we can resist temptations and increase the likelihood of making choices that benefit our well-being.
Creating an environment that supports positive behaviors can greatly increase the likelihood of success. James Clear and Peter Attia both discuss how altering their physical surroundings helped them make better choices. Clear moved his audiobook app to his phone's home screen, making it easier to prioritize reading over mindless scrolling. Attia and his wife found a clever solution to their cookie temptation by freezing the dough, creating a slight barrier that reduced their consumption. These examples remind us that we have the power to shape our surroundings and stack the odds in our favor. By intentionally designing our environment to align with our goals, we can resist temptations and increase the likelihood of making choices that benefit our well-being.
Rebounding from Mistakes and Building Consistency: Maintaining long-term success requires bouncing back from slip-ups and avoiding perfectionism. Focus on getting back on track quickly and containing failures to specific periods to maintain momentum and achieve goals. Victim mentality hinders progress.
Maintaining long-term consistency and success is all about managing the ups and downs in life. Both James Clear and Peter Attia highlight the importance of rebounding from slip-ups and not letting them turn into downward spirals. It's crucial to be forgiving towards ourselves and avoid the pursuit of perfectionism. Instead of beating ourselves up and giving up after a mistake, we should focus on getting back on track as quickly as possible. Never missing twice is the mantra to live by, acknowledging that it's rarely the initial mistake that ruins us, but rather the repeated mistakes that follow. By containing failures to specific periods and keeping failures small, we can maintain momentum, build consistency, and ultimately achieve our goals. It's important to remember that playing the victim and self-judgment only hinder progress, and accepting the role of victim rarely benefits anyone.
The Power of Rapid Course Correction: Embrace the A-B-Z framework, focusing on the next step and adjusting as needed. By accepting setbacks and staying mindful, we can live a fulfilling life in an ever-evolving world.
Rapid course correction is a crucial skill for living a great life. The world is complex and constantly evolving, and our preferences and goals change over time. It's impossible to predict the optimal course of action, and even if we could, it may not remain optimal due to changing circumstances. Therefore, the ability to quickly assess our current situation, determine the next step, and realign with our ultimate goals is essential. By following the A-B-Z framework (knowing where we are, our next step, and where we want to end up), we can work backwards and make directionally correct decisions. Instead of focusing on the entire journey, we should prioritize taking the right next step, continually adjusting as needed. This mindset, coupled with mindfulness and acceptance of setbacks, can lead to a fulfilling life.
Achieving Success Through Working Backwards: Start by identifying your goals and working backwards to create a clear vision. Be flexible in your approach and use self-awareness to make intentional changes aligned with your goals.
Working backwards from a desired outcome can be a powerful tool for achieving success. Instead of trying to forecast every step and predict the future, it is more effective to start by identifying where you are and where you want to be. By working backwards from the "magical" or ideal outcome, you can create a clear vision of your goals. It's important to be flexible in the path you take to achieve these goals, as being rigid can hinder your progress. Additionally, self-awareness plays a crucial role in behavior change. By using exercises like the habit scorecard, you can gain a better understanding of your current habits and make intentional changes to design your behavior in a way that aligns with your goals.
Understanding cues and triggers for habit change.: By asking questions and tracking behavior, we can gain insights, identify patterns, and make healthier choices, leading to behavior change. Observation and measurement have the power to influence our behaviors.
Understanding the cues or triggers behind our habits is essential for changing them. By asking questions about who, what, when, where, and why, we can gain insight into the context and environment that prompts certain behaviors. Taking the time to record these cues, whether through notes on a phone or a journal, can help us identify patterns and better understand our habits. While there may be concerns about the Hawthorne effect or bias in self-observation, tracking our behavior can still provide valuable insights and potentially lead to behavior change. Additionally, tools such as continuous glucose monitors can serve as accountability partners, offering objective insights that help us make healthier choices. Overall, observation and measurement have the power to influence and modify our behaviors.
Visualizing progress and making habits attractive for behavior change.: To successfully implement and maintain positive changes, visualizing progress and creating an attractive environment for habits are crucial factors in motivating and encouraging desired behaviors.
Visualizing progress and making habits attractive are key drivers of behavior change. When we can see our progress, whether it's through charts, printouts, or habit trackers, it motivates us to continue and follow through with our desired behaviors. Additionally, making habits attractive involves creating an environment that supports and encourages those behaviors. For example, finding a running buddy or joining a community like CrossFit can make the habit of exercising more appealing and difficult to ignore. By focusing on visualizing progress and making habits attractive, we can increase our chances of successfully implementing and maintaining positive changes in our lives.
Building a Strong Community and Healthy Habits Through CrossFit: CrossFit's unique community aspect and focus on healthy habits can transform inactive individuals into impressive athletes, with the support of an accountability partner and an optimized home environment.
CrossFit is not just about exercise, but also about building a strong community and forming shared habits. CrossFit has the ability to turn inactive individuals into impressive athletes, primarily because of its strong social aspect. The community created within CrossFit is what makes it unique and difficult for other exercise programs to replicate. CrossFit members often become deeply committed and invested, treating it almost like a religion. They develop relationships, adopt the same habits, and even have their own CrossFit "church" where they go multiple times a week. Additionally, the concept of nudging and designing the environment to make healthy choices the default option is crucial for success. Optimizing the home environment for healthy habits can create a strong foundation for personal growth and momentum. Lastly, having an accountability partner, such as a spouse, further enhances the effectiveness of the CrossFit experience.
The Power of Accountability and the Importance of Caring about the Opinion of the Accountable Person: Accountability is most effective when there are significant costs involved and when you value the opinion of the person holding you accountable. It is important for coaches to find the right balance between accountability and encouragement.
Accountability is most effective when there is a significant cost involved and when you care about the opinion of the person holding you accountable. While joining a Facebook group or being matched with a stranger may provide some level of accountability, it often falls apart quickly because the cost of their judgment is low and their opinion may not matter to you. On the other hand, being held accountable by someone close to you, like a neighbor or a coach, can be much stronger because there are tangible costs at stake, such as your reputation or financial investment. However, in relationships that are too complex or closely intertwined, strict accountability may not be feasible as there are other considerations and dynamics at play. Finding the right balance between accountability and encouragement is key for coaches, who must understand the intensity and needs of the individual they are coaching.
The importance of starting small and making it easy for yourself when establishing a habit.: Start with a habit that takes 2 minutes or less to overcome the all-or-nothing mindset, gradually expand from there to achieve consistent improvement and optimization.
Establishing a habit is crucial before optimizing and scaling it up. James Clear emphasizes the importance of starting small and making it easy for yourself. By following the 2-minute rule, where you break down the habit into something that takes 2 minutes or less, you can overcome the tendency to be all or nothing. Clear shares the story of a reader who went to the gym for only 5 minutes for the first 6 weeks, mastering the art of showing up consistently. The key is to make the habit part of your new normal and gradually expand from there. The hardest part is getting started, but once you establish the habit, there are endless possibilities for improvement and optimization.
Starting small and building gradually for successful habit adoption: Begin with just a couple of minutes of meditation each day and gradually increase the duration over time. Consider timing, location, and potential interruptions. Make the habit satisfying with rewards that align with desired identity.
Starting small and building gradually is key when it comes to adopting new habits, such as meditation. The 2-minute rule suggests beginning with just a couple of minutes of meditation each day and then gradually increasing the duration over time. This approach allows individuals to overcome the initial hurdle of starting a new habit and helps them establish a consistent routine. It also highlights the importance of considering various factors such as the timing, location, and potential interruptions when integrating a new habit into one's lifestyle. Additionally, making the habit satisfying through short-term and long-term rewards that align with one's desired identity can further reinforce the behavior and make it more enjoyable.
Starting Small: The Key to Changing Habits: By starting with small, manageable steps and simplifying the plan, individuals can stay focused and build momentum towards successfully changing their habits.
When it comes to changing habits, starting small is key. Whether it's taking a pill, doing one push-up, or walking around the block once, making the behavior change manageable is crucial. Additionally, simplifying the plan is important to prevent people from feeling overwhelmed or pulled in multiple directions. By focusing on one specific change at a time and eliminating unnecessary tasks or goals, individuals can stay focused and build momentum. It's important to recognize that changing behavior, especially in others, is challenging and may require additional strategies and support. However, by breaking it down into small and manageable steps, success becomes more attainable.
Simplify and Focus for Positive Change: By simplifying tasks, optimizing your environment, and using positive reinforcement, you can create lasting change and achieve your goals.
When it comes to making positive changes, simplicity is key. Rather than overwhelming yourself with a long list of tasks, focus on one thing at a time and be consistent with it. Secondly, the environment you surround yourself with plays a significant role in your habits and behaviors. Optimizing your environment to support your goals can make it easier to stay motivated and make healthier choices. And finally, when it comes to motivating yourself or others, praising the good and ignoring the bad can be a powerful strategy. By reinforcing positive behaviors and creating a positive association with them, you can gradually shape habits and create lasting change. Remember, small actions and changes, along with a supportive environment and positive reinforcement, can lead to big shifts in behavior.
The Power of Praise and Kindness: Praising others and being kind can inspire and motivate them to continue their efforts, and it can also help us make better decisions and achieve our goals more efficiently.
Praising the good and ignoring the bad can have a significant impact. This is especially important in situations where encouragement and support are crucial, such as in the gym or when someone is new to a particular environment. By lavishing praise and being kind, we can inspire and motivate others to continue their efforts and make progress. It doesn't cost much to be kind, and a simple act of praising someone's achievements can make a difference in their willingness to show up again the next time. This concept applies not only to individuals but also to our own decision making and choices. By focusing on high leverage actions and directing our attention effectively, we can make better strategic decisions and achieve our goals more efficiently.
