Systems vs Flexibility: Why Rigidity is The Enemy of Modern Success

Set goals, create systems, and stay flexible

Don’t set goals, create systems. This is a popular idea amongst people who share advice online.

I’ve written about it too. The idea is that you’re more consistent if you rely on a set of daily actions/habits that you execute without much thought instead of working towards goals.

I recently read The Road Less Stupid by the business strategist Keith J. Cunningham. In the book, he has a chapter called “Systems vs Flexibility.”

He provides a counterargument to the whole idea that you should always rely on systems. Cunningham writes:

“Systems are an amazing tool that worked incredibly well 200 years ago during the Industrial Revolution. Systems are exceptionally useful when the work being performed is repetitive (think assembly lines and flipping hamburgers) and doesn’t involve customer interaction, or when the environment is totally stable.”

Cunningham’s main criticism is that systems give you a false sense of security. If you…