… is that it focuses only on one aspect of life – often work – and leads to the worsening of other aspects – personal enjoyment and family time. What is grand-goal strategy, you ask?
Only if my YouTube channel becomes a hit, I can be a millionaire.
Only if I finish my book and it becomes a bestseller, I can be rich.
Only if I move to XYZ location, I can live my dream life.
Another problem with having grand goals is that often such goals rely on lucky breaks or circumstances outside of our control. As a result, we are constantly chasing Olympic records as amateur athletes.
In the Deep Life podcast episode Ep. 313: Structured Journaling, Cal Newport described an effective antidote – lifestyle-centric planning. It was not the first time he brought the technique on the show. Some things are worth repeating over and over.
Lifestyle-centric planning implies defining a master narrative of the kind of life you want to have and then working backward to fulfill that narrative.
Eg. I would like to lead a peaceful life creating software on my own schedule, playing tennis, and having time to socialize with friends and neighbors.
In the above episode, Cal discusses a few more examples of master narratives and describes how someone should be doing lifestyle-centric planning to achieve it.
This idea eerily resembles the 4-hour work week promoted by productivity guru, author, and podcaster Tim Ferriss – you don’t need a million dollars in your bank account to be rich or enjoy life.
It’s also similar to the financial independence vision that’s central in MJ DeMarco’s book The Millionaire Fastlane.
Despite the similarities, the important takeaway is that while it’s fine to be ambitious, it’s more important to design your life practically for satisfaction and calm.