Akatama's Slice of the Internet

Control Your Actions, Not the Outcomes

By Jimmy Lindsey

At the end of 2025, I decided to make some goals. I don't think there is anything special about the new year in itself, but I do think the process of making goals is important. It forces you to examine what you want to improve and how to accomplish it. This year, I realized something uncomfortable: some of my goals didn't actually depend on me.

What Happens If You Make a Goal that Relies on Other People

I can give two quick examples. The first is probably the most important goal I want to hit this year: I want to get more sleep. I am the dad of two young girls, and with a full time job, sleep has been at a premium for a long time. My youngest is nearly two, so better sleep should be on the horizon soon. My exact goal was to get 7.5 hours of sleep on average every night. However, it only took about a month into the new year for me to realize this goal wasn't achievable just by me. My youngest could wake me up, or my wife may need help with my youngest, or my eldest could wake me up. All of those things would result in me getting less sleep, but it's not in my control.

Another example is my goal to be hired as a DevOps Engineer. It is not itself a bad goal, but it does rely on others (at least somewhat). It depends on how the market is, whether or not you are willing to move, what connections you have, and finally what skills and experience you can offer. Even if you have the skills and experience to get an interview, you still may not land a job. It is not completely in your control.

Find Another Way to Rephrase the Goal

For sleep, I realized what mattered most was simply giving myself more time to sleep. In other words, instead of focusing on the outcome, such as sleeping 7.5 hours on average, focus on the process. If I go to bed by 10 PM, that is quite a bit earlier than I normally go to bed. It doesn't mean I will hit my sleep goal every week or every month, but the outcome will likely be at least a little more sleep on average. As my daughters get older and they rely on us less through the night, more sleep will come.

For the "get hired as a DevOps Engineer" example, you have a lot of ways you can rephrase. You can focus on becoming undeniably qualified by working on projects. You could also put yourself out there in a way that doesn't involve applying to jobs, such as joining groups like Devopsdays or going to a tech conference. You could even make a goal of the number of jobs you apply to each week or month. None of these can guarantee you will get hired this year, but all of them will get you closer.

Conclusion

I still care about the outcomes. I want more sleep, more growth in my career, and most importantly, progress. However, I've realized that outcomes are lagging indicators. What shows up today are my habits.

Habits are the only part of the equation I truly own. Goals that depend on outcomes create anxiety. Goals that depend on action create momentum. If you consistently focus on what you can control, progress stops feeling fragile and starts feeling inevitable. When the external factors finally shift in your favor, you'll already be positioned to benefit. Control what you can be making goals that depend on you.