"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
James Clear wrote that in Atomic Habits. He was talking about personal habits - exercise, reading, productivity.
It applies to farming to and it's one of those quotes that hit me like a ton of bricks, and has stuck with me since.
Here's what I mean:
Two farms. Same goal: "Sell more beef this year."
Farm 1 gets motivated. Posts more on Facebook. Works harder. Hustles.
Farm 2 builds a system. Website where people order 24/7. Email list they can message anytime. Processes that work whether they're motivated or not.
Six months later?
Farm 1 is back where they started - tired, inconsistent, relying on motivation that comes and goes (and unpredictable algorithms).
Farm 2 is selling more beef - not because they're working harder, but because the system keeps working even when they don't.
"You fall to the level of your systems."
I've think about this constantly. Not just in farming, but life.
WATER SYSTEMS:
Goal: "Keep the animals watered"
Bad system: Haul buckets every day (falls apart when you're busy, sick, or just forget)
Good system: Automatic waterers with backup (keeps working regardless of your motivation)
Yes, more expensive, but you've purchased a substantial amount of your time back and that has value.
FENCE REPAIRS:
Goal: "Fix the fence"
Bad system: Patch the same spot every spring with whatever's laying around
Good system: Do it right once with proper materials (the system IS the fence holding)
Again, maybe a little more expensive in the short term, way more expensive in time and other problems if the fence doesn't do it's job.
TAKING ORDERS:
Goal: "Sell all my beef"
Bad system: Answer DMs and Text messages whenever you see them, hope you don't miss anything. Not to mention you're now working 24/7.
Good system: Online store that takes orders while you sleep. Systme that messages the customer automatically with a "Thank You!" and confirmation of their order. A system that takes their payment and automatically sends it to your bank account.
Now your farm is working for you, not the other way around.
Here's the hard part:
Good systems take more work upfront.
Good systems may cost more upfront
Running a water line is harder and more expensive than grabbing a bucket.
Building a proper fence corner is harder than slapping up wire.
Setting up a website is harder and more expensive than just telling people to message you.
But bad systems cost you forever.
Every day. Every week. Every season.
You're paying for the "easy choice" over and over and over again with your time and money.
The farms that look like they have it together?
They're not more motivated than you.
They're not working longer hours than you.
They just built better systems and now those systems do the work.
The farms that are constantly scrambling?
Same goals. Different systems.
"You fall to the level of your systems."
So here's my question for you this week:
Where are you working harder instead of building better systems?
What's the thing you do over and over that you could just... build once and be done?
For me, it was managing questions and orders (among many other things). I spent a year answering the same questions 50 times a week and explaining how someone could get our product, instead of just putting everything online once.
I wasted time literally writing down orders on my hand because I was in the field and had no paper.
For you, it might be something completely different.
But I guarantee there's something on your farm where you're choosing the bucket instead of running the line.
Not because you're lazy.
Because the bucket feels easier right now.
If you're ready to stop scrambling and start building systems:
I can help with the website part - that's what I do. Get a FREE sales system plan for your farm
But honestly? This isn't even really about websites.
This is about looking at your farm and asking:
"Am I working harder, or am I building systems that work for me?"
Because James Clear was right. You will fall to the level of your systems. We all do.
Jason
P.S. — If you haven't read Atomic Habits, it's worth it. Clear isn't talking about farming, but everything he says applies. The whole book is basically: stop relying on motivation, build systems that make the right thing automatic.
