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Goal Achievement According to Francis Bacon

By Effluo | Published December 29, 2021 | No Comments

Francis Bacon lived in the 1500s and had splendid successes and failures in his lifetime. He was a philosopher, a writer, a contemporary to William Shakespeare, served as attorney general and lord chancellor of England. In his written work called Essays, he covered many subjects. One of the subjects was focused on goal achievement. 

 … the minde of man is more cheared, and refreshed by profiting in small things, then by standing at a stay in great.

Francis Bacon 

It is essential for you to continually grow and develop. The mind is sharpened by small improvements. Francis Bacon wrote that it is better to slowly improve than stand in greatness without progress.  

What was Francis Bacon’s opinion on the steps to successful goal achievement? 

Step 1: Follow the example of time

It were good therefore that men in their Innovations would follow the example of Time itselfe: which indeed Innovateth greatly, but quietly, and by degrees scarce to be perceived.  

Francis Bacon 

Francis Bacon accurately pointed out that time is the greatest innovator. It always brings change, but it does it quietly and in small steps. Therefore, whether you are reinventing yourself, creating habits or goals, keep in mind that the best thing to do is follow the example of time. Do it quietly and at the right speed.

Goal achievement is an art form. Once the goal is set, we want to achieve it as soon as possible with the best possible outcome. We live in a time of instant gratification and try to apply that to our goals, very often, unsuccessfully.

The first step to goal achievement is to realize that it takes time. 

Allow yourself the time to achieve your goals. This means that if you begin an exercise routine, don’t expect to see results the next day; keep on working on it. Stay away from solutions that promise quick results; these are typically a marketing gimmick. Take a look at how everything changes over time; it may take time, but change happens. Allow yourself the time to reach your goals. 

Step 2: Timing is everything 

There is surely no greater wisedome then well to time the beginnings and onset of things.

Francis Bacon 

Whatever endeavor you might undertake, timing is everything. You’ve no doubt heard this before, especially when it comes to business dealings. This applies to goal setting as well. When you set a goal, ask yourself if the timing is right. Take a look at how the set goal fits your current life. Is it the right time to pursue this goal? 

The second step to goal achievement is to time it appropriately. 

When setting a goal, look at the timing and decide the best time to begin pursuing the goal. If you have a goal to make a solo trip around the world and have a newborn baby at home, it may not be the best time to complete this goal. Likewise, if you don’t have any people depending on you, the time to achieve this goal may be just right. 

Step 3: Measure the success and not the time spent

Measure not dispatch by the times of sitting, but by the advancement of the business.  

Francis Bacon 

When measuring the advancement towards a specific goal, look at the accomplishments and not time spent on the task. Again, this is very applicable in the business world, where being busy and being productive have two very different and opposite outcomes. Staying busy for the sake of passing the time accomplishes little. 

You do not always know how long achieving a specific goal will take. Often we think it will take less time than it actually would. Therefore, when breaking down the goal, break it down by outcomes. If you plan your goal around time and not around results, you set yourself up for failure. 

The third step in goal achievement is to measure the outcomes, not the time spent.

Let us say you have decided to write a book. You can break this goal down by saying that you will write 1,000 words per day. Or you can break this goal down by saying that you will write for 3 hours every day. You never know; the 1,000 words may take you 30 minutes to write or 5 hours. What you do know is that you will have an outcome of 1,000 words. If you will write for 3 hours, this tells you nothing on what to expect outcome-wise. Plus, the three hours may be spent doing little writing and a lot of everything else.  

Remember to adjust your goals as you progress. You can read more on adjusting your steps in, Goal Achievement Steps According to Confucius.

Summary

Following the writings of Francis Bacon shows that goal achievement is not something that is done quickly and without thought. He points out that improving continually is better than staying still at what you perceive as greatness. The steps to goal achievement can be summarized into the following:

1. Goal achievement takes time
2. Time goals appropriately
3. Focus on outcomes, not the time spent reaching the goal

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