The importance of goal setting and the different types of goals (use them for success and process goals vs outcome goals) are constantly discussed. It’s almost as if we should make goals for making goals because otherwise, we might not get anything done.
In order to achieve the kind of life we claim to want, we need to set goals. In other words, they are the means by which we can create that life. To get the most out of them, though, you need to know what they’re for and how to use them effectively, just like any other tool.
Outcome Goal vs Process Goal
Setting goals can be understood in a few different ways. From these angles, we can see the big picture of how we want to achieve our outcome goals and process goals in life. Objectives based on expected outcomes versus those that focus on the steps necessary to reach those outcomes By defining our desired results explicitly, we can more easily assess our progress toward our outcomes-focused objectives. A “big want,” like landing a dream job or closing on a dream home, is something that you really want.
The Focus of a Process Goal
The focus of a process goal is on the steps you can take to increase the likelihood that you will achieve your ultimate desire. There will be intermediate targets or milestones, that must be achieved en route to the final result. Small successes add up and motivate you to keep working toward your ultimate objective. Let’s use the example of attending college to illustrate how each of these goals functions and how you would go about achieving it.
Earning a degree is the intended result of higher education. We name the degree we’re aiming for and can almost see ourselves walking across the stage with parchment in hand on graduation day. This case has a clear and attainable objective.
Own Prerequisites And Prerequisites
All the components of a degree program must be considered if we are to succeed in our quest to earn one. Planning on spending roughly four years in school is reasonable if our goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree. The academic year is typically broken up into semesters or trimesters, with a required set of courses to be completed in each. Each course has its own prerequisites and prerequisites that must be met in order to graduate. Earning a degree, as you can see, entails a series of steps that can be broken down into more manageable chunks. The final objective of a process can vary slightly from one instance to the next. You can design your process in a variety of ways, but the end result should be the same.
When to Aim for Results and When to Focus on the Process
The final outcome or process goal does not require a choice. We require both of them, and they must coordinate with one another.
You’ve probably heard the old fable about blind men and elephants. It basically describes the idea that if you asked a group of people who had never seen an elephant before to describe it to you, you would get wildly different descriptions because each person could only feel a small part of the elephant. Together, their accounts may paint a full picture. Process and outcome objectives can be formulated in the same way. The intended result of the procedure is the elephant’s description, while the objective of the procedure is the sum of the descriptions. Naturally, the focus of a process goal is the actions and results that lead to the desired end result.
To What End are Outcomes Being Targeted?
We can also apply this wisdom from 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky to our own goal-setting processes. Mr. Stravinsky was making the point that constraints inspire innovation. Just pretend you’re in the cereal section of the supermarket. You’re confronted by dozens, if not hundreds, of cereal options, and you have no idea where to begin.
You keep thinking about how your doctor just told you to reduce the amount of sugar you eat (bummer). Furthermore, you now have a limitation to work within when selecting a breakfast cereal. It’s much easier to zero in on the cereals that don’t include added white sugar now.
Our Life’s Course
You start paying attention to breakfast cereals you’ve always overlooked! Since your outcome goal was to reduce your sugar intake, you can now focus on determining which cereal will satisfy your taste buds while still meeting the requirements of the restriction you have been given. Goals that focus on an end result are extremely useful in defining our life’s course. Having no end point in sight can make life feel meaningless. Furthermore, if life has no significance, there is no point in getting out of bed and dressing for the day.
Exactly What Are The Results of Focusing on Process Goals?
If you have a goal in mind and are ready to commit to it, you can then choose the best path forward. Imagine you are deciding where to go on a road trip. The next step is to figure out how you’ll get to your destination. However, the process goal does establish a process, albeit with less precision than the outcome goal. When you set your sights on improving your process rather than the end result, you’ll be more motivated to get started on the project right away.
Let’s use the example of a degree again. You’ve settled on the career path of medicine (an outcome goal).
The path to becoming a doctor is well-defined and includes a detailed list of requirements at each stage (process). Earning a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution is a good first step. Where will you enroll in college, and what will you study there? Those are decisions you’ll have to make as you go, and there’s no right or wrong answer.
Process Goals Can Ease The Stress And Worry
There could be factors that are out of your hands at times. It’s possible, for instance, that your top-choice medical school won’t accept you. That doesn’t mean you can’t become a doctor; it just means you should apply to more than one medical school. Taking that route may not be exactly what you had in mind, but you should still be able to accomplish what you set out to do. Yet again, a process objective is flexible. They outline steps to take to reach your goal, but your plan need not look like anyone else’s. In addition to helping you feel more in control, process goals can ease the stress and worry that can come from focusing on a massive end result. The overarching objective is broken down into more manageable process goals. They assist us in concentrating on the current activity at hand while assuring us that our efforts are not wasted and are contributing to the final outcome.
Problems Associated with Focusing on Results
Huge amounts of mental and emotional strength are required to commit to lofty objectives. Setting an objective is simple; maintaining it is another matter entirely. Setting goals based on desired outcomes is an effective strategy for personal growth; however, if you devote too much time and energy to this approach, you may experience burnout. Whether your end goal is to earn a degree, play at the highest level of a sport, or start a successful business, you should be aware of the drawbacks of becoming overly focused on that goal.
Unnecessary stress is the primary drawback of having outcome goals. If you set yourself an impossible goal, you’ll be under constant stress until you finally reach it. Timeframes of several days, weeks, months or even years are possible. In the face of adversity, those who aren’t seasoned in dealing with stress and pressure often give up too soon.
Make You Feel Like A Failure
A further problem with outcome goals is that they can lead to feelings of inadequacy. While setting outcome goals can help you achieve significant success, it can also leave you feeling lost and confused. You might start comparing yourself to others if you fail to reach your goal. The fact that you did not achieve your goals should not make you feel like a failure. To return to the degree objective, how would you feel if your outcome objective was to become a lawyer in five years but you were still in law school at the end of your timeline? Keep in mind that there is more than one way to achieve your desired results. Changing your end goal or devising a new strategy to get there is perfectly normal.
The Advantages of Process-Oriented Objectives
The power of process goals is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the gaming industry. Take the popular video game series Pokémon as an example; players begin with a single Pokémon and compete against other trainers to capture and level up more Pokémon in order to form the most powerful team possible. Reaching a process objective encourages you to set new ones and maintain your level of effort.
It’s a lot like Pokémon in that you don’t start with the hardest possible opponent. You begin with a simple task that you know you can complete successfully. To top it all off, a process goal can show you exactly what to do next to make progress.
Insurmountable Challenge and Feeling
When people set an outcome goal, they may not realize that they are also committing to hundreds or thousands of process goals. If you’re facing an insurmountable challenge and feeling like you have to conquer Everest all at once, remind yourself to take baby steps. In a flash, you’ll have accomplished your intended result. In spite of the fact that it’s important to occasionally set outcome-oriented goals and that doing so is essential to your mental health, it’s wise to ease into the process gradually rather than jumping straight to the finish line.
Process Goals: Pros and Cons
Having well-defined process objectives will help you evaluate your progress and hold yourself accountable. You should not, however, have an inflated idea of how quickly the process should go. Here are the pros and cons of process goals to help you maximize the effectiveness of your goal-setting efforts.
Advantages
Success is Less of a Challenge.
It is well known that aims with a focus on outcomes can take a considerable amount of time to accomplish. The same cannot be said for process goals, which require much less self-control and persistence to achieve. Confidence grows when you routinely imagine yourself succeeding.
This Helps You Focus Your Efforts in The Right Place
Think about opening a restaurant. You can’t just post your menu online and hope for customers to show up the next day. You need to get your company registered, hire employees, and create recipes. Timeframe: a few months at least. It’s not enough to simply tell yourself to build a restaurant; you need a plan outlining the specific actions you’ll take to make it a reality. Investing time and money without a plan is risky.
In No Way is It Overpowering.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the complexity of outcome goals. A process goal, on the other hand, is less daunting because it has already been simplified. As a result, positive effects are visible quickly.
Participating in a marathon, for instance, may seem out of reach for someone who isn’t particularly athletic. Goals like hiring an athletics coach, joining a track club, and running five days a week should be established in the lead-up to the race. Having such simple prey is a fantastic way to boost your chances of achieving success and perhaps winning a medal.
Disadvantages
Constantly Achieving Minor Successes
It’s true that you can achieve process goals, but they won’t have the same long-term impact or provide as much immediate satisfaction as outcome goals. But they are sufficient to propel you forward.
You Won’t Venture Out of Your Safe Space.
For personal development, you must stretch beyond your current abilities. On the other hand, process goals won’t push you far enough to make significant improvements. But the worst part is that it can restrict your thinking.
There is No Pause for Thought.
The other problem with process goals is that they prevent you from taking the time to reflect on your performance. You must either succeed in surpassing your intermediate objectives or fail. As a result, it’s easy to feel hopeless. Nonetheless, outcome-based targets carry more significance, making it simpler to get back up when you fall.
But What if You Can’t Even Define Your Own Desires?
Not knowing what you want is one of life’s greatest obstacles. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, figuring out the steps to get there can be very difficult. In that case, you might want to make determining your outcome goal your new outcome goal. The next step is for you to determine how you’ll go about figuring out what your end goal should be.
