Process vs. Outcome Goals
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
Sometimes setting ourselves up for success with our goals means changing some of our outcome goals to process goals. Outcome goals define a final, long-term desired result (I want to be fluent in French). Process goals are daily, controllable steps required to get to a desired goal (practice French on Duolingo for 30 minutes daily).
Outcome goals are often out of our direct control because external forces are a factor. We are, therefore, more likely to fail if we have a lot of outcome goals. Let’s say I have a goal to run in the New York City marathon. As I investigate the marathon, I see that there’s a lottery for participants because there are so many people who want to run this same marathon. I can put my name in the lottery, but I don’t have control of whether my name is chosen. I shouldn’t be deterred from putting my name in for consideration, and I don’t need to completely abandon this goal. But if I don’t get chosen in the lottery, then I will fail in my goal to run the NYC marathon this year. However, I could reframe my goal to a process orientation so I have more chance for success. My new goal could be to follow the daily training guidelines outlined in my marathon running book and enter the lottery for the New York City marathon. These process goals are completely controllable by me, and I’m more likely to be successful as a result.
Which of your goals are outcome goals and may need to be revised? Instead of losing 20 pounds, maybe you want to specify how many calories you want to consume in a day. Instead of mastering the guitar, maybe you want to specify how many minutes a day you will practice. Instead of getting a promotion at work, maybe you want to list out the ways you’re going to provide value to your workplace in the year ahead and how you’re going to communicate that work to your supervisors and your desire for a promotion. We want to keep the power to achieve our goals in our hands as much as possible. Set yourself up for success and aim for process goals.
If you or your team would like to sign up for our 2 hour Balance and Productivity training to instantly double your meaningful output and find the feeling of lasting flow and optimized work life balance, please email me at tana@focustoevolve.com and say hello!
With Sincere Gratitude,
Tana at Focus to Evolve