One of the biggest things that blocks my clients, is the intense focus on their desired goals. But, isn’t it good to focus on our goals? Yes, if we place our focus where it will be most useful.
There are two important elements in goal pursuit: outcome and process.
Focusing on outcome is great when we can achieve the goal quickly. Like thinking about the reimbursement check when we turn in travel receipts, or imagining falling asleep in fresh sheets.
When the goal is more distant or daunting, that’s when focusing on the process becomes incredibly powerful. Here are some examples:
Goal: a decluttered home
Outcome focus: Giving away one bag of donations is a drop in the bucket. No single task feels like it will help. We wait for a magical shift that will allow us to release everything all at once. The shift never happens and the clutter and chaos grow.
Process focus: We commit to letting go of one bag of donations per week. We commit to not bringing anything new into the home unless we can dispose of an equal volume. We ask our waste management company for a larger recycling bin, so we can let go of recyclables more easily. After six months, our home has considerably less clutter and feels more peaceful. We feel like we can sustain these efforts and continue to make progress.
Goal: a new job
Outcome focus: We compare ourselves to others in our ideal dream job, and feel like we will never measure up. Why bother?
Process focus: We find one online learning module to bolster our current skill set. We check the job listings once a week. We commit to update one section of our resumé each week. After three months, we are accepting a new position in a company that values our unique skill set, with opportunity for advancement.
I have witnessed the amazing shifts that occur when clients focus on process instead of outcome. And because I always like it when the science backs up what I am seeing anecdotally, I was thrilled to read this new research:
The Way is the Goal: The Role of Goal Focus for Successful Goal Pursuit and Subjective Well-Being
Time will march on regardless. When we do nothing because we are paralyzed by the daunting nature of our goals, we still get older, and our current problems usually get worse. But when we focus on the small processes that we can do here and now, we actually start making real progress.