Most people, when they think of a goal they want to achieve, think of doing some great thing that takes a lot of work and skill. "Progress goals" like running a marathon or earning a doctoral degree might come to mind. But of course, feats like that don’t happen because the people doing them took one big leap. How did they get there? Simply put, they had solid daily process goals that allowed them to achieve a really big, impressive progress goal over time.
What is a process goal? A process goal is a goal that you achieve by doing a simple daily task, day after day. Process goals should be easy to achieve, and you should have a reminder in place to ensure you do it each day, like a sticky note on your bathroom mirror. Remember that a process goal is only helpful if you do it each day, except if there’s a good reason to take a day off. Going back to the marathon example, it is a good idea to take a day off from running each week to let your body rest and repair itself; just remind yourself that you’re taking the day off for that reason, not because you’re giving up on the process.
One thing that will help you stay motivated to continue daily process goals is to keep the larger progress goal in mind. Why are you doing what you do each day? You have to remember that accomplishing anything meaningful requires a lot of practice leading up to it. Tying your shoes isn’t a big deal today, but only because when you were five years old, you practiced the process everyday with determined focus on being able to tie your shoes like a grown up. The challenges you seek to conquer today are much greater, but the basic way to reach your goals is the same as back then. Be like a little kid in your willingness to keep trying again and again until you get it! Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. 😊
An important thing to note about process goals is that they should be much more manageable and less overwhelming than a progress goal. This is what makes them helpful for ultimately achieving your progress goals. Do your simple process each day and then give yourself a pat on the back for that day, knowing you did that day’s work to reach your bigger goal later.
Even if you don’t have any progress goals right now, building a habit of completing process goals will help you be more successful in whatever you want to do in your life. Consider the process goal challenges mentioned below if you don’t have one in mind already:
- Process goal challenge #1: do 20 pushups and 20 squats per day for a month.
- Process goal challenge #2: floss your teeth once each day for one quarter.
- Process goal challenge #3: make your bed each day for a year.
Having a dedicated time of day to do these things can also help. If it’s brushing and flossing, make sure you do the evening brush and floss at a time before you get too tired. If it’s making your bed, do it the moment you get up for the day. Doing your daily process at the same time each day will help you build a “muscle memory” that will further ingrain the habit of doing that process each day. It will also help you to focus on doing a quality job completing your process goal, which is essential for getting benefit from daily practice.
While having a daily reminder is great, even that can succumb to distraction if you receive it at a time when you can’t pause long enough to complete your daily process. Be thoughtful of when you’ll receive your reminder each day and plan it so that you are available, energized, and in a motivated state of mind when it comes. Part of this includes not overloading yourself; have a maximum of three process goals for at least the first quarter while you build this habit, and each of those goals should be doable in five minutes or less.
Imagine yourself going on a hike or going for a walk around your block. It’s not just one big, easy leap. When you set out, you have a mindset that the walk is going to take some time, and you’ll gradually get to the end of your walk step by step. You’ve done it so many times before that you accept this process and it’s not stressful. Setting and pursuing process goals to accomplish a progress goal should be no more difficult or stressful than that.
Process goals are steppingstones to accomplishing big things and being successful. The key to making them work is to be patient, persistent, and realistic. Don’t try to do too much too soon, remember the larger purpose of your daily process, and don’t oblige yourself to so much work that it just ends up draining you. If you can follow this recipe and work little by little without being in a rush, you’ll be accomplishing big things sooner than you expect!
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