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Daily actions without goals give no context for understanding progress. The problem with goals however is that people assume the goal is the final output. Real

Daily actions without goals give no context for understanding progress. The problem with goals however is that people assume the goal is the final output. Really though, a goal is like a destination that starts your journey in a particular direction. Goals are beginnings. The significant output is what your learn from your journey.

throwaway26960 10y ago
What if you enjoy the daily actions? Or initially dislike them but get in the habit of liking them? Why does there need to be progress towards some goal? I've identified drawing as a healthy hobby, who cares if I get better, although I'm sure I will because the human brain adapts quickly, gets bored and needs a challenge. "Do this and you'll get that" - doesn't that hinder what you're doing because you're focusing on the "that" rather than the "this"?
- pcmaffey 10y ago
  Well I'm sure you started drawing with some goal in mind, even if it was "a more enjoyable way to spend my time." Personally, I like the term "purpose" more than "goal". The underlying WHY gives context and meaning to our daily actions. You draw for a reason. Knowing that (putting your attention on it), makes your habit even more rewarding.
- quanticle 10y ago
  Or initially dislike them but get in the habit of liking them? That's exactly the point of having a goal. It gives you a nice end state that you can look towards so you can get past the day-to-day unpleasantness of actually forcing yourself to practice. Different people have different motivation systems. I, personally, find it very difficult to do something without a goal in mind. If I try, I end up giving up very quickly, as my subconscious keeps asking, "What's the point of all this?" If I don't have an answer for that question, it's very difficult to keep going.
codazoda 10y ago
I agree and I use a simple to-do list (Wunderlist) to set my goals and track my progress. I try to set short term goals, something between 4 and 8 weeks. As an example, my biggest current goal is to run my first Ragnar race in June. I use sub to-do's in Wunderlist to break my goals down into manageable chunks. My Ragnar goal, then, is to hit the gym 3 days a week through May. My To-Do list for it looks something like this. Ragnar, June 2nd - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 This system works surprisingly well for me. If I found I enjoy the thing I setup to accomplish I set the goal again. Some of the goals even become habits, at which point I remove them from my list. I do abandon some goals after a few weeks, if I realize I don't really value the thing I set-out to do, but for others I'm checking off items three times a week and making progress. I tend to accomplish more goals than I abandon.
egypturnash 10y ago
Sometimes the daily action can create its own context of progress. Daily action: Work on my graphic novel, mostly by drawing, intermittently by sitting down and planning out the next dozen or so pages. Don't beat myself up if other stuff gets in the way now and then, either, just shrug and get back to it the next day. Context that shows progress: A finished page, up on my website. A finished chapter on my site. A finished book, in my hands after a Kickstarter. Three finished books and a delightfully oversized omnibus on my shelves after their own various Kickstarters, and a Patreon page that occasionally pays my rent. I sure as hell learnt a lot along the way, too. Drawing the individual panels was easy, I already knew how to draw. But dealing with a five year project? Self-publishing? That, I had to learn.
- pcmaffey 10y ago
  Yes, yes, there is no learning without doing.

throwaway26960 10y ago

What if you enjoy the daily actions? Or initially dislike them but get in the habit of liking them? Why does there need to be progress towards some goal? I've identified drawing as a healthy hobby, who cares if I get better, although I'm sure I will because the human brain adapts quickly, gets bored and needs a challenge. "Do this and you'll get that" - doesn't that hinder what you're doing because you're focusing on the "that" rather than the "this"?

pcmaffey 10y ago
Well I'm sure you started drawing with some goal in mind, even if it was "a more enjoyable way to spend my time." Personally, I like the term "purpose" more than "goal". The underlying WHY gives context and meaning to our daily actions. You draw for a reason. Knowing that (putting your attention on it), makes your habit even more rewarding.
quanticle 10y ago
Or initially dislike them but get in the habit of liking them? That's exactly the point of having a goal. It gives you a nice end state that you can look towards so you can get past the day-to-day unpleasantness of actually forcing yourself to practice. Different people have different motivation systems. I, personally, find it very difficult to do something without a goal in mind. If I try, I end up giving up very quickly, as my subconscious keeps asking, "What's the point of all this?" If I don't have an answer for that question, it's very difficult to keep going.

codazoda 10y ago

I agree and I use a simple to-do list (Wunderlist) to set my goals and track my progress. I try to set short term goals, something between 4 and 8 weeks. As an example, my biggest current goal is to run my first Ragnar race in June. I use sub to-do's in Wunderlist to break my goals down into manageable chunks. My Ragnar goal, then, is to hit the gym 3 days a week through May. My To-Do list for it looks something like this. Ragnar, June 2nd - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 - Gym Week Ending Jan 22 This system works surprisingly well for me. If I found I enjoy the thing I setup to accomplish I set the goal again. Some of the goals even become habits, at which point I remove them from my list. I do abandon some goals after a few weeks, if I realize I don't really value the thing I set-out to do, but for others I'm checking off items three times a week and making progress. I tend to accomplish more goals than I abandon.

egypturnash 10y ago

Sometimes the daily action can create its own context of progress. Daily action: Work on my graphic novel, mostly by drawing, intermittently by sitting down and planning out the next dozen or so pages. Don't beat myself up if other stuff gets in the way now and then, either, just shrug and get back to it the next day. Context that shows progress: A finished page, up on my website. A finished chapter on my site. A finished book, in my hands after a Kickstarter. Three finished books and a delightfully oversized omnibus on my shelves after their own various Kickstarters, and a Patreon page that occasionally pays my rent. I sure as hell learnt a lot along the way, too. Drawing the individual panels was easy, I already knew how to draw. But dealing with a five year project? Self-publishing? That, I had to learn.

pcmaffey 10y ago
Yes, yes, there is no learning without doing.