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Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

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Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#1

Post by elanius »

I have always been a goal-oriented person and thought it was an advantage, but as I get older, I'm changing my mind. I believe that people who enjoy the process are at an advantage.

When I start a project, I can imagine all the main steps to reach the goal, but actually starting has become increasingly difficult. If I could enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the results, I would be able to persistently achieve more.

Does anyone have a similar experience or any tips on how to better enjoy the process?

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#2

Post by CouchoMarx »

I think a good place to start would be the question "Why do I feel different now?"

> If I could enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the results, I would be able to persistently achieve more.

This is an assumption, be wary.

My advice: Explore this new feeling and where it's coming from, rather than trying to work around it.

The advice you asked for: Start somewhere. Anywhere. Anything. Momentum is your friend.

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#4

Post by elanius »

dexwiz wrote: post #3

Make more incremental goals, to the point they may sound trivial. With small enough goals they become synonymous with the process.

I’ve been thinking about this and am looking for a deeper understanding. Some activities people enjoy don’t have a concrete goal.

I remember a situation from my teenage years when a friend wanted to assemble an old PC just for fun. I declined because it didn’t make sense to me—I didn’t see any value in it.

Now, I realize that this attitude might be more valuable because it keeps you engaged even when there isn't a specific goal in sight.

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#5

Post by fuzzfactor »

elanius wrote: post #4
dexwiz wrote: post #3

Make more incremental goals, to the point they may sound trivial. With small enough goals they become synonymous with the process.

I’ve been thinking about this and am looking for a deeper understanding. Some activities people enjoy don’t have a concrete goal. I remember a situation from my teenage years when a friend wanted to assemble an old PC just for fun. I declined because it didn’t make sense to me—I didn’t see any value in it. Now, I realize that this attitude might be more valuable because it keeps you engaged even when there isn't a sp…

>Make more incremental goals

This is along the lines of what I was thinking, especially with long-term projects.

Try to set achievable milestones each of which pick up where the previous one left off, even if the first milestone is not a very big fraction of the total progress needed.

>The advice you asked for: Start somewhere. Anywhere. Anything. Momentum is your friend.

This is so true too.

Incremental milestones need to be at a natural stopping point, in case rest or rejuvenation is needed, but need to be carefully handled so no real momentum is lost. The default should be action even after significant progress, or action continuing after a final goal is fully reached.

Can you think of a more feasible way to make actual progress on a goal that may be recognized as out-of-reach in a single lifetime?

What about a goal that may or may not be impossible in a lifetime? How would you know for sure, and whose lifetime would that apply to?

Other things may or may not be possible in a year, so you have to draw the line somewhere :)

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#6

Post by dexwiz »

elanius wrote: post #4
dexwiz wrote: post #3

Make more incremental goals, to the point they may sound trivial. With small enough goals they become synonymous with the process.

I’ve been thinking about this and am looking for a deeper understanding. Some activities people enjoy don’t have a concrete goal. I remember a situation from my teenage years when a friend wanted to assemble an old PC just for fun. I declined because it didn’t make sense to me—I didn’t see any value in it. Now, I realize that this attitude might be more valuable because it keeps you engaged even when there isn't a sp…

Sounds like you need to cultivate curiosity. How to do that, I am not sure. It’s one of those inherent traits that’s often hard to change.

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#7

Post by elanius »

dexwiz wrote: post #6
elanius wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been thinking about this and am looking for a deeper understanding. Some activities people enjoy don’t have a concrete goal. I remember a situation from my teenage years when a friend wanted to assemble an old PC just for fun. I declined because it didn’t make sense to me—I didn’t see any value in it. Now, I realize that this attitude might be more valuable because it keeps you engaged even when there isn't a sp…

Sounds like you need to cultivate curiosity. How to do that, I am not sure. It’s one of those inherent traits that’s often hard to change.

Curiosity is fine. The problem is that if you want to achieve something, you need to go through a lot of small steps that don't involve anything new. It's just the repetition of things you already know, and this is what I have started to hate.

However, it seems that some people can enjoy this, and I don't understand how they do it.

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#8

Post by he11ow »

I'll say something that sounds really unhelpful until one day it makes sense. You don't really choose the process, the process chooses you. You can't make yourself 'enjoy the process' for something that doesn't resonate, because it will always feel a chore. So the one and only trick is to really pay attention to the thing you keep going back to, and in a way accept that this is a path.

Some people might say "But I only enjoy video games!" and if that's the case, I don't really know what to say to that. All the people I know who have found great alignment with a path of progress are ones where the effort tickles an itch they would have regardless, so might as well scratch that itch.

And there are still goals, that doesn't change.

Re: Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?

#9

Post by al_borland »

he11ow wrote: post #8

I'll say something that sounds really unhelpful until one day it makes sense. You don't really choose the process, the process chooses you. You can't make yourself 'enjoy the process' for something that doesn't resonate, because it will always feel a chore. So the one and only trick is to really pay attention to the thing you keep going back to, and in a way accept that this is a path. Some people might say "But I on…

For people who say things like, “I only enjoy video games,” my usual response is to ask them to think about what aspects of video games they like. Strategy, teamwork, grinding, solving puzzles, exploring, etc? And there may be another why deeper than that. The “why” can often translate to other domains where it can be applied to projects/work.
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