I’ve been hearing a lot in the past year or two about process oriented goals versus results oriented goals. Different people will tell you different things about which is “better” or “more important” to have.
I’d like to explain why I think you should have both.
If you only set results oriented goals, what happens if you twist your ankle two days before your goal race? What happens if factors outside of your control (weather, competition, etc.) make your goal unattainable? Does this mean you’ve failed?
If you only set process oriented goals, what are you doing this for? Why are you doing what you do? Sometimes, the “why” of the goal is the most motivating part. If you’re setting a goal, for example, of hitting a certain number of miles in a month or year, what are you going to do with those miles? Are you going to have direction or are you just going to be running just to run?
Instead, consider setting both results and process oriented goals. My suggestion would be to set a results oriented goal, then set process oriented goals that will be stepping stones toward that results oriented goal. If you hit those process oriented goals, you will know you’re well prepared for the results oriented goal. If something outside of your control affects that goal, you know you met those other goals and were well prepared, you just faced some bad luck. If things outside of your control work out in your favor, you can go into the goal event with a calm confidence that you’re well prepared.
As you’re thinking about your goals for 2024, I strongly suggest you consider both of these types of goals. Pick your events, set some results oriented goals around the key events, then plan out how you are going to achieve those results and set some goals around those plans.