Ok I’ve a mindset to share today that I recently came across which is:
“Focus on the habit, not the outcome.”
Now I’ve also heard an opposite version of this which is:
“Focus on the outcome and not the actions.”
So from a high level I’d just like to talk a little about how I see and use both in my life and work.
In the first statement, it’s basically saying don’t get too hung up on the end result or focus all of your attention there.
For example if we are trying to lose weight it can be very discouraging to wake up and weigh ourselves everyday and see very little change, especially in the beginning.
Rather what we want to do is just focus on the habit and the practice we do every day to get there.
For example I may be in the habit of either riding my bike or walking every day so that I can lose and maintain my weight. But there are times where I just allow myself to get too busy or feel like I’m not getting the results I want and I stop practicing the habit. The weight comes back, and then it’s harder because I think too much about the weight, which is essentially the outcome.
But when I just enjoy and look forward to the habit and just making it something that I do every day - like going for a 10-20 mile bike ride 3-4 days a week or filling in days that I don't ride with going for a long trail walk with my wife. I enjoy the habit and the experience, being outside, getting fresh air, sunshine, etc... and then the weeks just pass and before I know it I’ve lost 10-15 pounds again.
It’s the same with nutrition and tracking calories.
When I first started using an app to track calories it was like:
“How many calories can I not consume today!!”
The problem is - I actually like to eat, and skipping a meal just to cut calories does not work too well for me and puts too much focus just on outcomes.
But as I started gathering some data about my eating habits, I was able to shift my mindset to ENJOYING eating the right foods AND exercising rather than just starving myself of calories.
So by focusing on the habit, which was learning what foods and restaurants were good or bad, and then making it a practice to say yes or no to those foods, and have fun tracking it by almost making a game out of it - then the outcome just came naturally - which was eating better healthier foods and just feeling better in general.
OK - so let's talk about the other quote now which is “focus on outcomes and not actions”...
This is one that we see a lot in business too, and often has to do with the VALUE that one receives when a project has been accomplished. Sort of like focusing more on what we hope to accomplish rather than the number of hours we put in...
Does not matter if I need to charge $125/hr and it will take me 100 hours to finish a decent website? If it wont bring a client a positive ROI, then the hours don’t matter. The hours won’t even matter if I were to only charge the client $15/hr. If they can’t find value in what I deliver, it won’t matter. Billing for more hours can become a habit, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that more hours mean anything.
But vice versa, maybe a circumstance or my choices and skills enable me to spend a fraction of those hours on building another site and I charge a flat project fee that is twice as much as charging $125/hr, I could charge tens of thousands of dollars, maybe some critics could even judge the design as being “meh”.... but if it gives my client a positive return on their investment, and they value that, then the fact is that it has produced a positive outcome for them and they are happy. Who cares if I spend less time if it produces a positive outcome?
Let’s switch back and just use my weight loss goal as an example. Because even though we just want to achieve the outcome of losing weight, and we know it is going to take time, we still want to figure out the best PATH to get there so that we can make it happen.
We have an outcome that we want to achieve, which is to drop our weight down from 195 to 170-175 lbs.
We know that is a target weight loss goal of 20-25 lbs.
With a little research we find that it takes burning 3500 calories to lose 1 extra pound per week. That means cutting about 500 calories a day from our diet or doing enough exercise to accomplish it.
I want to be a little more aggressive so I’ll go for a healthy weekly loss of 2lbs. That’s cutting or burning about 1000 calories per day from my normal 2000-2500 calorie intake.
I’ve tracked that on average I can burn about 1000 calories by day by biking 15-18 miles, or around 600 calories per day by walking 4 miles, or around 800+ calories by running/jogging/and hiking 4 miles of steep trail terrain in an hour.
SO... That gives me some other things to think about. I may be able to accomplish that goal in 2.5 months if I am REALLY disciplined and stay consistent with my diet and exercise.
Will I have time for it? How will I make time for it? When will I make time for it?
If I don’t get a clear idea of the outcome then I will most likely just drift about and be disappointed with myself if I don’t reach the goal I had in mind.
The whole point I am trying to make here is that this same concept could apply to designing a website or app, launching a youtube channel or online course, or any other type of business.
We may just be creating something for the love of doing it and focusing on the habit of creating, designing, coding, etc. and EVENTUALLY we may get there and end up with a great product, millions of subscribers, success, and lots of money… and maybe not.
If we are heading down the wrong path, it doesn’t matter how long we keep going down that path, it likely won’t get us where we want to go.
Our other option is that we can overthink and overanalyze and become so paralyzed with details that we do little or nothing because the numbers just seem too complex or scary.
or we can spend just enough time getting clear about objectives and have some clarity what direction that we should be heading in so that when we pour our heart and soul and energy into developing a habit of consistently showing up, we will be confident that we are in fact on the right path and if we keep going, we will eventually hit our goals.
Anyway, if this helps you please subscribe or leave me your comments. I could probably go deeper on this topic but I’d just like to provide this example that helped me put into perspective how it helps to be specific and measure, so that I can make my goals relevant and attainable.
