A knitting friend of mine was talking about how she is process
oriented and not project oriented. She has many knitting projects
going at the same time, and many part-way finished projects that have
been set aside to be worked on again later. She enjoys discovering
the new pattern. Once she has figured it out and it begins to get
repetitive, she gets bored with it and starts something new. Her
description of a project oriented person was the same as a task
oriented person, “focusing on
the completion
of particular
tasks as a
measure of
success”.1
“Process Orientation places a priority on 'how' things are
done.”2
Both the process oriented and the project oriented person had the
same goal when they started their project (to knit the
shawl/blanket/sweater/pattern that they chose). “Without a goal,
there is no process.”3
Goal orientation has multiple
dimensions, but “the two most common dimensions utilized are
mastery-oriented or learning-oriented, and performance-oriented or
achievement-oriented.”4
Which I interpret as process oriented or project oriented. This
article refers to project oriented people as goal oriented. “For
goal oriented people growth is sometimes incidental: they grow only
because their goal requires them to. Process oriented people, on the
other hand, attain goals because their process will take them in that
direction anyway. For them, growth is not incidental, it is
necessary, and goals are eventual. Because of this difference, the
goal oriented person will not necessarily be able to look past the
goal to the next goal until they get there. The process oriented
person will instead already be thinking about future goals, since
everything they do is focused to the process of improving: goals just
give them a direction in which to move. To the goal oriented person,
goals are end points. To the process oriented person, they’re
simply mile markers.”5
My friend does eventually finish those old
projects, but finishing the project wasn't the satisfying part of her
goal. Finishing was just the bonus. She always seems to be happy and
content. She reminds me of what I think Mrs. Santa Claus would be
like, not her appearance, but her disposition. This may be in part
because of her process orientation.
“...have you ever met people who at a
young age achieved something big in their lives, only to live the
rest of their lives in the shadows of that accomplishment? These
people are always spinning their wheels trying to somehow recapture
that former glory: they talk about their past successes and do
everything they can to get back to that point in their lives. Yet,
their quest is ultimately futile, because they are so focused on the
goal that they forget (or ignore) how it was they attained the goal
in the first place.”6
Are you trying to re-live your glory
days? We can't go back to the past. Ultimately, everything is about
making choices and learning from the choices we make. What are you
learning? How to make better choices, or how to not get caught next
time?
I tend to be more of a process oriented
person, like my friend, than a project oriented person. But I do love
lists. Sometimes a list is very beneficial for me. For example, a
grocery list helps me make sure I don't forget anything important. I
will make a list if I have a bunch of errands to run on a particular
day. Then I will number it in the most expedient order so I don't
have to back track. However, I have learned that sometimes I would be
better off to not make a list. Making a properly ordered,
comprehensive list can end up giving me enough satisfaction that I'm
ready to move on to something else. I also sometimes use making the
list as an avoidance of actually doing the things that need to be
done. In both of these instances, very little on the list actually
gets accomplished, and it's all my fault. I can't very well hold up a
list and say, “Look what I did today. I made a list.”
Whoop-Dee-do. I know this about myself. So, I endeavor to use my time
on what is best for my family (because they are important to me) in a
way that they, and I will enjoy it.
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