500 - 0 BC / Confucius / Daily Goals and Task Prioritization / Goal Achievement Steps

Task Oriented vs Goal Oriented – How to Optimize Your Time [Confucius]

By Effluo | Published July 14, 2022 | No Comments

Each person has a different approach towards how they choose to spend their time and organize their days. There are people that are task oriented and people that are goal oriented. Both of these types get things done.  But is one better than the other?   We will attempt to answer this question by reviewing a recent study and very ancient teaching. So, without further ado, let us look at being task oriented vs goal oriented and what it means. 

Signs You Are Task Oriented

Before going any further let us define what it means to be task oriented.  Task oriented people spend majority of their day completing tasks.  Once a given task is completed, they clear path for the next task.

If you identify with majority of the statements below, then you are likely a task oriented person.

1. Every minute of your life is allocated to doing something.  You are very good at scheduling your day, you time-block different areas of the day for different tasks. You know when you will be doing what task.  You are great at moving things around on your calendar when necessary. 
2. You often end your day with more tasks to do than what you started the day with. Your daily tasks may fall under the category of, mundane tasks or important tasks.  Whatever they are, you complete these tasks on regular basis.  Nevertheless, more tasks are often created and added to the list on regular basis.
3. Your top priority tasks are often urgent and need to meet deadlines that are fast approaching.  This can be a big task such as working on a big project or smaller tasks such as paying bills.  Regardless of the kind of tasks, the end result is a lot of last minute busy work keeping your day to day full of things to do. 
4. You feel most at ease if you are working on something.  Sitting still and not doing much is a foreign concept to you.
5. You find it difficult to say ‘no’ to people and often sign up for more than what you have time for.

If you could see yourself in majority of these statements, then it is likely that you are task oriented.  And you would not be alone. 

Research Study Shows We Like To Do Tasks

A recent study found that it is in our human nature to keep busy and complete tasks.  The findings showed that most people enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more than spending time by themselves with nothing to do.  To take it a step further, many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of doing nothing.

Needles to say, if you really think about, this is something that you probably knew even without a research study.   If you walk into any waiting room, you will find people doing things, staying busy on their phones, playing games, reading, etc.  Rarely will you find someone just sitting around not doing anything.  

Given that the goal of this article is to evaluate task oriented vs goal oriented approach to daily living, let us take a look at what a goal oriented person looks like.

Signs You Are Goal Oriented

A goal-oriented person is really a task oriented person with a purpose.  Goal-oriented people use very intentional goal setting, with a primary aim to align smaller goals with larger goals related to their mission statement.  In short, this type of a person is very intentional about the types of tasks they complete. 

If you identify with majority of the statements below, then you are likely a goal oriented person.

1. You have a clearly identified personal mission statement
2. You are purposeful and intentional in creating long-term goals and short-term goals that closely align to your mission statement
3. You can answer questions like “What goals do you have for your life?”
4. Your task list is as intentional as the goal list.  Tasks are prioritized and aligned to your goals. 
5. You feel in control of your time and choose how you want to spend it.

As mentioned earlier, both types of people get things done and work hard.  It is their approach to getting things done that differs.   As to which one is more preferred, let us dive into the teachings of one of the greatest minds in our history.

Ancient Teaching About Goal Achievement

Going back over 2500 years we come to the teachings of Confucius recorded in The Analects.  Confucius does not require much introduction, you can read more interesting facts about him on Confucius Historical Figure page.  He was undeniably a great teacher and a fascinating person to study.  To summarize, he taught the science of living.

Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated.  – Confucius

This quote by Confucius summarizes the whole of our being.  It is as relevant today as it was back in 500 BCE.  As the research study revealed, people like to stay busy.  The question that we are posing, does our busyness get in a way of living?

Task Oriented vs Goal Oriented According To Confucius

Don’t try to rush things.

Don’t look to small gains.

If you rush things, you won’t reach your goal.

If you look to small gains, you won’t be able to accomplish the important tasks.  – Confucius

If you look to completing a series of small tasks, you will inevitably have small gains.  However, these small gains will stand in a way of accomplishing the important tasks.   In other words to paraphrase the quote, “If you work on small tasks, you won’t be able to accomplish the important goals.”

Confucius taught that it is important to have a bigger picture in mind.  This will influence the types of goals that we set in the long run.   These can be professional or personal goals, whatever they are, we should focus on accomplishing the important tasks that are related to the specific goals that you identify.   

We can continue to look at the two as task oriented vs goal oriented approaches, but it looks like we do not have to separate the two.   In reality being task oriented is natural for us, becoming goal oriented takes a little extra practice.  Goal focuses our task orientation on the right things, and makes it more intentional.  Goal-oriented mindset can be developed through regular practice. 

Luckily, Confucius did not just point out that we should be goal oriented, he also provided us with the best approach to reaching goal orientation.

7 Best Ways To Approach Goal Orientation According to Confucius  

1. Create meaningful Goals and Know your ‘Why’

Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be a failure.  – Confucius

The first step in developing a goal oriented mindset is to get comfortable with creating goals.  Confucius refers to this as ‘previous preparation’.  Determine what overall goal you want to pursue and create specific steps you need to take to reach the goal. 

Our Goal Setting worksheet takes you through the steps of creating a goal.  These steps are very easy to follow. You simply answer a small set of questions to determine if a specific objective or goal is right for you.  These steps will help you find your intrinsic motivation for creating the specific goal and help you go through all of the necessary parts of SMART goal creation. In other words your sense of purpose will define what goals you want to complete.

For the full experience, our Effluo Planner was designed based on the study of Confucius and other great historical people.  All of the principles discussed here are included in the planner. 

The worksheet or the planner will take you through the steps of creating SMART goals. 

S- Specific Goals

M- Measurable Goals

A – Achievable Goals

R – Relevant Goals

T – Time-Bound Goals

Ultimately, to become goal oriented and to break through the status quo it is important to set goals.  The bottom line is that goal setting does not need to be difficult. 

2.    Separate larger goals into smaller action steps

Confucius taught that every large goal, a.k.a. mountain, can be broken down into smaller parts.  And yes, a mountain can be moved one stone at a time, just read about Dashrath Manjhi.   He is known as a person who singlehandedly moved a mountain one stone at a time.  Not that you need to go move a mountain, but sometimes the goals we set are like mountains that we need to overcome.

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Confucius

Once your goal is set, it is a good idea to break the goal into smaller steps. These are the stones that will be moved in order to complete the goal or move the mountain. 

These smaller steps become the tasks that you will complete on daily basis.  However, these will no longer be random tasks that you are completing for the purpose of staying busy.  These will be tasks that are tied to the larger goal.   All different tasks will have one common goal aligned to them.  You will still need to put in the hard work to accomplishing the tasks, but it will be hard work with the purpose of reaching your ultimate goal.

This is the key difference in being task oriented vs. goal oriented.  Both work hard and complete different tasks, however, goal oriented people have a clear goal they are working towards. 

After the steps towards goal achievement are identified, Confucius next recommends allowing ample amount of time to complete the task.       

3.  Allow for adequate amount of time for task completion

As you begin to set time away for completing the steps towards achieving your goal, it is important to set aside enough time for each task.  You can either complete a task quickly or thoroughly. Typically things done quickly often need to be redone.  Give your full attention to whatever you are doing at a time. 

Just as it is important to set realistic goals, so is it important to set realistic timeframes for completion of the tasks.  The most efficient way to approach time management is to allow enough time to complete the task.   This way you can avoid rework. 

Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.  – Confucius

Let us dive deeper into examples of goal tasks completion timeframes.  

Example of Allowing Adequate Amount of Time

Imagine you set a goal of reading 60 books per year to open up your mind and increase your creativity.   Sixty books a year is five books a month.   If you average about 300 to 400 pages per book that is 1500 to 2000 pages per month, or 50 to 70 pages a day.  This is where you can figure out how fast you can read and set aside the time to read.  An average person can read about 40 pages per hour.  This means that a person will have to spend an hour to two hours a day reading.  Setting aside this amount of time for reading, will guarantee your success.  

If you do not consciously prepare and set aside the time or try to hurry through a task, then as Confucius pointed out, “ there is sure to be a failure”.  

4.   Stay agile and adjust your steps as you go

So, you have set a goal, divided it into action steps, and started working towards completing the goal.  A month has passed, and you have not completed as much as you have planned. 

Let us go back to the book reading example.  Instead of reading for an hour a day, you read 20 minutes every other day. 

Should you adjust the goal or should you adjust the action steps.   According to Confucius, this is where you need to be agile and adjust the action steps. 

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. – Confucius

Example of Adjusting Action Steps

Let’s say you set aside one and a half hours in the evening for reading, but something always came up.  Either a good show, spending time with family, or just unwinding after work, whatever it was, you selected to do that instead of reading.  

Instead of saying that reading is not for you and giving up, consider changing the time of the day when you read.   Instead of the evening, set time aside in the morning before the day begins.  Or try reading during a lunch break.  Consider trying audiobooks, you may be an audio learner and this is a better option for you in the end.  Or if you have difficulty staying attentive to the book, make use of todays technology and read and listen to the book at the same time.

The point here, is don’t give up on your goals.  Become creative in how you approach your goal achievement.  Just because you have monthly plans written out, does not mean that the steps cannot be changed.  If you see that something is not working, change it. 

5. Develop Right Habits

Men’s natures are alike;

it is their habits that carry them far apart – Confucius

Nature had endowed us with the ability to form habits.  They make our lives easier.  Something that is habitual is done on autopilot, and the beauty of it all is that you are in control of what habits you form.

Goal oriented people continuously work on their personal development.   To become the kind of person you want to be you need to develop new habits.  Old habits keep you in your past, new habits will propel you forward.        

Whatever goal you set, always ask yourself, what habits do you need to develop to accompany the goal completion. 

You can create a habit of exercise, or a habit of regular reading.  The list can go on and on.   Confucius taught that our natures are alike, but it is our habits that separate us from each other.   The more you do something the more habitual it becomes, so pay close attention to what you chose to do.

6. Track your progress and Keep Moving Forward

When you have a big goal, it might seem that it is impossible to get that sense of achievement.  However, when you break the goal down into smaller steps you will be able to get that sense of achievement by completing the smaller steps.  

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  – Confucius

You may move slower than you initially anticipated, adjust your expectations but don’t give up on the goal and do not stop.  Remember you are progressing.   There is another very powerful teaching that Confucius taught his disciples.  He said if you were filling up a hole one bucket at a time and stopped with just one bucketful left, the fact remains that you stopped.  But if you continue to fill the hole, even if the progress is very slow, the fact remains that you are progressing.

As you work towards completing your goals, it does not matter how fast you go, what matters is that you do not stop.

7. Reflect and Review

Study the past if you would define the future – Confucius

This final step is often overlooked but it is a very important part in goal achievement process.  Reflect on the work completed and review what changes should be made going forward.  Only by doing so will you understand how to adjust your steps and what will be the best way to achieve your goals. 

At the end of your day, review your work to determine what worked and did not work in achieving your daily goals.   At the end of the week review your progress towards your larger goals.  Review your planning intervals to see the bigger picture of your goal achievement.  And set time aside to review your goals and your steps on quarterly basis to determine if you are still on the right track.

Summary Of the 7 Best Ways To Approach Goal Orientation According to Confucius  

1. Create meaningful Goals and Know your ‘Why’

2. Separate larger goals into smaller action steps

3.  Allow for adequate amount of time for task completion

4. Stay agile and adjust your steps as you go

5. Develop Right Habits

6. Track your progress and Keep Moving Forward

7. Reflect and Review

In summary the question between being task oriented vs goal oriented is answered by the fact that goal orientation focuses our tasks. It is important to complete tasks as long as they are aligned to the overall goal that you set up for yourself.

Take Your Goals To The Next Level

If you want to take your goal orientation to the next level, consider creating a vision board.  It provides a visual big picture overview of the life you want to create.   From this vision board you will be able to create a set of goals that are closely aligned to the vision of your life.

Effluo Planners were designed with this framework in mind.  The quarterly planners were designed based on the study of great mind of our history.  The fascinating part is that there are so many similarities between how these great people achieved their greatness and how they organized their days, that the only logical step was to combine this into this great framework.  These principles worked for millennia, try them out for yourself and discover your greatness.

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