Time-based goals are easy to set but can lead to productivity fatigue. Task-based goals, while requiring more thought, offer concrete achievements and better align with deliberate practice. Learn why switching from time-based to task-based goals can boost your motivation and progress!
In the pursuit of excellence, research in psychology and performance suggests a curious observation: the surprior effectiveness of task-based goals over time-based goals in many disciplines.
Take, for example, basketball superstar Stephen Curry. Curry's practice routine isn't merely about hours on the court. It's meticulously structured around specific, quantifiable tasks. In fact, one of Curry's tips is called "Drills of 100". This involves making 5 baskets from 20 different spots, covering different angles and ranges.
Caitlin Clark, also a basketball sharpshooter, and the all-time scoring leader in NCAA women's basketball, has a similarly intense practice routine. Her workout involves 100 3-point shots, 100 mid-range shots, and 100 free throws. And this is during offseason!
Task-based goals are also common outside of basketball and sports. Stephen King, the renowned author, sets a daily goal of writing 10 pages per day, which is about 2,000 words. It's not "write 4 hours a day". It's not "1 hour daily practice". Rather, all these super achievers set task-specific goals that are repetive and consistent.
Two Types of HeroMode Quests
Working on HeroMode gives us a unique opportunity to explore the dynamic between goal setting and progress. We also get to talk to our users, and learn about the many different ways people design their Adventures and Quests.
One particularly interesting phenomenon that happens to almost everyone is "productivity fatigue". Chances are, you have already experienced it at some point.
Productivity fatigue is when you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to do. You might feel like you're "in debt" to your productivity management app, and you might even feel like you're not making progress. This sense of fatigue can send a person into a spiral - inability to make progress due to fatigue, but the lack of progress causes further disappointment that erodes motivation.
Curiously, we notice that "productivity fatigue" is especially prevalent among users who have set up time-based repeat quests. These are quests like "Workout for 1 hour", or "Read 30 minutes". In comparison, users that typically set up task-based quests, like "Run 2 miles", or "Read 10 pages", somehow appear to be more resilient. This really piques our interest.
The Psychology of Time-Based vs Task-Based Goals
We haven't interviewed enough HeroMode users to conduct a formal research study. But thinking more about the differences between time-based and task-based goals, and combining with what we know about motivation and progress, there are some hints.
Above: Time-based goals are very easy to set, but have a lot of hidden pitfalls. In comparison, setting task-based goals requires more thoughtful planning, but that's exactly the recipe for deliberate practice and progress.
The first observation is that time-based goals are extremely easy to get started with. Pick a habit, pick a duration, and you are done.
But the ease of getting started is actually a major pitfall in disguise. Precisely because time-based goals are so easy to set up, you are bypassing the "thinking" and "planning" stage of deliberate practice.
In comparison, task-based goals can't be set up without some careful consideration. For example, even a simple habit of "reading" will require a little math -- ok, I might have 10 or 15 minutes each day to read, but how many pages can I get through? How fast do I read? What kind of book am I reading? Some books I can read faster and some are more technical and would take more time.
And precisely because task-based goals take variable amount of time to complete, it involves constant adjustments. If I can't finish my "read 20 pages" quest today because I ran out of time, tomorrow I might need to downsize it to "read 10 pages".
Thinking Required: Designing the Right Tasks
The fact that task-based goals take more thought and planning is a major reason why they are so difficult to get started. But this is a feature, not a bug.
We set goals because we want to make meaningful progress. And making progress requires deliberate practice, according to "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise", by authors Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. This means carefully designing the activities that align with our long-term goals, and constantly evaluating and adjusting. Without being deliberate about our goals, we'd just be going through the motions.
Time Passes by Even When You Are Doing Nothing
And going through the motions is precisely the biggest problem with time-based goals. Time passes by regardless of our engagement to the actual activity. We have all been there. Staring at the same page, mind adrift. Sitting in the lecture hall, not paying attention. Time continues to go by, and technically, we are achieving "reading for 15 minutes". But completing this quest says nothing about the actual reading progress.
This makes time-based goals inherently empty and unsubstantiated. No wonder goals like "read 15 minutes everyday" don't make us feel good about ourselves. Deep down, we know that this kind of goals do not truly reflect progress.
Concrete, Measurable Achievements Generate Motivation
We get a sense of reassurance when we make progress. Time-based goals seldom generate this feeling of pride. But task-based goals do. When we complete a task-based quest, we know exactly what activity we accomplished. Even if it's a small act, we did it. I read those 10 pages. I did those 20 reps in the gym. I solved the coding challenge. This is unlike time-based goals, where we know 15 minutes can pass by without any of our contribution.
Don't underestimate the power of such concrete, measurable achievements. The feeling of accomplishment is motivating, and it will propel us to keep making progress.
Do you have time-based goals? Do you think it's possible to redesign them into task-based goals? Give it a try - I'd be curious how your experience will be!