> Both of these examples demonstrate a process, or a decision made in advance

A decision made in advance is not a process. Unlike all the other real-world examples of committed processes in the article, premade decisions don't require discipline - the actual substitute for motivation - to execute in a meaningful way that ensures actual progress.

I can make a decision to go to gym tomorrow.

My process/playbook for determining if I go to the gym is I go if I didn’t go the day before.

This is both a premade decision and a process that requires discipline to execute on.

So why isn’t a decision made in advance an example of a simple process?

it takes discipline for me to stick to decisions I made earlier.