Seems like an easy question, right? Well, maybe not. I can't really improve what I don't measure, and here is the confession, I haven't done a very good job of measuring some things lately.
So how do I measure? Well, it depends on what is important. For example, if I want to increase my achievement in the gym, I am am going to track my reps, my maximum weight lifted or my time doing an activity. If I want to save money, I am going to measure my expenses and income in a budget. I think you get the idea.
Ironically, the main reason I, and so many others, neglect measuring the important things in life, is the same reason why we need to: life is busy. It is easy to think I don't have time to track "X" today, because there is too much to do. However, if we don't take the time to measure the important things, we will have immense difficulty making improvements.
So, why is measuring so important? In short, if we don't measure, we will make incorrect assumptions about what we are doing. When we fail to make great strides we will be discouraged, because we over estimated the effort we made.
How about I give an example: let's say my goal is to lose weight. I have not tracked my calorie intake over the last month, but I have gone hungry on a regular basis, so I feel I worked hard on the goal. At the end of the month I have not lost a single pound. I assume I cannot lose weight, so there is no point in making any effort.
Was I right? No, of course not. I certainly can lose weight, but just torturing myself on a regular basis isn't going to do it. Maybe if I had measured my calories I would have noticed that I starved myself all day, and then ate a bunch of high calorie foods in the evening, resulting in a daily consumption of calories higher than is healthy.
Okay, so measuring would have helped me identify that I wasn't doing a great job of eating in the evening. But what does that matter, I would be hungry regardless, right? Well, let's think about that. Let's say a person my size could lose a healthy amount of weight by eating 1500 calories per day. Now, it's breakfast, and I decide, I can devote 300 calories to breakfast, so I have some oatmeal and some yogurt. Boom, lunch rolls around and I am not feeling very hungry, but I decide I can devote 400 calories to lunch anyway, so I have a chicken sandwich and a glass of milk. Boom, before I know it, supper rolls around and I am just starting to get hungry, so I cook a steak ans have a salad with low-cal dressing. At the end of the day I still have some calories left to have a healthy desert, and I wasn't hungry all day.
So, what was the big difference? Measuring! What I measure I will manage. What I don't measure will not get addressed. How do I know, well that example isn't hypothetical, it is what I have gone through. I lost 80 pound in 8 months, and there was no secret bullet. Feel free to note the before photo (not so happy) and the photo after 8 months (a little too happy). No magic pill, it was simply achieved with a plan to measure what I ate.
Success after measuring doesn't just apply to weight loss, it applies to everything in life. So what are my areas to work on now? Well, the big one is growing my business. So how do I measure that?
Well, the big thing I need to do is get back to writing in my Journal. If I write in my journal daily it will assist me in seeing when I am making progress on my goals, and when I am not.
Second, I need to getting back to noting everything I need to do in my agenda, and reviewing it on a regular basis. Time gets wasted when I don't have a quick reference to see what I still have to do. For me, I like the pen and paper agendas, others prefer electronic, it really doesn't matter as long as an honest effort is made to add everything and review it regularly. So what am I going to commit to going forward?
- I will write in my journal daily
- I will update my agenda and review it at least twice a day
- I will post a blog article at least once a week, which is also a great way to track my progress (look, I am on track already, lol).
The fact of the matter is that the President of the United States can find time to go for a run every day, he can find time to go on vacation and he can find time to golf. It isn't because he has less to do than I do, and for most of people I am willing to be that is also true. The truth is, he has a well managed (measured) day. If he can achieve his daily objectives, so I can hardly excuse myself if I don't use my journal or my agenda.
What do you need to measure in order to achieve your goals? Let me know yours and I'll keep you posted on mine.
Dave
