Measuring and tracking when used correctly and viewed as a tool our extremely valuable.
When you view data as something more than a tool it will cause issues.
An example of this is the data you get from weighing yourself daily.
A scale is a tool and the number it spits out is a data point.
Nothing more and nothing less.
That data point doesn’t take into consideration how hard you have or haven’t worked, how your food intake has or hasn’t changed, or how you are feeling that day.
It’s a machine that spits out a number based on the input.
This is a simplistic example that can be used for any data point.
1. Collect data points.
2. Evaluate data trends.
3. Determine the best course of action to get the results you want to see reflected in the data over time.
Sometimes no changes are needed and time simply needs to take its toll.
In these cases remind yourself of this quote…
The data is not good or bad it just is. The data shows us in black and white the results of our actions up to this point in time.
This is powerful when viewed intelligently not emotionally.
With enough proper data, you will be equipped to make educated choices on what strategies to employ to change the data down the road.
Some of the things I measure and get data from daily:
– Weight
– Bank Account Balances
– Exercise
– Work Completed (how much, type, and time of day)
– Grateful Log
Tracking these things does three main things for me.
1. When I track them I pay more attention to them and am more purposeful in their completion and result.
2. I stay on top of them so I don’t find myself “all of a sudden” overweight, broke, out of shape, getting nothing done, and ungrateful.
3. It gives me a track record of which to compare from year to year and look for trends and seasonalities.
What do you track daily and what should you be tracking daily that you are not?
Brett “Data-Driven” Denton