Monday Motivation: The Power of Measurement

“What gets measured gets managed” – Peter Drucker

This quote holds true in so many aspects of life. Things that get written down tend to hold higher priority compared to things that are restricted to our memory. Written goals often get accomplished more quickly than goals simply spoken or imagined.

It’s tough to live life 100 percent instinctively, doing anything and everything off the cuff with no planning. Not all of us can be Tyler Durden. For the rest of us, achieving our goals in health, fitness, business, relationships and the like require careful planning and writing things down can help tremendously.

Keeping a written record of various activities and pursuits lets us easily reflect and evaluate our processes. We can learn what works and keep doing it. For example, if your business’s latest marketing campaign has increased sales 20 percent, you’re gonna want to stay the course. But if you aren’t keeping track of sales, how would you know how effective your marketing is?

If things aren’t going as well as planned, we know what to change and how to change it. Another example: if you’re six weeks into a fat loss diet and the pounds aren’t coming off, you need to revamp your approach. But if you don’t keep a food log, how do you know what to change? Calories? Carbs? Fats? Who knows.

No more leaving your life to chance. Stop guessing and start measuring. Here are four quick tips for measuring what matters.

1. KEEP A TRAINING LOG

Sound familiar? It’s so important to keep track of your workouts that I’ve mentioned it in at least two other posts and have my own training log as a regular part of this website.

It’s really simple. Get a notebook. Bring it with you every time you go to the gym. Write down the date. Write down the exercises. Write down the weights, sets and reps. Rinse and repeat.

Refer to your log book often. Take note of what exercises, rep ranges, intensities (light weights, heavy weights, medium weights, etc.) seem to be working. And whenever possible, try to “beat the log book,” meaning do more weight, reps or sets than you did last time. This is still the simplest way to ensure consistent gains in muscle and strength.

2. MAKE A TO-DO LIST EVERY DAY

I learned this one from two of my favorite strength coaches: Jim Wendler and Tony Gentilcore. Both advocated making a short to-do list (3-5 things) first thing every day. Make each task simple enough to complete that day.

They called this the “$20,000-a-year-habit” or something like that, insinuating that simply making a short to-do list each day and accomplishing the entire list is one of the simplest ways to increase productivity and, in turn, income.

First thing in the morning or first thing when you get to work – before any emails, phone calls, Facebook posts, tweets or other distractions – write down several things you want to accomplish TODAY. They can be as exact as “write 500 words of the lab report that’s due next week” or as simple as “eat lots of vegetables”. Make it a priority to finish the list. This way, no matter how much is left to do at the end of the day in terms of things not on the list, you’ll know you were still productive.

I like to make the list consist of at least one task each related to work, school/reading, fitness/nutrition, household chores and friends/family. This helps me strike a balance between all the important things in my day.

3. KEEP A LIST OF DAILY “HIGHS” AND “LOWS”

Some of the most important things in life can’t be measured. Faith, love, hope, happiness. You can’t attach numbers to these essential components of a complete existence. But you can keep track of the things that have a positive or negative impact on them.

This year my girlfriend and I started keeping a daily “Highs and Lows” jar. Each day, we write down a “high” point and “low” point from our day on tiny pieces of paper, fold them up and put them in an empty jar (Dr. Bronner’s coconut oil, of course). Every Sunday evening after dinner, we sit down, empty out the jar and read what we wrote. This has been hands down one of the best things we’ve ever done for our communication. All the things that make us happy, sad, excited and stressed out are put out in the open for discussion.

You don’t have to do the notes-in-a-jar approach. Simply write your highs and lows in a notebook or on a calendar – a grown-up diary, if you will. Review and reflect on what you wrote each week. Take notice of what makes you happy and strive to replicate those feelings. And take notice of the actions or situations that made you unhappy and work to avoid those behaviors in the future. You might be surprised how easy it is to find happiness and avoid stress when you’re honest with yourself and identify those situations.

4. MAKE A GROCERY BUDGET AND STICK TO IT

I’ve heard the complaints. Eating healthy can be expensive. And if you’re eating to gain muscle and pack on pounds, it’s easy to go overboard at the grocery store.

Keep a food log for at least one week, taking note of what you ate and how much you ate. Then, create a weekly grocery budget based on what you DID eat, not what you THINK you’ll eat. Note what you ran out of and what went to waste.

Keep track of items as you shop. Everyone’s got a calculator on their phone now, so no excuses. Weigh fruits and veggies on the scales. Ask the butcher for precise cuts of meat. Add up the prices on your phone to make sure you stay within your budget.

When you arrive at the store, be as strict as possible with your list. You don’t need HoHo’s AND Double Stuff Oreos. One thing I’ve found really helps with this is budgeting a small amount for impulse buys. If you set an allowance of $20 for heat-of-the-moment purchases, you’ll be less tempted to deviate from your list.

If you find you’re spending too much, try cutting items that are nutritionally interchangeable (or close to it),  such as:

• Steak and ground beef
• Broccoli and asparagus
• Potatoes and rice
• Blueberries and raspberries

Rotate similar items on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to enhance variety and keep expenses in check.

GUESS LESS, DO MORE

These are just a few simple ways you can stop leaving things to chance and keep better tabs on various aspects of your life. Making things measurable makes progress more attainable. You don’t need fancy spreadsheets, scientific equations or a full-time accountant to improve your quality of life. Just a pen and paper can make the difference between spinning your wheels and roaring full speed ahead.