What Gets Measured, Gets Managedâš‘
- Why is this important?
Keep asking Why.âš‘
You can follow the “5 Why’s” method.
Keep asking yourself “Why”, 5 times until you get to the root why which usually happens around the 5^th^ time you ask the “Why” question.
Let me give you an example:
If I want to improve the idea generation portion of my art projects, in other words, I want to be able to generate ideas faster so I can then decide what to paint more efficiently, then I would ask myself this …
- Why does creating ideas faster matter?
- Why does deciding what to paint sooner matter?
- Why does focusing on canvas matter more than sketches?
- Why do art shows matter?
- Why does it matter to get your name out there in the public as an artist?
This is a completely made up, hypothetical example of the five why’s, and you could go even deeper by asking “more why’s”, but now you get the point.
It drives home the point of why you are doing something. It gets to the root cause, the underlying reason you’re doing what you’re doing.
The root cause doesn’t have to be financial reward, fame, or anything like that. It can simply be a personal goal. The goal is to simply identify the root cause so you can see if it’s worth measuring.
One last tip…⚑
If you want to start managing your goals with a common framework, you can use the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework.
A S.M.A.R.T. Goals.md is …
- Specific (can’t be general, has to
- Measurable (has to be a way to measure it)
- Achievable (something you can actually do in the given time frame)
- Relevant (to your mission in life/big goals)
- Time-bound (has to have a period when it ends)
If a goal fits within the S.M.A.R.T. framework and you manage it (track it in regard to your time but achievable goal) there is a good chance you’ll get it done.
The Final Wordâš‘
The next time you find yourself at a crossroads or wondering how or why something is or is not happening — ask yourself if there is something you can measure.
If so, start measuring it.
It will be a pain at first, but after a while, it becomes a habit and the data you get out of it will help you make more informed decisions so that you can improve you life in any number of ways.
If you can measure it, you’ll manage it.⚑
Photo by Miguel A. Amutio on Unsplash
Links: Dann Felker.md