Measure What You Want to Manage.

I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday’s post will help you think about your own happiness project.

A few years ago, a brilliant friend of mine wrote a novel, The Measurement Problem (you can read it online). One of the themes of the novel is – no surprise, given the title – the measurement problem, that is, the fact that measuring a value (or not) changes the way we act on it. As we were talking about this issue, she said, “It’s like Einstein said: 'Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.'"

That idea struck me with enormous force. That's true. But the fact is, if you want something to count in your life, it helps to figure out a way to count it. To put it another way, as one of my Secrets of Adulthood holds, “You manage what you measure.”

That’s one of the key reasons that my Resolutions Chart works so well. Setting myself a concrete task, and measuring each day whether I’m complying with it, makes me far more likely to stick to my resolution.

Difficult-to-measure resolutions like “Find more joy in life” or “Be present in the moment” are tougher to keep than “Once a week, make plans with friends” or “Don’t use my iPod when I’m walking to work.” It’s hard to tell if you’re getting more joy out of life, but it’s easy to score yourself on keeping a weekly outing with friends.

In my own case, with my workaholic tendencies, I realized that if I didn’t measure certain values in my life, I’d neglect them. My friends like to make fun of my paradoxical resolutions like “Force myself to wander” or “Schedule time for play,” but if I don’t put these things on my calendar, and score myself on my Resolutions Chart, I just won’t do them.

Now, some people make the point that measuring isn’t necessarily a good thing. Measuring something stifles it, they argue, or it encourages you to focus on measurable aspects at the expense of more elusive ones, or the fact that you’re measuring an experience shows you’re not experiencing it deeply. After all, when you’re fully immersed in an experience, you don’t stop to measure it.

That’s true. So I suppose I’m talking about how to get to that point. How do you lose yourself in contemplation of the clouds if you’re distracted by This American Life on your iPod? How do you throw yourself into dancing at a club if you never step away from your computer? In my case, measurement allows me to make sure that such values don’t get pushed to the side – otherwise I’m too preoccupied with answering emails or taking notes, because these are tangible items that can crossed off my to-do list.

Even reading. Reading is my very favorite thing to do – in fact, if I’m honest with myself, it’s practically the only activity I really enjoy – and when I’m reading, I lose all track of time or sense of measurement. Nevertheless, one of my resolutions is “Find more time to read.” I measure my reading time to make sure that reading doesn’t get crowded out.

So figure out something you’d like to change in your life – more of something good or less of something bad. Then figure out a very concrete way to measure it and to hold yourself accountable for living up to it. By counting the things that count – and pushing yourself to find a way to count the things that can’t be counted – you make sure they’re part of your life.

* Via the very cool Very Short List, a friend sent me the link to Save the Words. It's wonderful -- you roll your mouse over words, each one now sadly underused, and it begs for you to adopt it in your everyday speech. Hard to describe, weirdly addictive.

* Interested in starting your own happiness project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (Sorry about writing it in that roundabout way; I’m trying to thwart spammers.) Just write “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.

Comments

[Yes, But Still...]

"What gets measured gets done".

Thanks for this post!

[Vi]

In response to those people who think that measuring isn't necessarily a good thing, I say that this is a case of not letting perfect be the enemy of good!

The best thing might be to not measure, but measuring and doing is better than not measuring and not doing.

=)

[Suzanne Carter]

It's funny how a phrase commonly used in business (misattributed to W. Edwards Deming) has really wide applications!

Measuring and managing made me think of weight loss and of the research showing that, if you are really serious about losing weight, keep a photographic record of your meals - turns out that worked better than a food diary (Lydia Zepeda & David Deal, UW-madison - go badgers!).

[Catherine Cantieri, Sorted]

I really like this idea! I too tend to do only what is scheduled and concrete, and I worry that my inner life has suffered for it. I resolve to schedule -- and measure! -- the meditation sessions I haven't been getting around to lately.

Cool post!

[Lynne Larock]

I guess my resolution is to spend MORE time listening to This American Life on my iPod...

[Christopher]

Good tip. I love to read too. That and listening to music keeps me sane.

[Lexi]

Another "This American Life" fan here. I'm willing to bet a lot of people who visit this site either like that show or would if they gave it a shot. It's incredibly smart, inspiring and poignant.

[The Healthy Librarian]

Changing habits or behaviors by "measuring" just doesn't work for me. Too regimented.

I get too much of that at work--constantly keeping stats on everything.

I find it much easier to pick 3 top things I want to work on, write them down & keep them in mind.

I call it the Power of Three and the Write It Down Principle. There's brain science behind it.

It works for me! Helped me ditch sugar, negative talk & become a better listener.

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2009/01/resolutions.html

And I agree--This American Life is great.

[kirwin]

I am just like you. I like charts, graphs, gold stars, and the like. I want to see my progress, and it bothers me when I can't find a way to "measure" it.

[David Cain]

That phrase is already sticking with me: "You manage what you measure."

It seems to be true. I tend to make the most progress when I measure in this way: I decide what I want to spend more time on, and I reserve a certain number of minutes for it. "Thursday I will block off 45 minutes for reading," or "everyday after work I will block off ten minutes for French flash cards."

I seem to have a need to quantify things, always have.

[HP van Duuren]

I do agree with Albert Einstein that,

'For example in Sales...,'

If you keep on selling something to someone while you caught somebody at an inconvient time, annoying somebody with your 'Sales Pitch'.

With pressing on you might be able to eventually create your wished for

"Measurable Results"

..., with for example the use of 'Ambushing Sales techniques', tricking somebody to buy something from you.

Fact remains that you bothered somebody and he or she might tell his or her entire network of friends what an annoying jerk the salesman was.

And although I learned from 'Rockafeller'
that numbers are important, and can tell the future, I don't think that ONLY focussing on Measurable Results is alway's the smartest thing to do.

For example if you get yourself highly
'DIS-EASED' with chasing 'Resolution Charts' that might not alway's be the best thing to do. I do think that it can be very usefull for creating some discipline and focussing, but I do think that there needs to be a ballance there.

All the Best,
To your Happy Inspiration,
HP

[Sarah]

"Reading is my very favorite thing to do – in fact, if I’m honest with myself, it’s practically the only activity I really enjoy..."

That's how I feel, and it's really bothering me. I am trying to figure out how to enjoy life, but the only activity that draws me is an escapist one.

[Stephan F-]

One very important thing I have learned is that occasionally what you measure is the wrong thing, often it is just irrelevant (it didn't matter if you measured it or not), but sometimes what is measured is actually bad for you or your company.
I have been in and watched many companies manage themselves to death because of looking at units sold and ignoring returns.
The national financial mess looks to have been caused by congress managing the number of homeowners, which really looks like it would be a good thing, but by ignoring the ability for them to pay for that home we now have a very, very, very big mess on our hands.
You just need to step back once and a while and check if the result you are getting is the one you want.

[Jodi]

Great post, Gretchen! I am a big proponent of setting intentions for all areas in our lives. But setting intentions isn't enough. We must act upon those intentions or nothing will change for the better. I really admire that you have trained your brain to think in 'measurable' terms. This is the difference between wanting to be happy and getting off the couch to go do what makes you happy. Thank you for another thought-provoking post!

[Rodney Johnson]

Goal setting, nor continuous planning works for some, and not for others. Personally, I can't stand either and for me to attempt to go down that path would not make me happy, nor more productive. This would be an Unhappiness Project for me.

[Gretchen Rubin]

Rodney makes an interesting point. Maybe this is an issue like the Abstaining/Moderating difference, where people have different approaches to giving things up. Maybe some people do better measuring, and others do better not to measure. Hmmm. I'll have to think about that.

I love THIS AMERICAN LIFE too -- not knocking it or saying that it's a waste of time to listen to it. But sometimes listening to the latest episode can become a tangible to-do that gets done, while staring at the sky gets ignored, because there's no prompt reminding you to do it. Fact is, allowing yourself to be unstimulated at times can be very important. Even if it means you get behind on THIS AMERICAN LIFE.

[Caroline]

Gretchen - this post made me sooooo happy! I'll read your friend's novel with interest - although I can only find the first half at the moment. I so agree that measurement is underrated as a happiness idea - although I believe that its deciding what to measure that's the tricky bit! Thanks for a fascinating post and to everyone else for some interesting comments.

[Matt Blair]

Nice work, Gretchen.

There is an important distinction between measuring the occurrence and trying to measure the experience. For example, if you set yourself a goal of spending five hours a week wandering, it is easy to see how you did at the end of the week: you spent four hours walking, or six, or none. Measurement becomes less useful, and possibly even harmful to the intention behind the resolution, if you tried to measure the efficiency of your wandering, the ROI of each step, or whether each circumstantial decision to go in one direction or another helped you "achieve growth" or "meet objectives" or some other kind of official-sounding measure. Such measures can be misleading, too: you can't determine if time spent reading was stimulating and rewarding by counting the number of pages you read.

Whether you did or didn't spend time wandering is a important to measure, especially if it encourages a habit that enriches your life. But the actual time spent wandering or playing or reading, by the very nature of those kinds of acts, should be amorphous and free, and not subject to strict expectations. If every moment is infringed upon by metrics, it becomes marching or work -- very different acts, with very different effects.

[Stephanie LH Calahan aka @StephCalahan]

Excellent points. I find this true for my clients and for me. Measurement creates accountability. It also creates awareness.

When I needed to change the way I ate due to food allergies and other medical challenges, my nutritionist had me chart my food, sleep and rest for 2 weeks. I did not have to change much in that time, but just be observant of what was really going on in my life in those three areas.

Just having an awareness inspired change.

To your success!

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[Michael F. Martin]

Surprised nobody mentioned Peter Drucker. This was one of his favorite truisms.