To have outsized success, we need to identify our major life purpose or big hairy audacious goal (BHAG), but what's the fundamental element that's essential for making consistent, sustained progress towards that overarching goal? It's surprisingly simple: start measuring.

Read on: blog.WednesdayWin.com​

Read time: 3 minutes

Decades ago, management educator and author, Peter Drucker wrote in the Effective Executive, "what is measured, improves."

Sure, measurement helps by providing data and insight, but this simple concept cuts much deeper than you might think at first. Use it to your advantage and watch your progress accelerate.

Here are four major ways that explain why what gets measured, gets improved:

1. Measuring raises awareness

A fundamental change occurs when you commit to regularly measuring your progress: you increase your awareness. It naturally leads to increased focus–both consciously and unconsciously–on the goal you are seeking to reach.

• Keep it simple: pick a measurement metric that's quick and easy to assess
• Commit to a regular routine or pattern of measurement
• Stay consistent and keep the measurement habit

Whether it's stepping on the scale each morning, counting the words written in your daily session, or noting the completion of a key task, don't skip out on the count and tracking the results.

2. Measuring encourages accountability and habit building

Habits drive the majority of our daily actions. Building healthy habits that support our goals is essential for achieving at a high level.

One of the easiest benefits from regular measurement of something important to us is the required regular routine of checking. And regularly practiced routines that require conscious action become habits which we follow without expending much will power or mental effort.

When we measure consistently, we are reinforcing the importance of our top priorities in our own mind and marking a clear step of progress. No matter the specific result, that regular act of checking in supports healthy habits.

• Show up for yourself or your team, but don't skip measuring no matter what the result
• Don't skip the measurements even if you think the results will be disappointing
• Keep the act of measuring fast and easy and never miss
• Regular routines in turn lead to consistent habits

Establishing positive habits reduces our mental workload and allows us to put our focus on the ultimate outcome instead of just getting started. Make measurement a part of your habit-building tool box.

3. Measuring promotes continuous improvement

Instead of trying to catapult to a new, higher level in big leaps, think of reaching your goal as a large collection of tiny steps of improvement. The key is to make steady incremental improvements and compound that progress over time.

Regular measurement allows you to make those tiny, easy changes instead of building up significant goal debt before you even notice. That common goal backlog burden often leads to giving up.

• If you fall behind, make small changes to catch up before the gap grows
• Use the measurement for a little extra motivation when you need it
• When you notice good progress, ride that positive way to keep advancing

4. Measuring provides clarity of goals with quantifiable progress

Using measurement has another powerful impact. The regular reflection helps us align our goals to our sense of self. If the measurement ceases to be important to you, that's a valuable insight to your core values. When you are focused on the right things for you, you'll feel that resonate daily.

The other great benefit is clear, quantifiable progress. You are building meaningful metrics that you can use to help you better understand your pace of change and ability to set accurate goals on achievable time scales in the future.

• Regular reflection builds your subconscious focus
• Don't ignore cognitive dissonance: if your metrics aren't right, reflect on your reasons for your current goals
• Collect data that will help you better understand your capabilities and pace of change

Action Summary

It may seem too simple to be effective, but taking the time to regularly measure your progress towards a prioritized (and written!) goal creates value in that simple act.

• Become more aware and thoughtful about your goals
• Pick an easy to execute measurement and do it regularly
• Allow yourself to make small course corrections in response to your frequent measurements
• Use what you learn to refine your future goal-setting

The more you follow this practice, the more you'll want to add counts and measures to your daily practice to super-charge your results.

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What do you think? How has measurement helped you reach your goals? Reply to this email and let me know.

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To your success,

Christopher

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P.S. Like this one? You'll probably want to check out this Wednesday Win on the power and usefulness of preparing written goals, too.

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