It's all about the numbers.
Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 11:50AM Kate Wanting to accomplish something is often not enough- no matter how badly you want it. It definitely helps to be passionate about what you do, to have goals, and to be surrounded by smart people. But ultimately these things do not ensure success.
What helps you succeed?
The numbers.
Think about it like this. Do you ever lose weight just because you really want to? No. Does hanging out with health conscious people help? Yes. What about buying a gym membership? Yes, that can help too- if you use it. But ultimately, you may not lose that weight until you commit to the numbers and the facts.
Looking at numbers draws you to an awareness of where you are with your goals. It forces you to deal with reality and to see your actual progress. It's tangible, motivating, and empowering to look at numbers. And it is often at times when we feel unhappy with progress or vulnerable that we avoid looking at the the facts.
What is the best way to motivate yourself to lose weight? Start by writing down everything that you eat. Believe me - those five cookies you ate will not taste nearly as good as they did before you committed to writing them down. And before you know it, your eating habits will change because of this.
Next, write down how much you exercise each day. If you take the stairs instead of the elevator- write it down. Before you know it, you will be walking more, driving less, and finding ways to exercise more. Take it a step further and add up the number of calories you are eating and the number of calories you are burning each day. Weigh yourself once a week and add this number to your tallies as well.
Now you have the tool to figure out what works for you. Watch the data over time, and it will tell you more. You may notice that those Tuesday meetings at the doughnut shop are affecting your progress, or your long Monday workdays leave you no time for exercise. This information tells you where to put your effort and what to change.
This blog is not about weight loss. It is about business. But reaching your business goals involves the same process as what I described above with weight loss. You can create a spreadsheet to track anything in business, and it is important that you do. You should have a spreadsheet or tool that tracks the overall health of your company. This includes your revenue, expenses, number of customers, number of prospects, how many events you have attended, and how many people you have met. You should create a spreadsheet to track your marketing efforts, business development goals, and anything else you want to accomplish.
If you are unsure of how to start, just start somewhere. Think of one goal you have, and then consider what is trackable. Fill it out once a week for several weeks, and you will figure out what to add as you go. Also, consider finding tools to help you. Between SaaS and smartphone apps, you can find tools for just about anything. I recommend finding some project management tools will help you organize your thoughts and to see what tasks are part of larger objectives. Check out Curio7 or OmniFocus if you are on Mac. After you have figured out your main goals, create spreadsheets to track your progress.
It is important that you intentionally fill out and look at the data yourself. Just looking at a QuickBooks report is not good enough. You need to customize the data according to your priorities so that you get the feedback you need. This will help you think through and plan your day according to your goals.
Numbers are everything. They show progress. They tell you what you are missing and help you make decisions. If you need help figuring out where your focus should be, email me. Also, share your thoughts and comments.
Thank you to Carolynn for teaching me the importance of numbers.
Reader Comments (1)
Nice post Kate. I totally agree about it's all about numbers. There's a saying "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it". I think it also helps to have intent every day. If you don't have intent to accomplish those goals it makes it nearly impossible to achieve it.
Pete