Metrics for life

What gets measured gets done. This old adage rings true in many aspects of life and work. 

When we think of measurement, we often think of business and sports--two fields where metrics rule. Organizations measure key performance indicators, like profitability and market share, to keep score of the company’s progress. Sports teams measure points, wins and losses to figure out who’s up and who’s down.

But what about measuring success in life? How come we don’t naturally measure our life the way we measure our work? I need to do better in this area, and I recently started tracking and analyzing my sleep as a first step. It’s early, but the results have helped me improve my sleep efficiency and energy levels.

But back to life metrics.

Life metrics are tricky. For example, how do you measure happiness or inner peace? Although life is full of immeasurable objectives, I believe we can still measure some aspects of what we often define as a successful life. We simply have to be willing to do the math.

Here are some life areas I currently measure:

Metrics I Use to Evaluate Success in Life

• Health: How many times I exercise a week; The quality of my sleep

• Network: How many professional connections and genuine relationships I maintain over time

• Family: How often I interact with my family (e.g. “Call mom or dad”)

• Finance: My net worth (i.e. my assets less liabilities)

These are just a few examples of life metrics. I’m sure you could think of more.