Grading yourself

Whether or not we’re aware, we attempt to live up to our own expectations based on how we grade ourselves.  Some grade themselves by how much wealth they accumulate.  Others feel accomplished by transforming their bodies, building a business, or raising well-adjusted children.

I grade myself on how useful I can be (hopefully this blog is an example). This is my own internal measure, so there’s no right answer, reward or penalty.

It pays to be deliberate about what we choose to value.  And fortunately, once we’re out of school, we get to decide how we’re graded.

Important but not urgent

There is a useful matrix showing “important” on one axis, and “urgent” on the other.   Even without fancy charts we intuitively know that we should focus energy on items of long-term significance, and not on unimportant emergencies.

One way to deploy this is to be vigilant about managing phone notifications, email subscriptions, and everything else in your environment that forces you to pay immediate attention to things that are not critical.  Urgent does not equal important.

The purpose is to create space for intentional living, and to stop reacting to every bit of noise.  The first task is to remove as many stimuli as possible.

Perfection may be your downfall

The first thing to know about acquiring new skills or habits is that the most perfect, responsible, scientifically tested method for learning or improving means NOTHING if you quit.

The perfect diet is irrelevant if you don’t follow it, but follow a healthy eating plan only 70% of the time and it will change your life.

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of remarkable progress.  No matter what you’re trying to improve, the mediocre plan you follow is infinitely better than the perfect plan you abandon.