There's been a lot of talk about numbers lately, especially as Twitter has come out with lists. You can't help but take note of how many lists you're on and then start looking around at how many lists other people are on. Gwen Bell talks about all that hoopla a bit in this post. I like her take on things, so it's worth a look, but I'd like to have a different look at using numbers to make progress.
This morning I was reading Maria Shriver's thoughts on the comprehensive study published on A Woman's Nation. She says:
"Our report breaks new ground by taking a hard look at how women's changing roles are also affecting our major societal institutions: our government, businesses, religious and faith institutions, educational system, the media, and even men and marriage. And we examine how all these parts of the culture have responded to one of the greatest social transformations of our time. We look at where we are and where we should go from here."
And that made me think about the topic of numbers again, and how they can be useful rather than diminutive (as in when you are comparing yourself to others). What if you use numbers to "look at where you are and where you should go from here?"
So, here's the idea, and it builds on the post I wrote last week about goals.
Let's say one of your goals is something numerically measurable. Let's say you want to appear on 10 new lists a month in order to start building your network. Here's how goal-setting and numbers would work in your favor.
1. Set your start and end period and take a measurement at the beginning of the time frame to see where you are.
2. Determine the frequency with which you plan to measure the growth of your list appearances - in this case I'd recommend weekly in order to hit your monthly targets.
3. Take periodic measurements according to your plan and compare these against your goal - how do they measure up? Are you going where you had planned to go?
4. If you are on track with your goal, keep doing whatever it is that's working. If you are lagging behind your goal, brainstorm a list of at least five things you can do to change the situation.
5. Don't quit until you've reached your goal or until you reach the end period and need to reevaluate the process.
If you use numbers this way, you won't be at all concerned about anyone else's numbers because you'll be focused solely on your own progress.
Set big goals and complete them with purpose. They'll be easier to stick to if you're motivated by something meaningful.
(P.S. If you find yourself stuck on #4 and need help brainstorming, let me know, I love solving these kinds of puzzles.)