The pursuit of outcomes
How to measure what really matters.
Pursuing success in any domain can be a poisonous journey for many people. Exacerbated by the unlimited access to the wealth and power of other people online, the tendency to measure success based on a person’s outcomes is more prominent than ever. In many ways, this has translated into a major focus on what is called lag measures.
Lag measures include the measures of success and outcomes you want to achieve. This could include:
Money
Fame
Weight loss
A heavy SBD
A sub 2-hour half marathon
A closed sale
A university degree
These types of outcomes are measured after the effort and luck required to achieve them has been invested. The outcome lags behind the actions that cause them, and are difficult to control, as they are influenced by many different factors.
For example, when I post a new newsletter, I’m not so bothered by the metrics which might typically be used to measure if an entry is successful or not (views, likes, open rate). I love telling myself that I’m not doing it for those reasons, because I really do believe it. I love writing, and I love sharing ideas.
Tranquility … comes when you stop caring about what they say. Or think. Or do. Only what you do — Marcus Aurelius
Something that I have observed however, is that when I share it out into the world via Instagram stories, I become acutely aware of who and how many people view the story, and if people are actually clicking through to read. I think far more about views than I normally would, and I come up with a million and one stories about how it might be annoying, weird or both for posting these entries.
A potential solution to the trap of measuring your worth based on lag metrics which is defined by a lack of control, delayed feedback and its reactive nature), is what is called lead measures. As you can probably guess, lead measures are associated with the actions you can take to obtain lag measures. This can apply to almost any goal we want to achieve.
A better physique or losing weight is a lag measure obtained by the number of challenging workouts each week, the number of calories you’re consuming and the amount of protein you’re taking in.
A greater savings balance is a lag measure obtained by the percentage of your income you’re allocating to each month’s contribution.
Higher education is a lag measure obtained by the number of classes attended and the amount of hours studying.
In my case, the performance of these entries is a lag measure, and should not be the primary motivator for my efforts (which it is not). The measures that really matter are:
The quality of the content I’m consuming each week — I can decide what books, podcasts, reels and news I’m exposed to.
The amount of notes I’m writing down about different ideas — I have the autonomy and tools to write down ideas I see, hear or think of whenever I need to
And above all else:
How much I just sit down and fucken write!
The problem with society is that lag measures are the only thing that seems to matter. To everyone else, you are stacked up and valued against your achievements, your status, sales closed, profit margin, weight, height, bank balance, followers, annual revenue, final grade, customer reviews and every other superficial metric shallow people can think of.
Where you’re at right now matters far less than where you’re going. Every time you tick off another workout, another run, another page in your book, another hour of study, another newsletter, you gain another token of proof that you are who you say you are.
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity — Seneca
Lead efforts are a far greater measure of someone’s character. And that’s what really matters.
Just Something To Consider.
Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, Simon & Schuster.