It's Not A Measuring Contest

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Quote

“It’s easy to determine what caused a failure, but predicting the next crisis before it occurs? Well, that’s another story.” - Jack Raines

It’s Not A Measuring Contest

We all know the saying “what gets tracked, gets improved.”

For the most part, it’s true. Tracking your progress (or failures) is the best way to know if you are actually getting shiz done.

That said, keeping tabs on every move of your life can lead you into a control loop where there is no room for creativity, fun, or risk.

So how do you find a balance? Let’s break down the different aspects of tracking to help you answer that question.

The Psychology Of Tracking

Not achieving your standard sucks, but damn it’s good motivation.

If you spent too much, weighed a few pounds over on the scale, or maybe missed your mile time by a few seconds, all of these can be considered failures.

The trick is to recognize your suckiness and keep moving forward.

Too many people know they are terrible with money, but won’t track their spending. People know they are missing their goals at work, but don’t escalate to their boss. People know they are overweight, but fear stepping on the scale.

The psychology of tracking your life can help you, but you can’t be afraid of it.

Ways To Track

There are multiple ways to go about tracking.

Personally, I’m on the boomer side of things. Over the last two years, I’ve logged nearly every gym session of mine with pen and paper. Highly recommended, if you have a bad habit of wasting time on your phone between sets.

For tracking finances, my strategy has been to manually enter into an app called EveryDollar. Manually adding provides an automatic reminder of “hey you spent money.” In the 5 seconds it takes to enter how much was spent, you will know whether or not that cash went to a good place.

For those who are okay to ditch the chisels and stone tablets, there are a number of different apps with automation features available.

Cuffs of Tracking

While it’s important to monitor your progress, don’t let the tracking sheet own your behaviors and mentality. What do I mean by this?

You get a text from your buds asking to go out to dinner on Saturday. You check your spending, knowing you did the same last week, and realize this will put you over your “limit.” You decline, stay home, and end up frustrated with yourself for taking your finances so seriously. Next thing you know, you quit tracking altogether.

That’s what we don’t want to happen.

Go have the burger and a couple of beers with friends. The purpose of tracking is to see your habits and progress over the long run. A $20 meal isn’t going to ruin your finances (some people would prove me wrong here) but you get my point.

Conclusion

Keeping tabs on different areas of your life is an overall great idea.

Whether you use 21st-century technology, or a dull pencil and notepad, it’s a habit that will allow you to develop a plan for getting where you want to be.

Remember though not to take yourself too seriously.

Be responsible, but don’t be lame.

Till next time. ~ Cade

Cade's Finds

AI Kayne West Song - Ever wanted to be a rapper? Well, AI can now imitate voices. Check out this homemade Kayne West song.

The Best Tools For The Job - Super helpful post by Market Sentiment on their favorite investing resources. (newsletters, research websites, data sources, etc)

Best Memes

Disclaimer, AI generated this image. But dang it’s still funny.

The Cramer Curse…

 Nothing in this email is intended to serve as financial advice. Do your own research. Thanks for reading, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. about the email don’t hesitate to send me a reply.