A few months ago, I wrote a longer post on my search for the Performance System and released what I called Performance System 0.9. Well, it’s time for an update.
For those of you that aren’t in the loop: I’m constantly evolving a system of tools and metrics that enables continuous improvement and helps me optimize my “life performance,” which essentially equates to maximizing my productivity and overall well-being. Formation of good habits is a major part of this. (If I had all the right habits, and new what I needed to do to be as productive and happy as possible, I wouldn’t need any support system. Unfortunately, that is not the case.)
Here’s the key components of Performance System 1.0, there’s more detail on most of the tools and the thought processes behind the design of the System in the original post:
1) Daily Survey
I use Google Calendar to text a link to my iPhone at9:45PM every night. The link points to a Google Doc “survey.” Currently it has 3 multiple choice questions: 1) Did you workout today? 2) Did you wake up when you intended to? 3) Was the day a masterpiece?
I’m trying to get better at waking up when I intend to, which I’ve found is highly correlated with having a good day (unclear yet if it is causal). This is something I’ve found to be important enough that I want to work on it.
The other 2 questions are largely for tracking purposes, but the act of recording also keeps me in check. Working out is important. I enjoy it. But, I’m also busy. (Lately I shoot for breaking a sweat every day.)
2) Manic Time
This is a desktop time tracking tool. I love it. I talk more about it in the Performance System 0.9 post.
3) Workflowy
A sleek list management tool. Very handy. Just go to the website and watch the video, and you’ll get the idea. Great for capturing tasks.
I have a method for using it that I often use when I’m trying to chug through tasks. I keep a master list of tasks organized into categories. From that master list, I’ll make a list for the day and set some task-related goals. This of course isn’t relevant to all types of work.
4) Instapaper
See the previous post for more info. Great for capturing online content you want to read and setting it aside for the appropriate time. That way you can spend a focused unit of time reading (as opposed to getting into the trap of wandering aimlessly across the internet, going back to your email, etc.)
5) Moodscope
Moodtracking tool that I use at the end of every day. Also allows you to put in a 140 character annotation on the day, which is perfect. This requires you to do some reflection on the day and take some quick notes, but doesn’t allow you to write very much (only what’s important). After a month or two, this tool helped me discover that staying in one location all day is a huge downer for me. It’s amazing what you can pick up on with a small note on each day.
6) Weekly Review
I get an email reminder (and a text) every sunday at 5PM to do my weekly review. Reminder contains a link to a Google Doc Survey. The weekly review covers a broader range of items I want to track and requires me to review the key data points I collected over the week. The weekly review also ensures that I reflect on the week’s accomplishments, realizations, and significant ongoings.
7) Moleskine Notebook
I use this for writing in depth about ideas and thoughts. You need a place for uninhibited writing of creative thoughts. What I write here wouldn’t belong on my blog. Not so much because it has personal stuff in it like a diary does (it’s not a diary, got it?!), but because it would probably come off as a nonsensical, and I don’t want to worry about clarity so much as just getting the thought down. If you looked at them, between my handwriting, abstract sketches, and unbounded thought that resides there, you probably wouldn’t be able to make much sense of the entries.
You need a place for that type of thing–uninhibited, unbounded, free flowing thought.
8) Evernote
Note capturing software. It’s slowly making its way into the system. This process was accelerated when I lost one of my moleskine notebooks. I first started using it as a way to capture ideas I wanted to turn into blog posts. It’s good for that sort of thing since there is an iPhone app, web interface, and desktop application. I’m now also starting to use it to take notes when I’m doing more in depth reading (such as learning a topic or new technology).
9) The Blog
Writing is important to me. If you haven’t written it, it probably isn’t a clear thought. And if you don’t write, you won’t know as much about yourself. Moreover, if you really care about something, you’re letting yourself and the rest of us down by not spreading the joy. Share part of your mind and consciousness with the rest of us.
Having a public arena for writing is very valuable, and very rewarding. I think I’ve written enough about the value of blogging. Leave a comment if you aren’t sure why anyone would do it if they don’t have any readers or you don’t know how to get started.
I use WordPress installed on a BlueHost server for about $10 per month. This works well enough thus far. I’ve been blogging for about 2 years now, and let me tell you, the blog has come a long way.
10) Monthly Review
Similar reminder fomula: a text and an email with a link to Google Doc Survey. But, key point: the primary purpose of the monthly review is not tracking, it’s reflection and celebrating the month’s victories.
11) The Workout Sheet
I didn’t include this before, but this is key. If you want to make progress in the gym, you need to have a routine and track your progress. Whenever I go to lift weights, I bring with me a sheet that has the lifts for the day, the number of sets and reps, and space to log the weight you lifted and the number of repetitions. It also has more information about the timing of a repetition and how long rest periods should be.
It’s unbelievable to me how almost no one uses a workout sheet in the gym. (Will post some if of interest.)
11) The Performance League (and the weekly meetup)
A group of ambitious people that value self-improvement, challenge, and community. We have a ~1.5 hour conversation every sunday via skype group video chat and partake in other activities. I love it. Being a part of the group has been one of the most important developments of 2011 for me. Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you’re interested in knowing more about the value the group has created.
What changed in the System?
The iPhone App Sleep Cycle has been rejected from the system. Wasn’t providing enough value. You have to lay it on top of the mattress next to you so it can track your movement. This is highly annoying. I was always worried about knocking my damn phone off the bed. Which I did. Repeatedly. I also wasn’t getting any useful information on my sleep cycles because placing the phone in the correct place put it in danger of being knocked off the bed. Lastly, I think I decided tracking sleep wasn’t worth the effort to me. There’s a variety of reasons why, but until I have a really good tool (and I’m not interested in investing lots of money in this right now) I probably won’t bother. Tracking sleep is a funny thing.
I started using Workflowy, which has taken the place of using my whiteboards for managing lists of tasks. The zoom feature invigorates the lists with spatiality, which is important for my brain. Previously I could only get this on a whiteboard.
I reduced the number of questions on my daily survey. You can really only work on one thing at a time (so I ask one question related to the item I want to improve). Also, doing something every day is laborious, even if it is only a few seconds of effort. It’s quite surprising. It soon became clear that having more than 3 questions was unnecessary.
In general, the questions I ask myself during my daily, weekly, and monthly reviews have changed as I have changed. Parts of the system should evolve with you as your life and habits change. If your system isn’t evolving, something is wrong–either you aren’t growing, or your system is losing relevance.
Key personal changes due to the System
As mentioned, I try to avoid staying in one place for a full day. It bums me out.
I almost never drink now. I can’t think clearly the next day, which means I can’t do anything creative for a full day on the weekends, which in turn makes me unhappy. Only on rare occasions does the cost-benefit analysis make sense.
My blogging frequency of one post per week has stabilized. I was having trouble doing that consistently previously, which was frustrating.
I’ve started picking up on how certain foods effect me. (“Note to self, avoid carbs at lunch if you want to be functional afterwards.”)
Those are the ones that come to mind.
A few other notes
Remember, attention is a currency that we’re reluctant to spend. With any routine process, falling into the trap of mindlessly turning the handle happens very easily. If I find myself falling into this, it’s an alert that I need to change something about the System. If the System is fulfilling its purpose–creating personal gains and providing awareness of those gains–, I’ll continually invest attention in the System.
Also, writing posts like this help me scrutinize the System, think about more ways to improve it, and get some ideas from other people. (Blogs are awesome.)
-Kevin V.
7.28.2011
