9 simple ways to transform your health, relationships and success

We’re not very good at paying attention to progress that is gradual or invisible.

Petrol-powered leaf blowers would be banned if the smoke they belched out was black instead of invisible. And fewer people would start smoking if the deposits on their lungs ended up on their face instead. On the other hand, Pinocchio had a hard time lying, because every time he did his nose got bigger.

The idea is simple: if something matters, make it visible.

While we instinctively know we should measure our progress, most of us don’t. We wear fitness trackers that can tell us the number of fictional floors we have climbed, or receive a badge for walking the equivalent of the breadth of Tasmania. But if someone asked us how we were measuring the progress in our life, all we would give them is a blank stare.

Here are nine ways you could make progress visible to achieve greater levels of success and satisfaction on your life:

1. Time invested

How many hours during the next month will you invest in the thing you want to do? If you spend 15 minutes a day for the next 30 days, that adds up to 7.5 hours. That might not seem like a lot, but when was the last time you took a whole workday to dedicate on something you care about?

2. Date nights

Sarah and I go out five times a week and gaze into each other’s eyes across the dinner table while the kids eat quietly. Not really, but we do schedule quality time together each month. Time spent with your partner is time well invested. Keep track of the number of dates you go on.

3. Hours slept

Sleep is now recognised as one of the key contributors to high performance. You can track the quality of your sleep with a basic alarm clock, or for more specific data, a wearable device.

4. Financial health

You know that number in your savings account? That’s a form of progress that tells you a lot about your financial health. So is the thinness of the credit card statement that gets sent to you every month. If yours is coming with a binder clip attached, see if you can work your way down to a single staple.

5. Quality connections

A lack of interaction with your friends, family or community can be an early warning sign for burnout. Tracking how many times you enjoyed the company of other people this month could save you from a serious breakdown.

6. Screentime

Maybe your goal is to reduce the doomscrolling habit you picked up during the pandemic. This one is simple. Apps (yes, I get the irony) like Bark and Freedom can track your screen time, or you can purchase a timed lockbox if your addiction needs a more serious intervention.

7. Level of stress

It can be equally interesting to track what you didn’t do or what isn’t going well. If you came home from work feeling irritable and stressed three nights last week, write that down. It can be a powerful reminder of the gap between who you are being and how you want to be living.

8. Healthy meals

Obsessing about exercise while ignoring what you eat is foolish. One of the keys to healthy living is meal planning. Tracking the number of healthy meals you made at home each week (or chose when dining out) can make sure you are on track with your diet as well as your deadlifts.

9. Personal growth

Maybe you want to develop your painting skills or a habit of gratitude. Have you booked into a class or sent a thank-you note to someone this month? The best place to look for meaningful improvement is in the small things we do consistently do each day.

Take it slow, focus on progress

I’ve given you nine examples. The things you want to focus on will probably have their own unique form of progress you can measure. Pick one. Why just one? Because when it helps you, and it will, you’ll want to measure progress in other important areas of your life.

Your temptation will be to overdo it. Avoid that. Your enthusiasm will discount doing just one thing and encourage you to try and do six things instead. It’s a trap. If you start small and reward progress, you’ll end up achieving more than if you try and take on too much.

As a bonus, by reinforcing your progress you get to experience more enjoyment and satisfaction in the process. Choose one area of your life where you want to make meaningful progress and go make it happen.

This is an edited extract from Better by Andrew Horsfield. Andrew is a consultant who helps leaders in business, elite sport and education tackle the challenges of human performance. Clients turn to Andrew when they need to turn stuckness into strength. He is the host of the Messy Middle podcast and founder of the Better Life Lab, a learning community for forward thinking leaders. Learn more at: andrewhorsfield.com