In our Book Club we are reading Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin.
This week's chapter is titled, "We Manage What We Monitor: Monitoring"
I really like this quote at the beginning of the chapter, "If we want something to count in our lives, we should figure out a way to count it." Doesn't this just sum it all up? We have to keep a check on ourselves. If you are keeping track of something, whether it is counting calories, tracking miles you have walked or run, reading a certain amount of pages in a book, or praying for people on a list, you are so much more likely to achieve your goal. Monitoring motivates!
I also like how Gretchen discusses monitoring your time spent on something you feel like you never have time for. Or how about monitoring your time wasters? How much time do you actually spend scrolling mindlessly through Facebook or Pinterest?
Monitoring can help you achieve your goals, but it can also help you see where your time is going, especially if you feel you don't have enough time to work on achieving your goals.
What about you? Has monitoring a behavior or activity helped you keep a good habit? Has monitoring your time helped you identify time wasters or hidden productivity?
Chime in!
I like this concept and need to ponder it further. I have used monitoring for things like weight loss (counting calories--sooo boring, I will probably never do that again, but it was effective when I needed to lose 20 lbs after my daughter was born), book/reading lists (I keep track of what I read), school (obviously!). I think one area where I'd like to keep better track is in the realm of workouts. Right now I just workout when I can, typically 3-6 days a week, but I'd like to be more consistent especially as I am hitting the big "4-0" this September. I have decided to try to read through the Bible this year, so I'm using a guide in the back of my Bible--another good "tracking" tool. I've monitored my time in the past, but I'd like to figure out ways to do that better so that I waste less time--or invest my time in the things that matter most, such as reading to my children or taking them to the park for play time, etc. I'm not sure how I would implement that, other than a detailed daily schedule......still thinking on it!
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