Write Every Day

It's the first (real) day of the new year, when everyone's resolutions are likely just starting and full of hope.

I came across this on Twitter over the weekend which is especially important this time of year:

I liked this, and while it's not something new or novel that I just learned, it's something that is easy to forget. A foundational aspect of a successful OKR Framework is setting key results that can be measured and monitored in an ongoing manner. Most resolutions are not followed as they are usually Objectives and lack any Key Result by which to hold yourself accountable. "Lose Weight", "Exercise More", and "Get Ready for the Next Episode" are better when paired with KR's like "Eat a maximum of 2000 calories every day", "Run for 20 minutes every day", and "Smoke Weed Every Day".

Me? I want to write more this year, as part of a larger goal of building more focus and getting into better mental shape. This resolution was influenced by two great books I've recently read. The first, Make Time - How to Focus on What Matters Every Day is a great book on getting more out of your time and I found it to be a healthy detour from traditional to-do list oriented systems. The second book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, has been around for a while. It's about the concept of neuroplasticity and how the internet is affecting our ability to think. I think this is more timely than ever.

So, in order to achieve this goal, I'm seeking to set a key result to write every day. I have time every morning to do it, and plan to make it part of a broader routine. If there are any resolutions you are working on, I would recommend that you couple it with a key result (or results) that are specific, measurable, and tied to that larger objective.