I don’t consider myself a numbers girl.
All the way back in 2nd grade, I remember being terrible at “Mad Minutes”. Now at work, I push the creative vision vs. just hitting testing numbers. And living with my CPA husband….I have decided to leave numbers in my everyday life “to the expert”-so I thought…
After reading Margaret J. Wheatley’s article, I took another look at my everyday activities and how I subconsciously let numbers creep in more than I realize. In college, I was obsessed with my GPA. I compare last month’s utility and bills with this month’s. I look at the restaurant bill before throwing down my card and think back to how much I spent last time I was there. Because “you can only manage what you can measure”, right?
Like Wheatley notes, “it is numbers and only numbers that define and make visible what is real”, but numbers can only get us so far without context. When I compare my utility bills I need to consider how many more days were below 60 degrees. When I look at my restaurant bill I need to consider if last time I was there it was happy hour.
For these reasons I rarely compare things I measure with friends and family. Most of the time, context is so different the comparison is just not relevant. Comparing my December heating bill to my brother in Chicago or my property taxes to my best friend in suburban Cincinnati won’t give my any meaningful insights. That said, with the rise of social media, I can seek out others that have more similar living situations or even more similar taste to, in a sense, compare results with.
It often takes time to find relevant situations or context to contract and compare measurements. But productively comparing measurements leads to progress. Whether that is becoming more efficient with your time or money, more knowledgeable in understanding the bigger picture or being able to accomplish goals or tasks- measurements (with contextual relevancy and feedback) can improve our lives…not just consume them!
Citation: Margaret J. Wheatley; “What Do We Measure and Why?”
Jennifer Layton 