What Gets Measured, Gets Mastered

Happy Sunday everyone,

In a series of 1924-1927 experiments, workers at the Hawthorne Western Electric plant mysteriously became more productive from minor changes in the lighting.

However, the productivity bump wasn't anything about extra photons, but about feeling watched…

Researchers later realized people modify their behaviour when they’re aware of being observed - a phenomenon now called the Hawthorne effect.

In today’s email:

1. Measuring Progress and unlocking your hidden potential by tracking what matters.

2. How to Measure Things that Can’t be Measured and turning vague intentions into concrete steps for deeper, more intentional relationships.

3. How to Beat Anxiety as a Stoic and turning late-night thoughts into constructive thinking.

POWER SURGE

The Power of Measuring What Matters

Imagine this: You’ve got into the habit of going to the gym 4x per week. Hurray! You did, you’re now going to strengthen your muscles and be healthier – right?

Now, imagine you could clone yourself: 

• You show up, and for 60 minutes you hop between machines, one set here, two sets there.

• Your clone does the same 60-minute routine, week-in and week-out, and tracks their progress on their phone or journal.

Will there be a difference between you and your clone in 3 months? A year?

As the months accumulate, the gap becomes bigger and bigger.

Most of us move through life with the mindset, “If I work hard now, the results will come to me”.

As a result, you invest your effort into various pursuits and often end up without the results you set out to obtain.

It's not our fault; tracking progress isn't written into our genetic code.

But if you spend your time and energy like a teenager with their first paycheck, you’ll have nothing valuable to show for it.

The power of measurement lies in its ability to remove the guesswork.

• Track your workout, and you'll get stronger.

• Record your reading habits, and you'll read more books.

• Monitor your water intake, and you’ll be more hydrated.

In tracking our small wins, we create a sense of accomplishment that sustains the behaviour that caused it.

But not everything can be measured…

Love, creativity, and happiness are complex experiences that lack a one-size-fits-all measure.

But that doesn't mean we can't track meaningful proxies. Measurements for ‘love’ could look like:

• Thoughtful gifts per week

• Quality time spent together

• Acts of kindness

The key is focusing on controllable inputs that correlate with desired outcomes (But beware of over-measuring).

Start small. Choose one thing that matters to you and measure it. The clarity and progress you gain will surprise you.

How can you apply this to your life?

Measurement doesn't have to be complicated. Simple strategies can create profound change:

• In relationships: Send one thoughtful message a weekday and track your streak.

• For personal values: Write down 1 core goal for the week and ensure your decisions align with them (don’t forget to track the outcome too!)

• In skill development: Log practice time or specific improvements.

An analogue or digital log or streak tracker can make a significant difference.

Remember: What we measure, we improve.

LOOK INTO THE LIGHT

Here are 3 great things you may have missed:

“I replaced my 3 AM anxiety questions with these 10 Stoic ones”

• Reddit user u/Jonhigh15 writes about 10 common late-night thoughts, and exactly how to reframe them, according to stoic philosophy.

• “What if I make the wrong choice…“ to “What’s the worst that can actually happen, and could I handle it?“

• “Why are they like this…“ to “What virtue can I practise in this situation?“

Scientists develop new “Ultra-fast“ cancer treatment

• FLASH radiotherapy delivers high doses of radiation in less than a tenth of a second - targeting cancer cells while protecting healthy tissue.

• Clinical trials, like the FAST-01 trial, have shown that FLASH-RT is safe and effective for relieving pain in patients with metastatic cancer.

• This treatment offers benefits over traditional methods, including fewer side effects, the possibility of single-session treatments, and lower healthcare costs.

Project Stargate: $500bn to build AI Infrastructure

• Stargate will invest $500 billion over four years to build new AI infrastructure in the United States, starting with an immediate $100 billion investment

• The project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in America

• While based in the US, Stargate's advancements in AI are intended to benefit people worldwide. The project aims to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) that could tackle major global challenges like climate change and healthcare, making life better for everyone on Earth.

PLUGGED IN

“You could be so much better” Alex Hormozi x Chris Williamson

Alex Hormozi’s take on self-improvement is harsh, mean, and exactly what you need to hear.

Years of making decisions ruthlessly, combined with his business mentality, make for an empowering conversation leaving you feeling motivated.

I did not come out of this episode the same man I went in!

Thank you for reading!

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