Still Living by KPIs? Maybe It’s Time to Change the Measures

After decades of measuring productivity, deadlines, targets, emails, performance and getting things done, perhaps the measures of a good day need to change as we get older.

Instead of:

Emails answered → walk taken
Tasks completed → time outside
Hours worked → time with people you enjoy
Productivity → enjoyment
Targets achieved → something new tried
Being busy → actually feeling well

Perhaps our personal KPIs could start looking more like this:

How many times did I get outside?

Did I move my body because it felt good — not because I had to?

Did I spend time with someone whose company I enjoy?

Did I do something simply because I wanted to?

Did I learn, try or experience something new?

Did I have some time when absolutely nothing needed to be achieved?

That's a rather different performance review.

Being busy can become a habit

After decades of working, raising families, meeting responsibilities and generally getting things done, being busy can become part of our identity.

Even relaxation can turn into another task. So here's a different sort of performance review.

Mine might look something like:

🌳 Time outside

🚶 Keeping active

☕ Time with people I enjoy

Perhaps it's simply to choose better ones.

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