<< devanshu sen pandey
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The Ultimate Metric: Time
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I just realized I've been setting the wrong expectations for myself when learning a skill.

I used to believe certain metrics were good indicators of success. I tracked all sorts of metrics: streaks, counts, consistency, effort, etc. For example, I prided myself on doing the same activity for many consecutive days (also known as a "streak").

But I eventually realized that these metrics, at best, only weakly signal success at whatever you're trying to do.

Say I want to become a better reader. I'd set a goal to read at least 5 pages each night. After a "successful" year, I would have read at least 5 × 365 = 1,825 pages. This sounds great on paper: a whole year of reading.

But did I actually want to read, or was I just hitting the 5 page goal? Did I learn anything, or was I just enduring a systematic routine?

You can ask those same questions about almost any activity where you're trying to hit a number. So what's the alternative?

The Ultimate Metric: Time.

Say, instead of telling myself to read every night, I told myself to read as much as possible. Free time during commute? Read. Free time before a meeting? Read. Friends cancel last-minute dinner plans because they have midterms tomorrow? Eat, then read [1].

This completely changes how I see my day. Instead of hitting some metric just to feel productive [2], I now look for ways to make more time for what I actually want to do. I don't care if I finish the book. I don't care if I keep my 50-day streak. All I care about is how much time I spend doing the thing.

To me, 200 hours spread over 100 inconsistent days > 100 hours done one hour a day.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's a more optimal and universal way to measure progress for a skill you want to master. But for now, I'll stick with time. Only time will tell.

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[1] Obviously this is exaggerated for effect. No, I do not need to, nor plan to, read every second of the day.

[2] You could argue for tracking outcomes as metrics (e.g. using practice SAT test scores as a measurement of progress). However, you must realize there are many things in life for which you can't easily (if ever) measure an outcome. The "outcome-as-a-metric" method often falls short. How do you measure reading skill? Mastery of a coding language? Cooking skills? That's why time spent doing the thing is the ultimate metric of success.