Measuring results and progress is a huge part of life. In traditional employment, progress is generally (hopefully!) pretty easy to measure. Your job has a series of tasks and responsibilities embedded into it and you know what you have or haven’t done each day.
But how does this stack up against self-employment? In particular, how does it compare to being a one-man band (like here at Seedling Consulting!)
In order to measure progress, I think you first have to have some goals. What are you hoping to get out of your day? I like behavioural goals so I try to do things like organise a catch up with someone I haven’t met before, complete a Google Digital Garage module, or read a couple of articles on a topic that interests me. These are all things that I feel are going to help me learn and improve my skillset.
But how about measuring actual business progress?
Because things are still at an early stage for Seedling, it’s very easy to measure my business progress both in terms of quality of my work and financially. I’m going to be talking about financial aspects of self-employment down the road so won’t talk much about that here. I measure my work standards by having qualitative discussions with my clients – I always check in after spending time with a client, confirm what work has been done that day and make a plan for the next week. I’m also always asking for feedback on the work I’m doing.
How do I know when I’m doing well?
Truth be told, I don’t have an exact answer for this right now. Client feedback is an easy one. It’s why I ask for feedback regularly.
Otherwise, I’m trying to focus on my mental health & clarity of thought.
I’ve learned that one of the key indicators of stress for me is that I get a ‘foggy head’ – it’s tough to explain. I know that I’m not going to perform to my best standards when I’m stressed. SO, one of my big indicators of doing and being well is whether I’m thinking clearly.
How do I put this into action?
Simple. Work out some goals (proper ones) – I’d love to hear them if you’re happy to share with me. Make them easy ones to begin with – read two articles about something interests you before the end of the day. How did you do at the end of the day? Build a habit of setting and measuring goals. Suddenly, you’ll know when you’re making progress. Easy.
Pup-date
Puppy scheduled to be coming home March 5th. Can’t wait.
S.
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