What gets measured, gets managed. That is 💯 true.
It gets overwhelming to pick the right metrics when it comes to meta things like life. I added more complexity by restricting the measurement to just one thing and that should be a compass for the rest of my life. This desire took me for a spin.
After trying out multiple KPIs I decided to invent one for myself. I called it Tripti index. It is not happiness, it is not growth, it is not productivity and it is not awareness but my satiety every day. I stopped measuring all things “state” that changes during the 24 hour period of the day and started measuring one thing that stands out at the end of the day.
The researcher in me was frantically searching for right instruments to measure this and in lieu of simplicity I settled with a simple 5 point likert scale aka 5 star rating.
The neutral point in a likert scale is usually the confusing one and in my case, I made it the most significant one. Everyday if I can have a Tripti score of 3, I am good. If something was absolutely delightful then I give it 4 or 5 depending on the day. I call those days as athi tripiti days meaning more satiety. There are days I get 1 or 2 ratings as well. Those days are atripti days meaning less satiety.
The tripti index is built on my locus of control. I don’t pin it on external things like I got something or someone said something awesome, instead I turn inward and ask, with what happened today (and that could be whatever) how did you feel how you handled it? The answer to that question is my tripti score.
In a day multiple things happen and how I handled the day in my locus matters a lot more than what happened in the day. It is my agency, drive and mindset that determines my tripti index than otherwise. There are days that are so hard. For example, saying good bye in Microsoft was so hard but I handled it well and to the best of my ability with great intent and intensity. That day my tripti index was super high. There are days I was handed everything on a platter and I messed it up with my agency and those days I get dinged in my tripti index. You get the point by now.
Every single day asking this question as the last thing before you hit the sack helps me take note of how I am spending the day. A string of days gives me a trend and tell me how is it going.
If I get low TI for more than a month then I take it as a strong signal to make the modifications or change path or make intentional changes or even cut loses. In this case it acts as a compass.
Day to day change is too much. Two months is too long. One month is a sweet spot for me. In a fortnight I gear up and start paying more attention to the trend.
No one measures your TI except you. It is a personal qualitative rating. It is you who rates you everyday. Try it and let me know how is this measurement helping you manage your life better 🤗
