Previously:
- 4DX: Applying the First Discipline (WIGs)
- 4DX: Applying the Second Discipline (Lead Measures)
Now we have Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) and Lead Measures to act on.
- Work: Get to no launch blockers in the product by March 31 by spending 4 hours per week on them
- Fitness: Go from 23% body fat to under 20% by December 31 by doing 4 strength workouts per week and having 5 high-protein breakfasts per week.
- Personal Growth: Publish two 50-page books by December 31 by working on them 5 days per week for at least one hour per day.
The third discipline is to build a compelling scoreboard. The idea is that it’s like a scoreboard in any sport—you can look at it and instantly see if you are winning.
The trick is to build a player’s scoreboard and not a coach’s one. In basketball, a coach would have free-throw percentages, blocks, assists, and many useful pieces of data. The player has points and fouls and little else. Player’s need signals to help them make quick decisions, not tons of data to analyze. While we’re working, we’re players, and we need to know if we’re winning at a glance. The other data is collected and we (or our managers/coaches) might analyze them, but we don’t need to see it all of the time. We always need to know the score and whether we’re winning.
To keep this simple, I decided to dedicate a page on my journal to the first 13 weeks. I have 13 rows (one for each week) and then columns for each lead measure. I just need to put an X in the column when I do it. I can see my current week and compare it to the past. I’ll make a new grid every 13 weeks.
I also track in software. Since I use an Apple Watch, I just start a Strength Workout on it right before I start to lift. The data shows up in many fitness apps I use daily. For the other two WIGs, I am using personal productivity software I am developing. I like the combo of paper and software. The software keeps it in my face when I am at my computer and my journal is always around when I’m not.