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Ask HN: How do you determine if your week was a success?

15 points by aml183 9y ago

marpstar 9y ago
My primary measurement is "do I have fewer TODO items than the week before?"
nitwit005 9y ago
To succeed or fail at something, you have to have a goal you were trying to meet. If you're confused about this, I can only assume you don't know what your goals are.
- steve_adams_86 9y ago
  This is all there is to it. Outline clear goals, don't let too much creep in to your to-do list, and accomplish your goals. If stuff tends to creep in, find out why. If you have to, allow room for that - make one of your goals 'handle unexpected tasks'. If possible, defer things to your goals for the following week. If your goals are set by a manager's expectations, talk to them about the unexpected work load. I make a habit of recording unexpected work. It's helpful for avoiding feeling bad if you miss your goals (you can see why you missed it - it's easy to forget otherwise), and it's helpful for anticipating the same work in the future and understanding why you didn't expect it. Goals all the way! Give yourself purpose, keep track, and make sure you've got a manageable work load.
tpaschalis 9y ago
When I was stuffed to the neck writing my Thesis and could not exactly quantify my progress, I sometimes did a "stand up meeting" with myself and wrote short answers to three questions : - What did I work on last week? - What do I plan to do this week? - What were the obstacles I encountered, and what I think will hinder me this week?
vorticalbox 9y ago
When I don't cause any major bugs in the platform.
sundaeofshock 9y ago
I’m assuming success includes personal as well as professional life. My measure: how well I sleep over the weekend During the work day, or hanging out friends and family, it’s easy to delude myself that all is well. Its hard to lie to yourself at 3:00 AM Sunday morning. Every time i sleep badly, i know it’s time to stop and take a deep look at what’s going on. That metric has served me well so far.
Vanit 9y ago
If I'm having fun, seriously.
butz 9y ago
Leaving home on Friday evening with empty inbox.
- maneesh 9y ago
  Ahhh yes, the glorious email inbox. The world's most utilized service that allows other people to put action items on your todo list.
- JBlue42 9y ago
  Select all > Mark as read :P
vaibkv 9y ago
HN is sounding more and more like Quora these days.
mdekkers 9y ago
Sending invoices, getting paid.

15 points by aml183 9y ago

My primary measurement is "do I have fewer TODO items than the week before?"

To succeed or fail at something, you have to have a goal you were trying to meet. If you're confused about this, I can only assume you don't know what your goals are.

steve_adams_86 9y ago
This is all there is to it. Outline clear goals, don't let too much creep in to your to-do list, and accomplish your goals. If stuff tends to creep in, find out why. If you have to, allow room for that - make one of your goals 'handle unexpected tasks'. If possible, defer things to your goals for the following week. If your goals are set by a manager's expectations, talk to them about the unexpected work load. I make a habit of recording unexpected work. It's helpful for avoiding feeling bad if you miss your goals (you can see why you missed it - it's easy to forget otherwise), and it's helpful for anticipating the same work in the future and understanding why you didn't expect it. Goals all the way! Give yourself purpose, keep track, and make sure you've got a manageable work load.

tpaschalis 9y ago

When I was stuffed to the neck writing my Thesis and could not exactly quantify my progress, I sometimes did a "stand up meeting" with myself and wrote short answers to three questions : - What did I work on last week? - What do I plan to do this week? - What were the obstacles I encountered, and what I think will hinder me this week?

vorticalbox 9y ago

When I don't cause any major bugs in the platform.

sundaeofshock 9y ago

I’m assuming success includes personal as well as professional life. My measure: how well I sleep over the weekend During the work day, or hanging out friends and family, it’s easy to delude myself that all is well. Its hard to lie to yourself at 3:00 AM Sunday morning. Every time i sleep badly, i know it’s time to stop and take a deep look at what’s going on. That metric has served me well so far.

Vanit 9y ago

If I'm having fun, seriously.

butz 9y ago

Leaving home on Friday evening with empty inbox.

maneesh 9y ago
Ahhh yes, the glorious email inbox. The world's most utilized service that allows other people to put action items on your todo list.
JBlue42 9y ago
Select all > Mark as read :P

vaibkv 9y ago

HN is sounding more and more like Quora these days.

mdekkers 9y ago

Sending invoices, getting paid.