4 ms·

Our true values (as human beings, not organizational values) are not measurable. I may want to become closer to my family, so I schedule more time with them. Sp

Our true values (as human beings, not organizational values) are not measurable. I may want to become closer to my family, so I schedule more time with them. Spending time with them makes it more likely, but it may also go in the opposite direction through conflict. In paper you have accomplished your OKR, but in practice you are further away from your true goal.

imustbeevil 6y ago
That, again, is a result of measuring the wrong thing. The measurement should be "relationship strength" or "spouse/child happiness" not "time spent". The problem that most of us seem to have is that we're only tracking easy things to measure. Everything valuable is difficult to measure. Reading a book is worthless. The purpose of reading a book is to gain something (learn something, read faster, practice public speaking, etc.). That's what we should be tracking.
- mkfeuhrer 6y ago
  Agreeing on this! I usually use notes section in KRs to track how I improved after completing this KR. This helps in deciding the way ahead. Also, this doesn't really apply to emotional relationships for me. Personal OKRs are basically for self improvement which helps me in reaching something I aim for future.
- duopixel 6y ago
  If you try to measure the subjective through objective values, you will only measure what you think about yourself. If I ask myself "how much did I learn today?" it is more judgement about myself rather than an objective value. I explored this throughly in 2014: https://medium.com/@duopixel/the-qualified-self-7f69c6b23623 https://medium.com/@duopixel/the-qualified-self-7f69c6b23623 I have not updated this post, but I did this for years without finding satisfaction, because what I had to address was judgement about myself, not the shortcomings that I perceived I had at the time. But the exercise of trying to measure the subjective is very instructive in itself. I ignore if you counter my point from experience, if not, I encourage you to register subjective judgement. And if you already do it, I encourage you to drop it and sense how it feels. Many paths of personal growth require you to do opposite things at different times, so you can maximize your surface of experience.
syntonym3 6y ago
OKRs don't need to be set in stone. If an easy to measure quantity (time spend with family) does not translate to reaching the aim (being closer to ones family) you can just change the plan and the OKRs. But surely spending time with your family seems like a first good step to try.

imustbeevil 6y ago

That, again, is a result of measuring the wrong thing. The measurement should be "relationship strength" or "spouse/child happiness" not "time spent". The problem that most of us seem to have is that we're only tracking easy things to measure. Everything valuable is difficult to measure. Reading a book is worthless. The purpose of reading a book is to gain something (learn something, read faster, practice public speaking, etc.). That's what we should be tracking.

mkfeuhrer 6y ago
Agreeing on this! I usually use notes section in KRs to track how I improved after completing this KR. This helps in deciding the way ahead. Also, this doesn't really apply to emotional relationships for me. Personal OKRs are basically for self improvement which helps me in reaching something I aim for future.
duopixel 6y ago
If you try to measure the subjective through objective values, you will only measure what you think about yourself. If I ask myself "how much did I learn today?" it is more judgement about myself rather than an objective value. I explored this throughly in 2014: https://medium.com/@duopixel/the-qualified-self-7f69c6b23623 https://medium.com/@duopixel/the-qualified-self-7f69c6b23623 I have not updated this post, but I did this for years without finding satisfaction, because what I had to address was judgement about myself, not the shortcomings that I perceived I had at the time. But the exercise of trying to measure the subjective is very instructive in itself. I ignore if you counter my point from experience, if not, I encourage you to register subjective judgement. And if you already do it, I encourage you to drop it and sense how it feels. Many paths of personal growth require you to do opposite things at different times, so you can maximize your surface of experience.

syntonym3 6y ago

OKRs don't need to be set in stone. If an easy to measure quantity (time spend with family) does not translate to reaching the aim (being closer to ones family) you can just change the plan and the OKRs. But surely spending time with your family seems like a first good step to try.