This weekend, after all the holiday celebrations, I decided it would be a good idea to go for a bike ride on my snow bike. I definitely selected the right tool for the job, as recent storms had covered my local trails with a few inches of powder.
The conditions were actually quite nice, even with the added challenge. Some slipping and sliding ensued but there wasn’t any wind, the temps were mild, and I was excited to see what shape the trails were in.
I clocked a leisurely 1 hour 30 for the 8-mile adventure. Not really caring about my overall time, but more focused on having fun and enjoying the gorgeous day.
The following day, I was up for a new adventure and thought it would be fun to run the same course and see how well my times matched up. (Yes, our definitions of “fun” may differ.)
I set out in much less hospitable conditions: Overnight, we received several more inches of snow, plus the temperatures had dropped markedly, and the wind – in typical Nederland fashion – was howling.
I bundled up and headed out. One hour and twenty five minutes later, I had wrapped things up. With the degradation in conditions, I am certain that the round-trip would have taken me at least 1:45 on my bike.
So why am I sharing my latest wacky adventure with you today? Several reasons:
- That which you do not measure, you can not act upon. Had I not chosen to keep track of my time, I would never had known how well I had done in crappier conditions the second day. The same goes for business. What you measure, matters.
- Make sure you measure equivalent efforts. Had I selected a different route, I wouldn’t have been able to assess the value of my efforts against one another. Make sure you select a metric (or series of metrics) that have some equivalency when measuring your business efforts – time, investment, etc.
- Pick the right tool for the job. One can certainly use a screwdriver to drive nails into a wall, but a hammer works much better! Whether you are leveraging Social advertising, or SEO, or LinkedIn outreach, make sure you are using the right tool to reach your target audience at the right time.
- Take time to get out and explore. Though the conditions weren’t ideal on Sunday, I was still able to really enjoy the adventure. Sure, it was a challenge, but picking something that seems harder than perhaps you can accomplish once in awhile helps us understand our limits and pushes them.
“There are no limits, there are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – Bruce Lee
Interested in establishing a baseline from which you can grow your success? Give us a ring!
