The Personal Progress Check

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Recently, I’ve been spending a lot more time reading, walking, and reflecting. I feel like a bear gathering up as much food and energy as possible for the inevitable hibernation ahead.

While I haven’t been around for many cycles, I truly believe life plays out in seasons. And if we’re not careful, those seasons can direct our life unnoticed until it’s too late.

At first, flowing with the natural seasons of life may not seem like a bad thing. But upon further inspection, you realize that it’s not just cyclical, it’s cyclical in a direction.

In Physics, we call that direction Entropy, which states, “All things trend towards disorder.” Bedrooms become messy, relationships fall apart, and people grow old. That’s entropy.

When we aren’t aware of it, we tend to fall into two patterns:

1. We work on the wrong things (we do what everyone else is doing)

2. We work harder thinking that will solve the problem

But as the saying goes, if you’re stuck in a ditch, the first step is to stop digging. That’s why making space for self-reflection and re-alignment is crucial. Self-reflection is the space when we pause, stop digging, and check if we’re still heading in the right direction.

In the same way that athletes watch game film and startup founders write investor updates, high performers conduct Personal Progress Checks.

Today, I want to share the 3As checklist I use when conducting my Personal Progress Check:

1. Assess

2. Align

3. Act

Step 1: Assess

Just like a car mechanic first checks the damage to your car, the first step is to assess your current position. When reflecting on the past month, I like to ask myself two questions:

1) What gave me the most energy?

Every activity you partake in can affect you in two ways: It can either give you energy or it can drain your energy.

After completing a task, ask yourself, “Did that energize me?”

My ultimate goal is to spend 90% or more of my time doing energy-giving activities.

Jay’s Response: This past month, the things that have given me the most energy were:

• Going on solo walks with nothing but a pen and notebook
• Lifting weights while listening to a podcast
• Having conversations with my family

That’s a sign I should lean into creative work, physical pursuits, and time with my family.

2) What drained the most energy?

On the flip side, we want to avoid the things that suck our energy and make us feel tired in a bad way.

If money is the currency of business, energy is the currency of life. The more we have, the better we feel. When we say no to energy-sucking activities, we say yes to a more energizing life.

Jay’s Response: Things that drained my energy this past month:

• Zoom calls
• Answering emails
• Writing for others on topics I’m not interested in

That’s a sign for me to slowly transition out of those activities or batch them all into one day.

Step 2: Align

3) What season of life am I currently in?

Every season has a “big goal” that you’re striving for.

When you’re in the trenches of everyday life, it’s easy to lose sight of that goal. This question helps cut through the noise and realign with your big goal.

In weightlifting, there are three main seasons people go through:

1. Cutting (losing fat)

2. Bulking (gaining muscle)

3. Coasting (maintaining their current state)

If you don’t what season of life you’re in, it’s difficult to properly prioritize what needs to be prioritized.

Jay’s Response: I’m currently in a preparation phase. I have a few big projects that I haven’t talked about publicly much. But I’m excited to share more details soon.

4) Can my current habits carry me to my desired future?

If you extrapolate your actions over a few years, what will your life look like?

Reflect on your daily habits and honestly assess if they’re contributing to your big goal.

What needs to change to better align your actions with your aspirations?

Jay’s Response: In reflecting, I realize I’m probably not spending enough time reading and studying history. Often, I’ll push reading back until the end of the day, but by then, I’m too tired to read more than a few pages. Knowledge compounds faster than capital. Time to adjust!

5) Where can I reduce the friction?

Friction kills your momentum and slows your progress toward your goals.

Friction can be created by people, attitudes, environment, or behaviors that hold you back from your potential. It can also be created by inefficient systems and processes.

Where can you install simple systems that reduce the friction?

Jay’s Response: I’ve done a pretty decent job of developing systems and processes around my life to ensure everything runs smoothly. I think the next step is to fully document and write out my processes so that when I do eventually hire someone, it’s easier to hand off tasks to them.

Step 3: Act

Based on your answers to assess and align, you can determine which adjustments need to be made.

This is where you roughly sketch out the big priorities for the next month.

I like to create two lists:

1. A to-do list (for things to do)

2. A not-to-do list (for things to avoid)

6) Create a to-do list

What are the things that when completed will make everything else easier?

Make a list of ten things you want to accomplish in the next month. Now cross off seven of those things and only leave the top three.

If anything is not one of those top three, save it for after you finish those three priority tasks.

7) Create a not-to-do list

What are things that are distractions disguised as opportunities?

Everyone understands that scrolling social media or binge-watching Netflix doesn’t directly contribute to our goals. We all know that.

But what often gets overlooked is the “good enough” things that convince us that we’re maximizing our time. In other words, tasks four through ten on our to-do list.

When I’m creating my not-to-do list, I’m more concerned with the things that seem worth my time (but actually aren’t). To me, anything on my to-do list that isn’t in the top three is a distraction until I’ve finished my top three tasks.

Are you dedicating your energy to the most important thing?

The Personal Progress Check-In is a powerful way to stay on track with your goals.

I like to conduct one at the end of every month. I sit down with a pen and notebook and go through each of these check-ins.

Assess. Align. Act.

While it’s a simple process, it can lead to astronomical results if you commit to it. And remember:

Jay “If everything is a priority then nothing is a priority.” Yang