Numeric Gazer Fix Today

On your deathbed, you will not be a Numeric Gazer. You will not ask for the quarterly report. You will not check your follower count. You will not ask for your VO2 max.

Goodhart’s Law states: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure." numeric gazer

The numbers are servants. We have let them become tyrants. On your deathbed, you will not be a Numeric Gazer

The Gospel of the Spreadsheet: Confessions of a Numeric Gazer You will not ask for your VO2 max

We are chasing a dopamine hit that never arrives. The pleasure of a "good number" lasts approximately 0.3 seconds before the brain asks, "Yes, but can you do that again tomorrow?" How do we stop gazing without becoming Luddites? How do we use the ruler without becoming the ruler?

Lagom is the Swedish concept of "just the right amount." The Numeric Gazer is addicted to the all-time high. But the all-time high is a trap. Aim for "steady." Aim for "boring." A flat line is not a sign of death; sometimes, a flat line is a sign of mastery. The best pilots are not the ones who fly the fastest; they are the ones who land smoothly every time.

When you stare at your step count, you start shuffling your feet while brushing your teeth to cheat the algorithm. When you stare at your website traffic, you start writing clickbait headlines that you despise. When you stare at your stock portfolio, you sell low during a panic and buy high during a mania.