WEBVTT - Keep score (of the right things)

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to keep score at least of the

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<v Speaker 1>right things.

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<v Speaker 2>While it can be bruising.

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<v Speaker 1>To the ego to see exactly where we stand, it

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<v Speaker 1>is ultimately an efficient way to improve.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's tip, like some others this week, comes from Scott H.

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<v Speaker 2>Young's new book Get Better at Anything. This book features

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<v Speaker 2>strategies for how people really learn and improve. One of

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<v Speaker 2>the key components of improving at anything is getting feedback.

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<v Speaker 2>In many cases, it is quite possible to see how

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<v Speaker 2>we are doing on things, but sometimes we don't avail

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<v Speaker 2>ourselves of the opportunity. As young rights. For skills where

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<v Speaker 2>outcomes are highly variable, we can easily mislead ourselves about

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<v Speaker 2>the long run accuracy of our decisions. Keeping score can be.

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<v Speaker 1>Ego bruising if we realize we're not as proficient as

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<v Speaker 1>we believe, but it's necessary to calibrate our approach. Numbers

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<v Speaker 1>don't tell the whole story, but they do keep us honest.

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<v Speaker 1>So for instance, if you are sending a newsletter, it

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<v Speaker 1>is worth seeing how many people are opening it. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are writing various blog posts for your company website.

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<v Speaker 1>You want to see how many people are reading various pieces.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are giving presentations, it's helpful to get audience

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<v Speaker 1>scores and perhaps even to see in a conference set

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<v Speaker 1>which presenters were rated better than you were. If you

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<v Speaker 1>are practicing a musical instrument, it can feel like the

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<v Speaker 1>mistakes you make and a piece were small, but maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you should.

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<v Speaker 2>Keep track of them. You might see that you have

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<v Speaker 2>actually never played that piece perfectly, so perhaps it is

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<v Speaker 2>not quite ready for performing without a little more work. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>I know that we can become obsessed with numbers and

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<v Speaker 2>other things. I know a lot of podcasters don't like

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<v Speaker 2>to listen to themselves. Certain things will never change. I

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<v Speaker 2>cannot fundamentally change my voice, but there might be certain

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<v Speaker 2>verbal tics I overindulge in during interviews. By listening to myself,

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<v Speaker 2>I can figure out if I am doing more or

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<v Speaker 2>less of those than before. I know a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>authors don't like to look at book sales, But again,

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<v Speaker 2>if this information is available, looking at it helps you

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<v Speaker 2>figure out if there's anything you can do to move

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<v Speaker 2>the numbers. Maybe there isn't, but you probably won't accidentally

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<v Speaker 2>figure it out without knowing where you stand. So if

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<v Speaker 2>you are looking to improve.

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<v Speaker 1>At something, figure out if there is a way to

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<v Speaker 1>get feedback and ideally numerical feedback on your performance. How

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<v Speaker 1>does that compare to your performance in the past or

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<v Speaker 1>to other people's performances. Seeing the score gives you accurate

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<v Speaker 1>information and ultimately that is what leads to breakthroughs. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, This.

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<v Speaker 2>Is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 2>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 2>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 2>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 2>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 2>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 2>listen to your favorite shows.