Ask HN: How do you determine if your week was a success? - aml183
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nitwit005
To succeed or fail at something, you have to have a goal you were trying to
meet. If you're confused about this, I can only assume you don't know what
your goals are.

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steve_adams_86
This is all there is to it. Outline clear goals, don't let too much creep in
to your to-do list, and accomplish your goals. If stuff tends to creep in,
find out why. If you have to, allow room for that - make one of your goals
'handle unexpected tasks'. If possible, defer things to your goals for the
following week. If your goals are set by a manager's expectations, talk to
them about the unexpected work load.

I make a habit of recording unexpected work. It's helpful for avoiding feeling
bad if you miss your goals (you can see why you missed it - it's easy to
forget otherwise), and it's helpful for anticipating the same work in the
future and understanding why you didn't expect it.

Goals all the way! Give yourself purpose, keep track, and make sure you've got
a manageable work load.

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sundaeofshock
I’m assuming success includes personal as well as professional life. My
measure: how well I sleep over the weekend

During the work day, or hanging out friends and family, it’s easy to delude
myself that all is well. Its hard to lie to yourself at 3:00 AM Sunday
morning. Every time i sleep badly, i know it’s time to stop and take a deep
look at what’s going on.

That metric has served me well so far.

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tpaschalis
When I was stuffed to the neck writing my Thesis and could not exactly
quantify my progress, I sometimes did a "stand up meeting" with myself and
wrote _short_ answers to three questions :

\- What did I work on last week?

\- What do I plan to do this week?

\- What were the obstacles I encountered, and what I think will hinder me this
week?

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Vanit
If I'm having fun, seriously.

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marpstar
My primary measurement is "do I have fewer TODO items than the week before?"

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vorticalbox
When I don't cause any major bugs in the platform.

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vaibkv
HN is sounding more and more like Quora these days.

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butz
Leaving home on Friday evening with empty inbox.

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maneesh
Ahhh yes, the glorious email inbox. The world's most utilized service that
allows other people to put action items on your todo list.

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mdekkers
Sending invoices, getting paid.

