What Gets Measured Gets Mastered

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Happy Sunday everyone.

In a series of 1924–1927 experiments, workers at the Hawthorne Western Electric plant mysteriously became more productive from minor changes in lighting.

But it wasn’t the lighting. It was the fact that they were being watched.

Researchers later realised people modify their behaviour when they know they’re being observed — a phenomenon now called the Hawthorne Effect.

In other words, things perform differently when observed.

In today’s email:

1. Why Measuring Grants Mastery & why habit tracking is the answer.

2. The Compound Effect & why working smarter beats working harder.

3. Massive Fusion Breakthroughs & why a 70-year puzzle might unlock clean energy.

POWER SURGE

What Gets Measured Gets Mastered.

You’ve started going to the gym 4x per week. Great start.

Now, imagine you’ve cloned yourself, and you both hit the gym for 60 minutes 4 days per week.

You hop around and mix it up with different movements every session, while your clone executes a workout plan and tracks every rep/set in a notebook.

Fast forward 6 months, and guess who’s made more progress?

Habit tracking, a form of metacognition, allows you to visualise your progress, identify setback patterns, and stay accountable.

A number of studies confirm this effect:

• One study of 91 students found that while tracking their study patterns, they felt less distracted and were less likely to experience bad moods while studying. Over 6 weeks, using the tracker increased motivation and habit strength.

• Another study found that those who tracked their steps increased their physical activity by an additional 76 minutes per week and reported a stronger intention to maintain the routine.

• Rengree et al. (2016) found habit tracking apps proved successful in driving positive behaviour changes, and discontinuing tracking often resulted in the habits collapsing.

Consistency Compounds

We assume effort = results. But it’s only consistent effort that compounds. Otherwise, you're just blindly guessing.

We’re not born knowing how to track our goals, and we live in a world of noise and distractions that push us to start everything and finish nothing.

The result is a ton of spent effort, without the snowball effect taking over.

Without tracking, you’re blind and destined to suffer the exhausting feeling of spinning your wheels and not getting better.

The good news is that this is solvable. We can get better results with less effort - we can work smarter, not harder.

“How do I start?” I hear you say.

If I’ve done a good enough job of convincing you of the benefits of habit tracking, there are a few ways you can start.

1. Physical Notebooks/Planners:

This is my top pick because there’s more satisfaction in physically writing a list and ticking things off - there's no better way to track your habits than cold, hard ink.

I hopped around between apps and notebooks until I found the planners Panda Planner make (not an affiliate link), and I now use mine religiously.

My biggest tips here are to place your notebook in a prominent spot around your house to act as a reminder, and to make reviewing your notebook a habit itself.

2. Habit Tracking Apps

If you’re prone to forgetting about habits or you’re looking for a more tech-based routine, a lot of people love habit-tracking apps.

Most of these tools integrate behavioural psychology principles right in, e.g. variable rewards, streak preservation, notifications, etc.

A few top picks are:

1. Habitica

2. Streaks (IOS only)

3. Todoist

Remember: it’s what gets measured that gets mastered.

LOOK INTO THE LIGHT

Here Are 3 Great Things You Missed:

#1 U.S. Job Market Defies Expectations with Strong April Gains

• American employers added 177,000 jobs in April, beating forecasts and keeping unemployment at a low 4.2%.

• Better-than-expected hiring shows the economy’s resilience despite trade uncertainties, as companies expand payrolls instead of cutting back.

• Steady job growth and rising wages bolster consumer demand and business confidence – a positive signal for entrepreneurs.

#2 IBM’s $150B Quantum Plan to Supercharge American Innovation

• IBM announced a $150 billion investment in the United States over the next five years, including $30B+ to expand cutting-edge quantum computing facilities.

• This aligns with similar big bets by peers (Nvidia, Apple) to boost domestic R&D and manufacturing, especially in AI.

• IBM’s CEO framed the move as securing leadership in next-gen computing and fueling economic growth.

#3 U.S. Scientists Crack 70-Year Nuclear Fusion Puzzle

• U.S. researchers developed a new symmetry-based method to contain high-energy plasma, solving a 70-year problem limiting nuclear fusion reactors’ efficiency.

• The breakthrough allows engineers to design “leak-proof” magnetic confinement for fusion reactions 10× faster than before without costly trial-and-error simulations, speeding up reactor development.

• By preventing escaping particles, this innovation brings commercial fusion power closer to reality, an opportunity that could transform future industries.

PLUGGED IN

“How Modern Parenting Got It All Wrong” ~ Chris Williamson

How did humans raise their kids 1,000 years ago? Has the modern world changed how we parent in our most formative years?

Today’s parenting is all routines, data-driven insights and what the latest research says.

But reflecting on our changing family habits and the decline of the nuclear family in the West, what can we learn from the ancient ways of parenting?

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Wisdom or Wires / Genius or Generated

Which Quote Is AI Generated?

Thank you for reading!

Did you enjoy this week’s email?

We’re always looking to improve and spark more value for you. If you have a moment, let us know how we did:

I hope next week is a great week for you - it’s in your hands.

Best,

Harvey