Knowing the full story is always better

Mon, Sep 19, 2005

Simplicity Rules

I just moved out of a big house and into an apartment. Looking ahead to the move, I had anxiety about the sheer amount of stuff. This feeling stayed with me all the way up until the day I decided to take a full audit of what we’d be moving. Once I had it all in my vision, it was easy to see what we’d sell, what we’d give away, what we’d throw away, and what we’d move. Knowing that full story made for a better move and a much less anxious Adam.

My friend Mike Duffy has some great stuff to say about one tiny piece of info every web site should know at his winery website blog. Lately I have been paying more attention to visitor stats because, like finally examining the junk in our basement, it helps me have a full view of what’s going on.

There’s a John D. Rockefeller quote going around that harkens to the same point:

Everything that is watched improves.

It’s not a new idea, but it is a very strong concept. It’s the gist of every diet. It’s the reason the principal comes into a rowdy classroom. It’s why, in business, everyone sets goals.

1 Comments For This Post

  1. Jon Says:

    Not very laissez-faire, are you?

2 Trackbacks For This Post

  1. Simplicity Rules » Blog Archive » Matt Mullenweg’s Twelve Rules Says:

    [...] Measure your success – you have to have metrics. Everything that is watched improves. [...]

  2. Simplicity Rules » Blog Archive » WifiPDX reaches new milestone Says:

    [...] In July, over 2,000 people used my free WiFi site, WifiPDX. This is 20% more people than the previous high (March). It’s small beans to those who follow real Web traffic, but it’s been fun to watch the improvement. [...]

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