Most people don’t review their progress. They measure their feelings about their progress.
Those are very different things.
I learned this the hard way. I had stretches where I felt like things were moving — busy weeks, active conversations, a lot of motion — and when I actually looked at the numbers, I’d been spinning. And stretches where things felt slow and uncertain, and the numbers told me I was actually building something.
Feelings are data, but they’re not the only data. And they’re often the least reliable kind.
An honest review is specific. Not “things are going well” or “it’s been a tough month.” It asks: what specifically got done? What was the actual number? What moved and what didn’t? Where did the week’s time actually go versus where I planned it to go?
That specificity is uncomfortable because it removes the softening. You can’t be vague about a number. You either made the calls or you didn’t. The proposal either went out or it didn’t. The metric either moved or it stayed flat.
I do this every week. Not to punish myself — to see clearly. Because the only way to adjust well is to know honestly where you are.
The honest review isn’t a judgment. It’s a map. And you can’t navigate without one.
The Takeaway
Review what actually happened — not how you feel about what happened — and adjustment becomes simple.
Keep Moving Forward!
Not-So-Guru
If this one landed — The Not-So-Guru Manifesto is waiting.