"Well Begun is Half Done"

It is not often that I quote Aristotle, but this quote seems to perfectly capture my thoughts about the benefits of data and accountability in successfully meeting goals.

"Well-begun is half done." Aristotle may have said it first, but someone a bit better known in our modern society said it again and brought it back into our consciousness. Of course I am referring to the incomparable Mary Poppins! Mary Poppins told us that medicine goes down easier with a spoonful of sugar and that anything can happen if you let it. Surely someone dispensing such great advice knew what she was saying when she said that starting well is half of the battle.

January 31st is a day that few New Year's Resolutions ever see. I wonder if all of the #oneword2016 adopters have thought about their one word since identifying it. Without early success, people tend to abandon goals, resolutions, and words to focus on.

I believe that data and accountability help us stick to our goals, particularly early on. A weight loss goal to lose significant weight over the course of the year is more likely to be met when early success is obtained. A weekly report of success is likely to drive continuing effort. 

Data identifies where we are and leads to where we want to go.

I started thinking about Aristotle and Mary Poppins while completing seven-mile run yesterday. This year, I have set a goal of logging 1,000 miles on MapMyRun, the tracking software that I have been using since June, 2012. For the month of January, I have logged 101.31 miles. This represents 10% of my goal obtained in just one month. I know that I need 83.34 miles logged each month to meet my goal.

As I was running and doing this math in my head, I started chuckling at myself. I am not a "math guy" by nature, but goals bring numbers tumbling out. I love the accountability of the tracking software I use. There are other apps out there that do the same thing and may do an equally good job, but I started with this one and I can't imagine leaving it, because I want my data. I like being able to compare how I did in the month of January for each of the last four years. I find myself motivated to beat myself. Previous performance becomes a benchmark. To do less than what I have done before would be disappointing. I want to be better than I have ever been and knowing my own data holds me accountable to my own goals.

I will, I will, I will!

Running 1,000 miles in a year has seemed like an impossible goal in the past. As a casual runner, I logged 497 miles in 2012, 419 miles in 2013, and dropped to 379 miles in 2014. In January of 2015, I found myself looking over my running data. After making excuses for my diminishing performance like working on my dissertation and becoming a superintendent, I stopped giving reasons for not running as much as I could have and vowed to have my best year ever.

I created a spreadsheet with month-by-month results and decided that I would concentrate on beating each month's previous record. When the year ended, I had logged 738 miles, almost doubling my 2014 tally. I know that it is because I kept visiting my own data and held myself accountable to it. This year I will run 1,000 miles and I will do it because of the numbers that keep tumbling out. I have had a great first month. Aristotle and Mary Poppins would say that I am on my way.

Running, Disney Movie characters, and Greek philosophers may seem a bit misplaced in a blog that focuses on education and educational issues, but are they? Wouldn't it be safe to say that if we took each of the SMART goals in our District Strategic Plans or School Improvement Plans, closely monitored our results through paying attention to the data and held ourselves accountable to a great start on the goal, that we also would be well on our way to accomplishing great things for children?