Getting Started: Three Steps to Better Decisions

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

Nothing worth doing happens overnight.

This guide shows you how to start using Drucker's feedback analysis method today. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to build a habit that lasts. We use the Tiny Habits approach: start small, stay consistent, and let the discipline compound over time.

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The Discipline in Three Steps

Step 1: Measure the Day (3 Seconds)

At the end of each day, answer one question: How was today?

• Good
• Bad
• Neutral

That's it. Three seconds. No explanation required yet.

Why this works: You're building the habit of reflection. The measurement is so simple that you can't fail. Once the habit is established, you can add more detail. But for now, just measure the day.

Anchor Moment: After you close your laptop, or after you brush your teeth, or after you turn off the lights. Pick an existing habit and attach this new one to it.

Instant Celebration: Say "I captured it!" or give yourself a mental fist pump. The celebration wires the habit into your brain.

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Step 2: Capture What Makes Sense (30 Seconds to 2 Minutes)

Now that you've measured the day, write down what matters. Not everything—just what makes sense in your context.

Examples:

• If today was Good: What worked? What decision led to this outcome?
• If today was Bad: What went wrong? What was outside your control? What could you do differently?
• If today was Neutral: What patterns do you notice? Where did your time actually go?

Why this works: You're not tracking everything. You're tracking what's relevant to you. The spreadsheet has a structure (Debrief tab), but you decide what to capture. This is Drucker's feedback analysis in practice: you're comparing what you expected to what actually happened.

Tool: Use the Ultraworking monthly planning spreadsheet. It has a built-in structure for daily, weekly, and monthly capture. The form makes it easier—you don't have to design the system from scratch.

Get the Spreadsheet

Click File → Make a copy and save it to your own Google Drive.

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Step 3: Can You Do It for 21 Days?

The habit is not the insight. The habit is the discipline. If you can measure the day and capture what matters for 21 consecutive days, you've built the foundation.

Why 21 days? Research shows that consistent practice over 21 days helps establish a new habit. This is not about perfection—it's about repetition. If you miss a day, start again. The goal is to prove to yourself that you can do this.

21-Day Reflection Questions:

At the end of each week, take 5 minutes to reflect:

1. What did I learn?
2. What did I do?
3. What worked?
4. Can I do it for 21 days?

These questions help you adjust the habit as you go. If something isn't working, change it. The discipline is not rigid—it's adaptive.

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What This Looks Like in Practice

A shift coach at a paper mill used this method for several months. He measured each day (Good/Bad/Neutral) and captured what was happening on the floor using voice-to-text on his phone. He compared what he saw to what the dashboards said was happening. The gap was huge.

Operators were getting blamed for systemic issues that weren't in the official reports. By capturing reality instead of the official story, he identified $1.5-2 million in cost savings. The method worked because he wrote down what he saw, validated it with operators, and compared it to what the system said was true.

The same discipline works at any scale—individual, team, or organization. The software I'm building will make this faster and easier, but the discipline stays the same: measure, capture, repeat.

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Common Questions

Q: How long does this take?

• Measure the day: 3 seconds
• Capture what matters: 30 seconds to 2 minutes
• Weekly reflection: 5 minutes
• Total: ~15-20 minutes per week

Q: What if I miss a day?

You don't need to capture every day. The habit is in the consistency, not the perfection. If you miss a day, just pick it back up the next day. The 21-day goal is to build the discipline, not to punish yourself for missing one.

Q: What if my work is unpredictable?

That's exactly why this works. The spreadsheet shows you how it's unpredictable. Once you see the pattern (e.g., "Every Thursday, something urgent comes up"), you can plan for it. You're not eliminating chaos—you're learning how to work within it.

Q: Do I need to be technical?

No. If you can use a spreadsheet, you can do this. The hardest part is being honest about where your time actually went. The celebration (Step 1) makes it easier to be honest because you're rewarding yourself for capturing, not for having a perfect day.

Q: How is this different from a to-do list?

A to-do list is aspirational. This is observational. You're not tracking what you want to do. You're tracking what you actually did, and comparing it to what you planned. The gap is where the learning happens.

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What Happens Next

After 21 days, you'll have data.

After three months, you'll have patterns.

After six months, you'll have a system that works for your actual life, not the life you wish you had.

The Ultraworking spreadsheet does Drucker's feedback analysis and goes a step further: it allows you to capture your patterns daily, weekly, and monthly. The form makes it easier because the structure is already there. You just fill it in.

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TL;DR

Start small: measure the day (Good/Bad/Neutral), capture what makes sense in your context, commit to 21 days. Use the Ultraworking spreadsheet to make it easier. After 21 days, you'll have data. After three months, you'll have patterns. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

Next steps: Get the spreadsheet, measure today, then let me know what you find.

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Ready to Start?

Get the Spreadsheet

1. Make a copy
2. Measure today: Good, Bad, or Neutral
3. Capture what makes sense
4. Can you do it for 21 days?

If it helps you, tell a friend.

Have feedback or questions? Visit the Feedback [blocked] page or email [email protected].

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Tiny Habits Worksheet

Use this worksheet to design your own habit:

Remember: Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Nothing worth doing happens overnight. Start small, stay consistent, and let the discipline compound.