The Observer Effect is the tendency for people to change their behavior if they know they’re being watched.  The interesting thing about it is that it seems to work even if you’re both the watcher and the watched.  In other words, monitoring what you do seems to change what you do.  Management guru Peter Drucker said it this way: “What gets measured gets managed.”

Intuitively this makes sense.  If you weigh yourself regularly and track what you eat, it will likely impact what and how much you eat.  And it works with more than just diet and exercise.  It can have a positive impact on your finances and lifestyle as well.  What do you think would happen if you started to consistently track what you spend?  Or how much you save?  Or your progress toward paying off your debt?  Or how close you are to your retirement goals?  Or how much progress you’re making on that particular hobby.  Or how intentional you are with your holidays and time with family?

At Intentional Retirement, we help clients with money and meaning.  The money helps them sleep at night.  The meaning gives them a reason to get out of bed in the morning.  Since those two things are part of our DNA, we’re always looking for ways to not just educate and inform, but to actually prompt people to make positive changes in their lives.  We want you to take action.  To change for the better.  To become the person you want to be.  To have a secure, meaningful life doing the things you want with the people you love.  The Observer Effect might just help.  Give it a try.  Start watching yourself.  Decide what you want to do or what you want to change and start tracking your progress.  I think you’ll find it will help you be more disciplined, focused, consistent and…yes…intentional.

Be Intentional,

Joe