Note: I created this checklist a couple of years ago and it has served me well. No changes on the checklist except the dates. Please feel free to download, modify, re-use or share.

We are obsessed about measuring everything. We want to know the number o connections, number of followers, number of pageviews, number of minutes someone spends on our website, number of clickthroughs, number of times the shopping cart was abandoned, number of repeat visitors, number of new visitors.. and the list goes on.

Sometimes we forget that most of what we measure is means to an end and not the end itself.

Sometimes we forget that many things we should focus on cannot be measured with any scale (caring, love, joy, happiness, compassion etc.)

Sometimes we forget that we are in a rat race where everyone including the winner loses.

Sometimes we forget that we forget to see the forest for the trees. We want to improve on the metrics for the sake of improving on the metrics.

Sometimes we forget to measure the amount of time we spend being obsessed with measuring the metrics.

Measuring the wrong things is like running fast in the wrong direction.

End of the year is a great time to stop, reflect and think about what are the metrics that really matter most to you.

I have created a ONE PAGE self-asessment checklist called “Metrics That Matter for 2012.” You can download it by clicking on image to the left or the download button below. No registration required. You are, of course, welcome to modify this by adding your own questions.

Although it’s only one page and you can skim through that page in less than a minute, my request is not to rush through it. Reflect on each question for the last two years and make a promise to yourself about that number for 2012. Good luck with the exercise.

Bonus: Send this blog post or the PDF to one or more people that you care and help them create an year that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Bonus 2: If you are in an organization and would like to explore a version that will suit the corporate world, please reach out to me (at Foresight Plus) to discuss further.

Photo Credit: Darren Hester at Flickr.