OKRs: Not just for the workplace

OKRs stand for Objectives and Key Results. I use them frequently at work, but I have never used them at home.

Read more about OKRs — Wikipedia

For example, if your Objective is to learn another language, then your Key Results could be to accomplish 45 skills in Duolingo, speak only Spanish for 24 hours straight, and to chat online with a Spanish speaker for 10,000 words.

It is common to hold our professional growth accountable to our co-workers, but rarely do we clearly and quantifiably communicate our objectives to our family members.

When we do, too frequently we lay out only our objectives.

We forget to define the quantifiable key results, that demonstrate to our personal stakeholders that we accomplished our objectives, are on track, or are falling behind and need help.

Like in the workplace, OKRs should be discussed and agreed upon with the rest of your “team.” Communicating and agreeing to the objectives ahead of time can help to prevent a disconnect in expectations later on.

This could be your children, or spouse. But it can just as easily be a sibling or a close friend.

You don’t need to live under the same roof to work together on making yourselves better people.

In fact, if one of your objectives is to be a better friend, setting OKRs with that friend can be a way to achieve that objective. Just make sure to define clear Key Results as well (i.e. 12 check-in calls/year).

My Personal OKRs:

Objective: Financial Security Against Uncertainty

* $6k slush fund
* $25k year for Heather Read Photography & Design[1]
* $1 family net worth
* $0 high interest debt (12% or higher)
* 25 pt bump in credit score
* 100 pt bump in family credit score

Objective: Healthier Mind + Body

* Read 12 new books (books on tape count?)
* Run 250 miles
* 24 date nights
* 20 sober weekends

Objective: Semi-pro Growth

* Launch Tag Sherpa app on Product Hunt
* 3 Tag Sherpa integrations (paid features)
* Create 12 hours course content on Ventures & Adventures
* $25k year for Heather Read Photography & Design

2017 is in the books. You can read how I did on my 2017 Personal OKR results post.

[1] coming back from having the baby