Benchmarking Metrics on Slow Velocity

Creating and tracking data for personal growth efforts isn’t enough. Without some sort of guidepost, these numbers feel meaningless. Luckily, we can look at anonymized measurements from the original Slow Velocity users to create benchmarks for your metrics.

Average Scores Less Than 1.0, Always

Each day, you are asked “did I try my best to [insert behavior]”. The response is binary. It’s either yes or no, captured as 1 or 0 respectively. It’s straight forward. So you know that if your average score is 0.2, your effort was relatively piss poor. On the other hand, if your average score is 0.8, you gave it your all. Achieving a perfect score of 1.0 is not the goal. In fact, most Slow Velocity users never achieve 1.0 days. If they do, it is because either A) they are new users and only have 1-2 behaviors or B) they are fooling themselves. By focusing on effort rather than outcome, you open the door for momentary reflection to recognize the fact that you can almost always try harder. That’s why daily scores of 0.5 - 0.8 are much more common than scores of 0.8 - 1.0. That’s the first benchmark. You are striving for one, but you usually only get close… even on your best day.

Zoom In, Zoom out

One day is just a day. Gradual, sustainable growth doesn’t happen in just 24 hours. The magic of the Slow Velocity approach - contrary to quick life hacks - is that it helps us zoom in and zoom out. It helps us get dual perspective which is helpful for both strategic and tactical decision-making. We look at our scores not just for today, but over the past week and month. Zooming in on a day, we momentarily recognize that yeah, I could have been more patient with the kids today (0)… but zooming out you can recognize that over the past week I’ve been at 0.8 for this behavior. You get both a local and global view. This helps us be less reactive. It helps us be kinder to ourselves, except of course when we need a kick in the ass and all of our metrics no matter what level of zoom show us that we aren’t showing up.

Behavior Turnover Ratio Around 10%

Scoring zero for a behavior 14 days in a row isn’t acceptable. If something isn’t working for you, change it. The expectation on Slow Velocity is that you discover the behaviors that work best for you in achieving what you want. If you keep scoring 0 on a particular behavior, you can delete and start with a new behavior or modify the wording. Sometimes, the right words stick better in your mind. For example, if you are trying to improve your physical health, hydrating will be critical (especially if that’s not yet a habit for you). The ways in which you can word that behavior is many; Drink water? Hydrate? Consume H2O? Carry a water bottle? Create physical reminders to drink water?

Behavior turnover ratio is calculated as the (number of behaviors added, subtracted modified) ➗(total active behaviors). This will be quite variable based on how many behaviors you are tracking, but this is typically between 5 - 15% for regular users. This is a level that indicates that you are not passively checking boxing, but being intentional about your behavior.

AI Engagement Count >= 3

A quick check-in with Slow Velocity’s AI chatbot can give you a renewed sense of focus. Our chatbot has been engineered to help you think differently about your progress. It has access to your current scores, making it attuned to the areas in which you may be struggling. Based on the metrics, Slow Velocity users are using this tool, on average, more than 3 times per week. Even a quick check-in can give you that ah-ha moment you need to feel renewed and invigorated. Similar to behavior turnover ratio, the AI Engagement Count is an indication that you are being intentional about your behaviors.

1% Progress Every Day

If you improve 1% every day over the course of a year, your total growth is more than 365%. It’s 3,650%. How? Why? Well, growth compounds… it’s not linear. So if you make 1% progress each day, the longer term benefits are exponential. If you are passively living your days, you leave the 1% growth to chance. If you are intentional about what you are doing, you increase the odds of capturing 1% or more progress. That’s what the Slow Velocity Progress Index attempts to capture. 

Every Slow Velocity user starts at 1.0. Each day, you can achieve up to 2% progress. It’s calculated based on A) showing up B) your effort score C) behavior mods and D) AI engagements. While it’s possible to achieve a calculated score of 2%... most days you’ll be somewhere around 1%. The benchmark here is 1% each day. In the chart on the metrics page, you’ll see that reference line.

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Having a sense of the ballpark in which these metrics land for other Slow Velocity users is a good starting benchmark. But remember that this is a personalized experience. Discover the right process that works for you. Be intentional. Be disciplined. But don’t be so rigid that you slow yourself down. Think of the balance this way: fast action creates slow velocity. 

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