The End-of-Day Survey: A Simple Feedback Loop for Personal Growth

How to get 1% better.

The End-of-Day Survey: pic.twitter.com/VeKqz5t8a1

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Every night for the last 6 years, I've ended my days reflecting on 6 questions.

And during that time:

• I quit my 9-5 job
• I lost 100 pounds
• I completely gave up alcohol

And I can point all of my personal progress back to this simple feedback loop.

Here's how it works: pic.twitter.com/UbODXvV6FC

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Question 1. Rate the day from -2 to 2

I start with a simple rating, based on how I'm feeling.

This creates a powerful running log I can look back on over weeks, months, & years.

And if you look closely, you'll see I cut out zero.

Why?

Because it forces me to make a choice: pic.twitter.com/5b4b8t4nmr

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Within every day, there are:

• Ups and downs
• Highs and lows
• Memories and milestones

But the truth is, your days are never *truly* balanced.

And without zero, I have to ask myself:

Was today a good day or a bad day?

Which takes us perfectly to the second question:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Question 2. Recall your biggest wins & accomplishments

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, knocking something out and moving right on to the next.

But this question forces me to pause, reflect, and celebrate progress.

And the result?

Momentum.

Here's what I mean:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

When planning my days, I define what "winning" looks like.

• Tasks to accomplish
• Habits to stick with
• Behaviors to avoid

And when answering this question, I recall those moments of accomplishment.

This stacks tangible evidence, day after day, that I'm moving forward.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

But the truth is, I never get everything right.

And if I focused *only* on my wins and accomplishments, I would never find the areas to improve.

Which takes us perfectly to the 3rd question:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

3. Recall one moment you could have been better

Even on my +2 days, I could have done something better.

And honestly, most days, it's dozens of things.

But, I know I can only improve one thing at a time.

So instead, I find one moment and "do it over" in my mind.

Here's how:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

When I find the one thing I could have done better, I write down:

• What I did
• What I should have done
• How I'll remember to do it in the future

Day by day, these tiny improvements start to compound.

From here, I crystallize what I learned in the 4th question.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Question 4. Based on the above, what are your lessons & realizations?

At this point, I've listed out what went well and what could be improved.

I have all the raw materials for a good reflection.

And now, I "zoom out" a bit to come up with a framework I can use in the future:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Every day, I'm collecting lessons about myself and the world.

• What I enjoy
• What I need to avoid
• What's giving me energy
• What leads to bad habits
• What I need to double down on doing

And over time, this helps me chisel away at the person I'm trying to become.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

With these questions answered and my takeaways distilled, I move on to the day ahead.

Because if today was a -2, I'm ready for a fresh start.

And if today was a +2, I'm ready to keep it going.

So to reset that perspective, I finish with these last 2 questions:

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Question 5. What is one thing you're grateful for today?

No matter what is going on, this grounds me in the present moment.

And by collecting one thing per day, I'm creating a "gratitude list" that I can look back on at the end of the year, packed with 365 items.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

Question 6. What are you excited about tomorrow?

And lastly, I always end my day with a bullet-point brain dump on what's coming up.

Whatever is on my mind, I get it all out of my head and onto the page.

This sends me to bed with a clear head, itching to wake up and get going.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

And that's it!

I hit enter on my survey to save my answers in a spreadsheet.

Then, this message prompts me with a reminder of my current life mission:

"Relentlessly pursue a life of abundance, harmony, and joy."

And just like that, another day is complete.

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023

To recap the End-of-Day Survey:

1. Rate the day from -2 to 2
2. Celebrate your biggest wins & accomplishments
3. Recall one moment you could have been better
4. Based on the above, distill your lessons
5. List one thing you're grateful for
6. Brain dump on the day ahead

— Dickie Bush 🚢 (@dickiebush) June 13, 2023