Something a lot of us used to do, but I don't see so much of anymore, is graphing TSM progress so you can see real results over time. I know when I started doing it I was at a point of frustration because simple "raw numbers" didn't paint any kind of picture of progress to me. Then when I started graphing my progress, I could really see how things were changing for me over time. It just kind of helps you to pull back and see the big picture.

Also I remember, when we went through our "graphing craze", there were a number of people who would complain that they weren't getting anywhere, but a quick look at their graphs would reveal that slow steady progress that sometimes escapes our day-to-day notice.

Of course the king of all graphers turned out to be Bob3d, who as you probably are aware is also one of this boards greatest success stories. His graph is a classic, although not all of us have such nice curves as that! Some of us have enjoyed success that took longer to develop, but the graph shows the inexorable march to control nonetheless.

Even if success is being elusive for you right now, a graph can help show you when things have been working and when they have not. Sometimes our difficult periods can correlate with other lifestyle habits in a way that can be very illuminating. When it is laid out on the screen like that it is hard to ignore. Your TSM progress can be affected by all kinds of things (not really covered in the book), and once you know what these things are, you can really begin to focus on how to help TSM work for you.

Best of luck, all
FireBird

Silly question, but how do you graph? I don't think many of us know how to do it. There used to be some forum members who posted graphs a lot like you said, but they were engineers and computer geeks. I have no idea how to do a graph. Sorry, but if you pop back in, give me a hint.

HG

Google Docs is a free online apps suit that offers approxim ately MS Office functionality. You can make graphs in there easily:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9-ysq1640Q
Google it, there are many tutorials.

Or you can try here: http://www.onlinecharttool.com/

Thanks for your post, Firebird. For me, keeping a spreadsheet and a graph are essential. I think it has helped me stay on track and keep making progress. I want that line going down (or at least not going up) every week.