The Self-Destructing Dashboard
Should Metrics Disappear?
To my delight, dashboards are everywhere. Whether for work or personal productivity, you likely check several dashboards multiple times a day. We are so data-driven!
Maybe this is a familiar experience to you:
You open your morning metrics dashboard. You’ve got five minutes… just five… to review the numbers, understand the trends, and gather insights. Then, like a message in Mission Impossible, the dashboard self-destructs 💥 … No more checking again until tomorrow.
No? Not familiar? You don’t have some type of limit functionality on your metric consumption? The above scenario may sound stressful, but I have a hunch it’s a productivity hack that can help us focus on what really matters and get closer to what we want.
Let me give you an anecdote ‘as proof’ of why this might work…
I set Screen Time limits on my phone this week. At first, it was frustrating. The first time I saw the Time Limit screen, I nearly quit. But by day three, I was writing and analyzing data with deeper focus.
At my previous [consumer SaaS] startup, I fell deep into this trap. I checked our user metrics hundreds of times a day. Our dashboards mesmerized me. Each check made the next urge harder to resist. Anytime I hit a challenge or got bored, I’d reflexively reach for the metrics. In doing so, I wasn’t just losing focus, I was training my brain to avoid discomfort and abandon the task at hand.
I’m not alone. We’ve all been there: the sales leader refreshing their pipeline dashboard every hour. The product manager glued to daily active user stats. The runner obsessively checking weekly mileage. The investor watching their portfolio tick up, down, and sideways.
Metrics are amazing because they are an essential part of the feedback loop of continuous improvement. Take action => check metrics => recalibrate => take action. But it’s too easy, as I well know, to get stuck in an ineffective loop like this:
Take action => check metrics => check metrics => recalibrate => check metrics => recalibrate => check metrics => check metrics => check metrics => check metrics => check metrics => check metrics => check metrics ….
Familiar now? Analysis paralysis, right?
Too much metrics can be a bad thing.
What if we designed our metrics systems with built-in constraints? I go back to the Time Limits experiment: a simple restriction forced me to be intentional about my usage. Could limiting our access to metrics work the same way? Could it make us more focused, more deliberate, and ultimately more effective? I think yes.
Metrics are like the treat in the fridge…. they are tempting to over-consume. To get better results, make them harder to binge on.
But you don’t need a feature built in to your analytics tools, like self-destruction mode. The metrics don’t have to disappear. You have the power. Your smartphone or tools like StayFocusd can do the job. Try limiting just one app or dashboard for a week and see what changes. It’s a very low cost experiment.
I love metrics. I’m a metrics proponent. Because metrics are more than numbers - they’re emotional triggers. Affective analytics is about understanding how these triggers shape behavior and using that insight to build healthier habits with data.
In this context, less is more. Here’s the challenge: set some limits, focus on what truly matters, and let the urge to check obsessively self-destruct.