In most areas of my life I practice the rule that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”, so I measure progress often. But with PE it’s the opposite, I hardly measure. I haven’t had a proper measurement in about 3 months, I’ll probably measure again at the end of the month, which would make it about 4 months.
But still, it is important to measure at regular intervals so you know that you’re doing the right things.
There are a few reasons why I don’t measure more often:
First of all, measuring is a chore. My dick shrinks whenever I bring a ruler or tape measure to it. So I spend most of the time trying to “sneak up” on my dick when it isn’t looking to measure it.
Second, I have been very discouraged in the past by lack of gains when measuring too often.
The third reason is related to the previous point: Not measuring very often helps me to focus on enjoying the process and instead of focusing on the goal. Don’t get me wrong, the goal is still supremely important. But in a game of millimetre gains, constantly comparing myself to the goal can be very frustrating.
Fourth, My whole PE practice centres around positive PI (physiological indicators). I know that if I do my exercises properly and maintain positive PI, then I am gaining. That’s my basic assumption, and I don’t question it. So this enables me to not measure often.
Fifth, when you measure too quickly and see a small gain of one or two mm, you don’t know if it’s real or simply down to imperfect measuring. When you see a small loss, you also don’t know if it real or just lower EQ at the time.
Still it is important to measure at regular intervals, especially if you’re a newbie. But not so often that you get discouraged. It takes a while for gains to kick in, and for any adjustments to your routine to yield results. So I would say a minimum of 4 weeks is a good interval, and I choose much longer intervals.
If you learn to be in tune with your PI you will get a quicker indication of whether or not you’re doing the right things than a ruler will give.