Adam..:
The main way I judge my practice these days is by whether or not the hinderances are suppressed, so basically my standard of practice is going to be having the hindrances suppressed 24/7.
While that may be a fine objective to have and aspire to, please be mindful of the fact that the hindrances are generally mentioned in the discourses in terms of one's intent to practice meditation and not necessarily in daily living.
That's not to say that the effort to attenuate sensuous lust, aversion and ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and skeptical doubt aren't worthwhile endeavors outside of the meditation setting. If you're able to maintain that kind of mindfulness, then it will have been reflected in your sittings. But, yes, use whatever motivation you can in order to attain your goal.
Use that motivation to assist you in maintaining your practice in meditation (maintaining its regularity), which if done properly will assist you in re-conditioning the mind to become more mindful in situations outside of formal meditation.
"For this reason I am starting to take the 8 precepts today
so that i basically have no choice but to meditate all the time." That kind of resolve will work because it's coming from an inner commitment. Just don't become discouraged if it doesn't always work out the way you would like. Stay with it (be consistent in your resolve and efforts), and you will begin to see positive results.
Good luck with your efforts!