Comments on: Personal Analytics: The Next Big Thing in Self Improvement?

By: Vikram

Vikram — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:41:36 +0000

I don’t think I can agree with any of you guys. Everything in life “should” not be perfect. I consider my life (driven more by intuition; numbers only get to help) very close to perfect compared to others. Now if everyone gets perfect, then there is no scale of comparison, and that becomes level-zero then, then none of us are perfect, back to square-one!

Also, maybe all the math models will fail if they are all pitched against each other!

And besides, our heads are all neural networks, which can basically do anything, and only 2% of their total capacity is utilized. We just need to put these network to more work, and I am sure that in the case of man, Darwin’s theory will kick in and act magically quickly in a couple hundred years. There will be no need for computers then.

By: Shane

Shane — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:47:15 +0000

Great post! I can certainly attest to the fact that measuring progress objectively is great for making more progress. I’ve done several experiments with measuring different aspects of my life already and it was often very interesting. The biggest problem is keeping up with all the tracking. For example, I also used stop-watches to time different activities for a while, much like it’s described in this article. I couldn’t keep the habit up, though, because it’s quite a bit of bother to always remember when to stop one and start the next timer and then logging all of that. Automatic tracking devices are certainly the way to go here.

By: Donald Latumahina

Donald Latumahina — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:11:55 +0000

Steve,
Nice examples. Personal analytics is still relatively new, so most people will need time for transition.

Jonathan,
I agree. If it works for individuals as it works for companies then it can greatly improve many people’s lives.

By: jonathanfigaro

jonathanfigaro — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:01:22 +0000

An advancement indeed is what i call it. Living my numbers and not by intuition is what i believe to be a next level, when it pertains to strucring ones life. Yet, it may be confusing for some at first it can create an organized life for millions.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:28:33 +0000

This is one heck of a great post. All the very good business people I respect do this both for themselves and their business. JB Glossinger @morningcoach, does this for himself, recording his spending and eating habits daily. @websuccessdiva is meticulous about using Google Analytics, and @timferris is the same for his site and business. Being more right brained, I struggle with this, but need to marry the right brain with the left side of my brain :)

By: Donald Latumahina

Donald Latumahina — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:34:58 +0000

J.D.,
Micro-feedback loops… love that term :)

Kaizan,
That’s the problem we now have. I myself hope that it will be easier over time.

Dan,

I think a careful plan to measure only a small subset of important information is perhaps the trick.

I agree with you. We should collect only the data that can help us make the most difference. By the way, looks like I need to check the tool you mentioned.

Randy,
There is indeed danger with this approach. That being said, I still believe it’s good for some aspects in life. Time management and energy management come to mind.

Paul,
Yes, the book is an eye-opener. Have a great week too.

Avani,
What I love about numbers is they can give us awareness. Sometimes we don’t see how serious a problem is until we see the numbers.

By: Avani Mehta

Avani Mehta — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:16:58 +0000

This makes a lot of sense but must be tough to follow. Especially gathering stats and figuring out what works part.

At the same time, feedback that numbers provide is so powerful. Numbers gives us room to plan and gauge things.

By: Paul Sabaj

Paul Sabaj — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:35:01 +0000

I like the tie in with the book and the use of a journal. I like to keep track of the past to see how far I have come. By the way the book super crunchers was great. Have a great week

By: Randy

Randy — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:55:52 +0000

Consider the ramifications of the “by the numbers” system before you leap in with both feet. It’s fine for some things, but has the most terrible consequences for others — analyze your relationships and friends by the numbers? Evaluate your co-workers and fellow citizens by the numbers? Find the formula for perfection and work up a quantifiable step at a time? The concept came out of the Enlightenment, when science began to explain the world “by the numbers”, resulting in formulas for human perfection taken to the extreme by fascism, communism, national socialism, Pol Pot, to name a few. Our society is awefully close to this now – “a few eggs must be broken for the good of all – by the numbers”.
Don’t go there!

By: Dan Murray

Dan Murray — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:27:50 +0000

Interesting post. I’ve subscribed to web-based tools like DAYTUM and YOURFLOWOINGDATA but can’t seem to motivate myself to collect what i might consider to be important.

I think a careful plan to measure only a small subset of important information is perhaps the trick.

I also like the idea of using a very flexible visualization tool (like Tableau Software) to interpret what is going on versus these web-based solutions, which are visually appealing but involve a little effort to learn to use effectively.

I like the stopwatch idea. Having (3) wouldn’t be that costly. I think the key is to make it easy to update and limit the things you measure.

Nice post. Thought provoking.