Quantified Self
Categories: Metrics
“New year, new me,” Jocelyn says as she sets out to live her best life. Every January, she starts out strong with a workout plan, a no-fail new diet, and fab new lowlights and highlights in her hair. And every February, her roots grow out and her “new year, new me” plan falls apart. (It’s always the Valentine’s Day candy that does her in.) But this year, she’s got something new on her side: not only is she going to live her best life, but she’s going to do it as her quantified self.
What the heck is a “quantified self?” It’s when we use data and technology to collect information about ourselves and use it to improve our lives.
Take wearable technology like Fitbits, for example. In years past, Jocelyn would have to literally count her steps and document her workouts and sleeping patterns as part of her “new year, new me” plan. But with a Fitbit, all she has to do is strap it on, and it tracks everything for her. Easy peasy. She’s also got apps on her phone to help her manage her time, track her calorie intake, improve her credit score, learn to speak Russian, and quit smoking cigarettes. And heck, she’s even got one on there that’ll remind her to call her mother once a week. All these gizmos, gadgets, and apps allow her to put numbers to things she hadn’t been able to before, which makes it a lot easier for her to identify trends, patterns, and triggers for bad behavior.
It’s Jocelyn’s self…but quantified. And if all goes according to plan, all that quantifying is going to help her have the best year of her life yet. We're skeptical, but we wish her luck.
