Tracking Progress: experimenting with annual personal analytics
New year.
New aspirations.
New metrics.
During the Covid days I read Atomic Habits (several times) and one of the key takeaways for me was the concept of habit tracking. I’ve been using the Strides app for a while and it is helping reshape my routines. It provides a daily to-do list and an indication if I’m on the path that I’ve set for myself.
In January 2023 I wanted to experiment with long-range tracking. I liked the idea of setting “habit” targets for a year and then measuring my progress along the way. This was helpful because it encouraged me to think about (and act upon) good habits or desired behaviors every single day. It also provides a visual dashboard, feedback, and accountability.
The big personal goal for me in 2023 was to walk four million steps. That’s roughly 11,000 steps each day. That can be tough when you’re ill, injured, traveling, in meetings all day, or otherwise just not feeling it. There’s going to be some off days or even off-weeks. But you’re playing the long game. It’s about the total accumulation over 365 days. Just keep walking!
It was a cool journey. I found myself constantly looking for ways to “take the long way” or to have a walking meeting or otherwise just moving about. I hit the target in mid-December.
For 2024 I’m changing it up. Instead of just increasing the number of steps I’m actually increasing the duration too. I’ve given myself a three-year challenge: 13,000,000 steps by December 31, 2026. That’s about 11,800 steps each day. Sometimes I’ll hit 20k and other times only 5k. This is about consistency and keeping that quantity over a series of months and years. It’s the long-game, the long-path.
Another key habit tracking insight for me was with my sleep. I set a goal to get at least 6.5 hours of sleep each night. Overall, I achieved that amount with an average of 6.65 hours over the year. Yet I was very inconsistent. I only hit that target 66% percent of the time. Which means there were many nights when I got far less sleep than I needed.
Perhaps a causality indicator is another metric that I collect: bed before 9:45. You can see that I struggled with this one only hitting it 58% of the time.
These analytics are helpful. If I have an “off-day” it’s usually because I didn’t get enough sleep. But why? Did I stay up too late streaming a show? Was I scrolling news, sports scores, or reddit? Was I drafting emails or doing work before bed? Did I eat poorly? Was I feeling stressed, nervous, or overwhelmed? Was I excited about the day ahead?
I’ve started to design an optimal evening routine for myself. I stop viewing screens at a certain time. I do a gentle stretch. I read a print book (typically a biography or historical topic) for 30 minutes before bed. And so on. Basically, I’m crafting an evening script or routine based on evidence. Statistically, when I follow it, I get better sleep and this increases my chances of having a more creative or enjoyable day. It’s a night and day difference between < 5 hours and 7+ hours of sleep for me.
Over the course of 2023 I tracked all sorts of other things too. Here are some examples:
Wash dishes daily: 82%
Make bed daily: 94%
Read Daily Stoic: 88%
Meditate at least 15 minutes daily: 79%
Floss daily: 99% (I missed 3 days)
Observe sunrise daily: 97%
Deep sleep: 58 minutes per night average
I also have batches of weekend chores, such as dust, vacuum, wipe microwave, clean shower & bathrooms, do laundry, etc. Every Saturday I have a set block (a script or routine) to deal with these house matters. On Sundays I do bills, banking, taxes, paperwork, and financial matters.
Habit tracking is helpful because it gives me structure and accountability. It also gamifies things. I’m excited to mop the kitchen floor and sweep my back deck!
The main takeaway: when I am able to get my personal tasks, chores, behaviors, and obligations completed it feels like I’ve won the day.
