A Daily Tracking Habit That Doesn’t Stress Me Out
All you need is a pen, a piece of paper, and 60 seconds
When it comes to personal metrics and the very idea of the quantified self, I’m mostly not a fan. The apps, the wearables, the analytics — they all create external benchmarks that I know I’m way too liable to get obsessed with.
I suspect it dates back to my days of being a competitive runner in high school and university, back when Apple watches didn’t exist and we weren’t allowed to use heart rate monitors — but I could tell you the exact mile pace I was running before I even looked at my Casio watch to confirm that it was, indeed, 7:50 on the dot. I knew the trails and running routes and my body better than any piece of equipment, and I liked it that way. Still do.
But recently, I’ve started a daily tracking practice that I’ve grown quite fond of. Perhaps that’s because it doesn’t involve any tech. Every day, I simply write down a few words about how I’m feeling physically, mentally, or both on a circular chart with thirty empty spaces. Each month I start a new one. I’m stunned by how much this has taught me.
To be more specific, the practice comes from author and activist Maisie Hill’s book, which is intended for women to learn how to work with — rather than against or completely…
