I just downloaded a new running plan to my Garmin Forerunner 935. Setting the workout in advance frees me from having to choose an activity the morning of, particularly one that might seem too difficult. The premade choice pushes me to do a workout I might otherwise avoid.
I love living in the age of the quantified self!
I track my sleep and review the periodic blood work I get from Kaiser Permanente. Digital medicine makes my doctor less omniscient priest and more helpful sherpa. He’s my expert guide, and the structure helps me focus on preventive care.
Productive is an app I use to track daily habits like meditation, journaling and reading.
I decided to ignore Productive last week. I like to test my tools to ensure I’m the one using them and not the other way round. The experiment confirmed the usefulness of having daily reminders not to complain, help others, and journal. Of all my habits, those are the ones I often overlook.
It’s also why I keep an Evernote travel checklist template. I brush my teeth every day, but I know from experience that I often forget to pack a toothbrush.
I don’t process data like a computer. And in a digital age, I don’t need or even want it to. In essence, I tell my computer, “you do you.”
That frees my brain to do what it does well: Connect, synthesize, and create ideas.