The Benefits and Challenges of Tracking Behavior

Summary

In this article, we discuss the benefits and challenges of tracking behavior, including food intake, travel, and social interactions. We introduce the concept of sampling as an alternative approach to making sense of complex behaviors and share an example of using surveys to track mood and social interactions. We also discuss the development of an app called Reporter, which collects various ambient readings and solves the problem of tracking tools and social networks accurately.

The Benefits of Achieving a High Degree of Completeness
The Challenges of Accurately Tracking Behavior
Sampling as an Alternative Approach
The Development of Reporter App
Conclusion

The Benefits of Achieving a High Degree of Completeness

The speaker shares their personal experience with hoarding and tracking their daily activities, including food, travel, and social interactions. They explain the benefits of achieving a high degree of completeness in tracking behavior, which can provide valuable insights into one’s habits and patterns. By tracking behavior, individuals can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions about their lifestyle.

The Challenges of Accurately Tracking Behavior

The speaker acknowledges the high costs of achieving a high degree of completeness in tracking behavior, including the time and effort required to log every activity. They also mention the challenges of accurately tracking certain behaviors, such as food intake and social interactions. For example, it can be difficult to remember every detail about what one ate or who they interacted with during the day.

Sampling as an Alternative Approach

To address the challenges of tracking behavior, the speaker introduces the concept of sampling as an alternative approach. Sampling involves collecting data at regular intervals, which can provide a representative snapshot of one’s behavior. The speaker shares an example of using surveys to track mood and social interactions. By sampling behavior, individuals can still gain valuable insights into their habits and patterns without the high costs of achieving a high degree of completeness.

The Development of Reporter App

The speaker discusses the development of an app called Reporter, which asks the user what they are doing and collects various ambient readings. The app solves the problem of tracking tools and social networks accurately, as it is designed to be simple and unobtrusive. The speaker believes there is value in the incompleteness of the data collected through sampling, as it can provide a more holistic view of one’s behavior. The app has collected approximately 4,000 records at the end of the year, and the speaker hopes to gain interesting insights from this data.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tracking behavior can provide valuable insights into one’s habits and patterns, but it can also be challenging and time-consuming. Sampling provides an alternative approach that can still yield valuable insights without the high costs of achieving a high degree of completeness. The development of tools such as Reporter can make tracking behavior more accessible and unobtrusive, and the incompleteness of the data collected through sampling can provide a more holistic view of one’s behavior. Ultimately, finding a balance between tracking behavior and living in the moment is key to achieving a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.