Comments on: Self Optimization through Self Awareness https://lizards.opensuse.org/2009/07/15/self-optimization-through-self-awareness/ Blogs and Ramblings of the openSUSE Members Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:50:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 By: Nat Friedman https://lizards.opensuse.org/2009/07/15/self-optimization-through-self-awareness/#comment-1088 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:17:41 +0000 http://lizards.opensuse.org/?p=1521#comment-1088 Well, your post is disagreeing with a cartoon caricature version of what I was saying, not what I was actually saying.

Of course it’s impossible to track all of the things that affect your life. You didn’t mention this, but it’s also impossible to quantify the value of your life, in order to optimize it. When it comes to something as big and precious as a life, how do you define “performance” anyway? And if you do have a definition of performance, how do you “improve performance” if you can’t measure it? And if you can measure it, why not write it down? Your post is not consistent on this point.

I do think recording some things — was I sick? how much sleep did I get? how often do I really go out with my friends? — can help us overcome our faulty memories and have a more realistic picture of our lives. And even if it doesn’t help us to “optimize” anything, isn’t it interesting to do?

Life logging and self awareness are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you agree that we have faulty memories, then you probably agree that life logging can improve self awareness.

Long-time practitioners of mindfulness meditation would tell us that when we are really aware of the present moment, then we are also aware of the past, because the past exists in the present moment.

But I don’t mind also having a record.

]]> By: luis https://lizards.opensuse.org/2009/07/15/self-optimization-through-self-awareness/#comment-1077 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:58:19 +0000 http://lizards.opensuse.org/?p=1521#comment-1077 From my point of view, Nat is getting a bit obsessive with this personal data tracking but i think he’s got a point there. Personal data tracking can be a very usefull tool to track your evolution in some tasks. Say you are trying to improve your sleep cycles to adapt to a new job, or that you have to make a diet for health reasons. Seeing your evolution on certain parameters actually motivates you. That said, personal awareness has its advantages. Anyway, I think keeping a journal actually is a way of improving on both fronts. Then again, that information is something I would never publish online!

]]> By: foo https://lizards.opensuse.org/2009/07/15/self-optimization-through-self-awareness/#comment-1074 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:34:05 +0000 http://lizards.opensuse.org/?p=1521#comment-1074 thanks

]]>