Life Optimization with Data: My Biggest Passion Project
Apr 8, 2022
You're likely not surprised to learn this isn't the only blog I have.
I'm working on a website which is a deep dive into a passion of mine: how individuals can use their own data to live a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life. Like Google Analytics and Conversion Rate Optimization for your well-being.
Sounds ridiculous, I know. But it turns out I'm not the only person who has stumbled upon the idea and embrace it entirely.
Table of Contents
What is the "Quantified Self" anyway?
What do you hope to achieve by tracking all of your data?
Have you actually found helpful insights?
Can you really optimize your life through tracking?
Where can I go to learn more?
What is the "Quantified Self"?
Quantified self is knowledge through numbers. It’s the idea that we can better understand ourselves through our personal data and analytics. And in a time when our personal data is abundant, we can discover much about ourselves my studying the data.
But it’s more than just an idea.
Quantified self is an entire movement and culture. It’s a collective of individuals focused on self-learning. Focused on finding out more about themselves with data and sharing their insights with others focused on finding out more about how what we do on a daily basis impacts our lives.
What do you hope to achieve by tracking all of your data?
I'll never forget the day that I thought I invented the idea of Quantified Self. I was visiting my dad in Arizona when out of nowhere I had this epiphany… "
What if we could optimize our health with data like we do in Marketing? What if there was a Google Analytics for the human body and we could run experiments to see what makes us happier?"
I have been tracking a truly ludicrous amount of personal data over the last several years and have extensive experience in analyzing data and running tests. This was my AHA! moment where I could build something unique that fit both my own personal passion and actually helped people. I was inching towards Ikigai, the place I've been searching for my entire adult life.
What if there was a dashboard where we could track everything that impacted our lives? These example metrics were taken from the 15 page software proposal I built right after my aha moment. A dashboard to track…
Emotional spectrum (happiness/anxiety levels. General moods)
Physical spectrum (weight, steps, heart rate, sleep, etc…)
Financial (cash, debt, investments, compensation)
Career (hours worked, hours commuted, hours in meetings)
Philanthropic (money donated, hours donated)
Romantic (dates, partner happiness levels, sexual factors)
Social (time spent with friends, time with family)
Alcohol/Drug (alcohol consumed, medications, other drugs)
Self Care (yoga, meditation, other things)
Self improvement (books read, pages read, classes taken)
Then we'd use that data to find correlations in our metrics. To answer some of life's most fundamental questions.
Imagine if you could answer these questions for yourself and have the data to back it up?
Imagine if you could use the data you already have to answer some of life's most fundamental questions, like:
Does money actually make you happier?
How has losing weight impacted your mental state?
What is your perfect work-life-balance?
How much sleep do you need?
Does weather impact your mood?
How does philanthropy impact your mood?
Does alcohol consumption impact your emotional health?
Does Yoga make you more relaxed?
Is your sex life impacting your mental state?
Did your new medication impact your health?
The possibilities are truly endless.
An example: how much sleep do you need?
The National Institute of Health says that the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep. When you think about just how limited a day is you realize that is a massive two hour window. Do you need 7 or 9?
Why do you sometimes feel better after getting a mere 5 hours than you do a full 8?
Turns out I'm not the first one with the idea
Well, it turns out I wasn't the first to have this thought. And while I admit it was a bummer to realize I wasn't the revolutionary I thought I was, I had fallen down the rabbit hole and there was no looking back. I was going to see if I could optimize my life with data and, if so, teach others how they might do the same.
So I created a blog called SynthesizeMe with the aim to share the personal insights I find out about myself as well as to educate others on how they can optimize their own lives.
Why is it called SynthesizeMe? Great question and I'm glad you asked. The best jokes are the ones you have to explain. It was my spin on the 2004 movie Super Size Me wherein the main character ate McDonalds every day to see if it impacted his own life.
Have you actually found helpful insights?
Yes! And while I am still parsing through my 2023 data I will share any and all findings with those interested.
Can you really optimize your life through tracking?
Short answer here, yes, you can. So long as you understand that it's not a perfect science. Unlike a straight-forward AB test we as individuals need to run pre-post tests. And there could be any number of factors that change the metrics through the course of our experiments.