5 Types Of Data You Should Start Tracking

Hi, my name is Kelvey, and I’m addicted to tracking data.

Okay, maybe I’m not *quite* to that level yet, but I do enjoy watching progress become visible when you start to track data points. There is no better encouragement when you’re trekking toward a goal; you might not be able to see your progress, but numbers don’t lie.

 

Not currently tracking anything? Here are five easy things you should start noting down right away:

 

How many books have you read?

 

Everyone wants to an avid reader, few actually think about whether or not they are. By marking down every book you finish, you’ll know both how many and what kind of books you’re reading. By tracking what I read, I know that I am on a trajectory to read four times more books in 2019 than in 2018, and I’m also picking up much more fiction (which was a goal).

 

How much water are you drinking each day?

 

YOU ARE MOSTLY MADE OF WATER. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. Because it’s so important, start tracking the number of glasses/ounces/whatever way you measure your water intake that you drink a day.

 

What did your workout look like?

 

How will you know if you’re achieving any of your fitness goals if you have nothing to measure them against? Every time you step foot in the gym, your workout should be tracked. A lot of people write everything down with a good old pen and paper. That’s ineffective for me, so instead I plan and track all of my workouts in an app (I prefer BodySpace), which makes it simple to look back, measure progress, and know where my future goals should be set.

 

How many hours of sleep did you get the night before?

 

Sleep is so key to good health, and knowing how much you slept last night is a good measurement to note. I don’t go as detailed as logging the number for each individual night. Instead, I make a box chart for each day of the month, and if I get seven or more hours of sleep, I shade in that day’s box.

 

What are you doing to consistently practice your hobbies?

 

If there’s something you want to be working toward daily, don’t you think it would be good if you knew whether or not you were actually succeeding? I’m not an amazing guitar player, but it’s been a hobby for 9 years, and now that I have some extra time I want to start playing daily. So, I track a very simple question: Did I pick up my guitar today?

Data is gold in crafting the life you’re longing for. Use it to your advantage!