This is the deck I presented to the London Quantified Self meetup group on July 27, 2015. It details the planning, execution and post experiment analysis I did and the impact the experiment had on me. A more detailed write up is available at: https://www.thatdatathing.com/blog/2024006/what-are-you-doing-this-weekend

1. AN EXPERIMENT IN
PLANNING
By: Leon van der Walt
What are you doing this
weekend?

2. Story
 A bit about me (or what I’m tracking)
 The metrics in question
 Why did I do the experiment?
 How did I set up the experiment?
 Results
 Where I’m at now
 For the curious (Appendices)
 Process questions
 How I’ve defined my different values
 Resources
* A in-depth write-up of the experiment can be found at:
https://www.thatdatathing.com/blog/2024006/what-are-you-doing-this-weekend

3. About me (or what I’m tracking)
Weight
Fitbit Aria Scale
Oct 2012+
Finances
SVT Accounts App
May 2009+
Steps
Fitbit => Basis => iPhone
Oct 2012+
Values
Pen & Paper => Reporter App
Aug 2011+

4. The metrics in question
At the end of each day,
subjectively evaluate how I
measured up to my ideal
values
Inspired By:
The # of times I met this value
& the number of times I did
not.
Net score = +’s less –’s
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
+
-
I've made plans for the weekend. I think and plan ahead - not just letting the
future unfold upon me. Strategic thinking and post action analysis and
review
Planning

5. Why did I do the experiment?
Source: 1, 2
Want to be like this guy!
But I’m often these guys

6. How did I set up the experiment? (1)
Say what I’m going to do
1. Plan
Identify the obstacles and
ways to overcome them

7. How did I set up the experiment? (2)
Planning for the
weekend
2. Execution
Daily Values
Measurement
Weekly review and
“gamification”
(points scoring)

8. How did I set up the experiment? (3)
3. Processing &
Review
6 Weekends
Before
6 Weekends
During
Experiment
6 Weekends
After
6 Weeks
Before
6 Weeks
During
Experiment
6 Weeks
After
Analysed in Groups
Export from Reporter and
combine in Excel for
Pivoting

9. Did the experiment effect my
planning?
Yes!
6 Weekends
Before
0.22
6 Weekends
During
Experiment
2.94
Planning
Did the experiment effect how I scored myself on planning?

10. How did the experiment effect my
other values?
0.22
0.39
0.44
-0.22
0.22
1.06
-0.06
0.28
-0.72
-0.17
-0.50
0.17
0.44
2.94
2.11
1.28
1.11
2.00
3.61
1.72
1.67
0.06
0.28
0.44
1.11
1.89
Planning
Contentment, Grateful, Joy
Beauty & Grooming
Growth & Challenging myself
Integrity
Producer
Enthusiasm
Play & Curiosity
Hustle, Frugal, $$££$$ Savvy
Conversation
Humour
Initiative
Confidence
How did the experiment effect the rest of the values?
6 Weekends Before
6 Weekends During
Experiment
Improvements
across the
board.

11. But did it last?
0.22
0.39
0.44
-0.22
0.22
1.06
-0.06
0.28
-0.72
-0.17
-0.50
0.17
0.44
2.94
2.11
1.28
1.11
2.00
3.61
1.72
1.67
0.06
0.28
0.44
1.11
1.89
1.50
1.22
0.44
-0.06
1.44
2.06
0.44
0.72
-0.06
0.22
0.78
0.28
1.11
Planning
Contentment, Grateful, Joy
Beauty & Grooming
Growth & Challenging myself
Integrity
Producer
Enthusiasm
Play & Curiosity
Hustle, Frugal, $$££$$ Savvy
Conversation
Humour
Initiative
Confidence
Lower effects after the experiment, but still higher than before
6 Weekends Before
6 Weekends During Experiment
6 Weekends After
Not at the same
level. But the
base level were
higher than they
were before the
experiment.

12. What happened after the
experiment?
Rolled out the planning to plan the work
week ahead as well
-0.17
0.79
0.46
0.79
0.50
1.29
-0.38
0.33
-0.33
1.08
0.08
-0.04
0.29
2.00
1.00
0.38
-0.21
1.46
2.58
-0.13
0.42
-0.33
0.79
0.29
0.04
1.42
Planning
Contentment, Grateful, Joy
Beauty & Grooming
Growth & Challenging myself
Integrity
Producer
Enthusiasm
Play & Curiosity
Hustle, Frugal, $$££$$ Savvy
Conversation
Humour
Initiative
Confidence
Strong effects in some values after experiment, but not across the board
6 Weeks During Experiment
6 Weeks After
And kept up with the weekend planning too.

13. Where I’m at now
 Daily planning session in the morning
 Review current week / weekend
 Plan upcoming weekend / week
 Daily evaluation on app before I go to bed
 ~Monthly updates of value tracking
 Evaluating different options for planning upcoming periods
(e.g. Trello)
 Balancing just knowing what I want to do or are going to do
vs. changing what I’m going to do to make my future better

14. For the curios…

15. Process Questions
 What obstacles did you not identify that tripped you up and what did
you do about it? Unplanned/unscheduled activity. Added it as a task
afterwards to acknowledge it happened and if it took a lot of time,
get double points for doing the task. Then try to anticipate more
such tasks in the future.
 How/Why did you decide on these measures of success? It is my
personal ‘KPI’s and own defined values that I’m striving to measure
up to. A lot of them are things I’m struggling with though and trying
to improve.
 How long did the various parts take you? Initial planning the set up
of the experiment: ~3hrs, weekly planning: 2 to 3 hours per week
(part of morning coffee shop routine before work), measurement:
10mins/day (part of evening routine), evaluation: 8 hours.

16. Value Definitions
Think more about what makes me grateful to be here.
Fine grooming, see and live to appreciate the beauty within me, in the people
and the world around me.
Step outside my comfort zone to do and experience the wider world, new
things
That my actions are true to my word and my thoughts, Truth, honesty,
consitency, uprightness, tact.
I've made plans for the weekend. I think and plan ahead - not just letting the
future unfold upon me. Strategic thinking and post action analysis and
review
Contentment, Grateful, Joy
Beauty, Grooming & Fitness
Growth & Challenging myself
Integrity
Planning
Having fun in what I do and being gracious in victory and defeat but always
partaking. Discovering new things, investigate, be curious.
Be aware of where I spend my resources and always make it mean
something. Invest, not consume. Build.
Hustle, Frugal, $$££$$ Savvy
Action. Making things happen without procrastination. Prompt, decisive,
Carpe Diem, Productive.
Producer
Enthusiasm
Play & Curiosity
Spark. Fire. Having that sparkle in my eyes and infecting others with the fire I
feel for what I do. Saying 'Yes' more.
Confidence
Confident in my abilities and my place. Willing to take a stand for what I
believe. Willing to disagree. Speaking up.
Always laughing and seeing the lighter side of things. Remember jokes :)
Being the source of things and taking responsibility for making it happen.
First to take the risk. Commision not omission.
Initiative, Agency
Humour
Conversation
Talking and connecting with others. Going out of my way to make others feel
important.

17. Resources
 Evernote - https://evernote.com/
 Reporter App (iPhone) - http://www.reporter-app.com/
 Trello - https://trello.com/
 Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/thirteen_virtues.htm