Technology Tools and Practices for Self-Improvement

1. The Quantified Self Movement:
Technology Tools and Practices
for Self-Improvement
Mark Leavitt
Create the World Day
May 20, 2012

2. Definition
• Start with the “personal journal” concept
• Make your record quantitative --numbers and
data, rather than just prose
• Create enlightening visualizations from the data
• Close the loop to achieve self-improvement

3. Tools and Techniques
Data that can be collected automatically:
• Digital activities
• Locations and travels
• Physical activities
• Physiologic values
Feedback mechanisms:
• Tracking charts and graphs
• Reminders and alerts
• Biofeedback
• Games
Behaviors and practices for improvement:
• Eating (selection, timing, quantity)
• Sleeping (duration, effectiveness)
• Work habits (focus, productivity, interruptions)
• Distractions and time-wasters
• Willpower and self-control

4. Nov 2007: Motivation Arrives
• Thanksgiving weekend
in a Cardiac Cath Lab
• Genetic predisposition
• Life-long couch-potato
and doughnut-lover
• Must radically improve
diet and exercise
• How to stay on track?

5. Quantified Self, Stage 1 (2007-2011)
• Tracked/graphed
weight, exercise
with spreadsheet
• Great first year
• Then the backslide
– Gradual retreat
from personal best
– Data entry skipping
– This is typical!

6. Now What? QS Stage 2
1. Need more engaging tracking tool
– Build one myself (eating your own dog food!)
2. Ratchet up on healthy habits
– Diet: from “heart-healthy” to 100% plant-based
3. Tackle big unhealthy habit: sitting at a PC or TV
– Sitting is an independent risk factor for diseases
– Health risk not offset by exercise at other times

7. Hacking Together a HealthESeat
1. Start with my favorite
couch potato seat
2. Rework arms with a
split keyboard and touchpad…

8. 5. Rig up a seat occupancy sensor
6. Connect everything to a microprocessor
(Arduino) interfaced to my PC
4. Angle it up and replace tiny digital display
with big 3-color LED light
3. Get mini-exerciser

9. HealthESeat awaits

10. Ahh…time for some web surfing

11. Mr Couch Potato gets the red light

12. Going for the green!

13. This is my TIME on HealthESeat
• 1 – 5 hrs/day
• 70 – 90% of
time is active
• 2000 – 12000
additional
steps every day

14. QS Stage 2: The Data Tells the Story
July 2011:
Converted from spreadsheet to
my own self-tracking program
Oct 2011:
100% plant-based
whole foods diet
Mar 2012:
Implemented
HealthESeat
Weight

15. Thanks for listening!
Questions and Discussion