Tim McCormick presented on using "Quantified Self" methods to improve one's information diet. He examined all media sources and signals in his life, measured how much attention each got, and considered if the attention was appropriate based on his priorities and values. He found it helpful to disable alerts, tame email by simplifying the interface and limiting messages, take breaks from technology, and redesign how news is consumed. These principles can also be applied to product development in scholarly publishing. The talk promoted organizing information signals to serve priorities, as distraction is a choice.

1. Healthier Information
using "Quantified Self” methods
to improve your information diet
Tim McCormick
HighWire | Stanford University
@mccormicktim / tim@tjm.org / tjm.org
QS Show & Tell, 3/28/12, Google

2. Healthier Information
using "Quantified Self” methods
to improve your information diet
Tim McCormick
HighWire | Stanford University
@mccormicktim / tim@tjm.org / tjm.org
QS Show & Tell, 3/28/12, Google

3. $10M Tricorder
X Prize:
a device to
diagnose patients

4. I work on "Tricorders" for
your information diet:
diagnose and address
your knowledge state.

5. What did I do?
1. Examine every media source and signal in my life.

6. What did I do?
1. Examine every media source and signal in my life.
2. Measure how much of my attention it gets.

7. What did I do?
1. Examine every media source and signal in my life.
2. Measure how much of my attention it gets.
3. Consider whether it gets the right amount of my attention
(based on my priorities and values).

8. What did I do?
1. Examine every media source and signal in my life.
2. Measure how much of my attention it gets.
3. Consider whether it gets the right amount of my attention
(based on my priorities and values).
4. Shift attention to the higher-value signals.

9. What did I learn?
First, kill all
the Alerts

10. What did I learn?
First, kill all
the Alerts

11. Information work plate-spinning

12. Information work plate-spinning

13. Next, tame your email:
example: Tim's Lower-Anxiety Gmail
1. Soothing color palette 2. G+ notifications disabled
3. "Important"
folder on top.
Only 10 mails
4. Personal in last 4 days
& work mail
managed,
prioritized
in 1 place

14. Next, tame your email:
example: Tim's Lower-Anxiety Gmail
1. Soothing color palette 2. G+ notifications disabled
3. "Important"
folder on top.
Only 10 mails
4. Personal in last 4 days
& work mail
managed,
prioritized
in 1 place

15. Next, tame your email:
example: Tim's Lower-Anxiety Gmail
1. Soothing color palette 2. G+ notifications disabled
3. "Important"
folder on top.
Only 10 mails
4. Personal in last 4 days
& work mail
managed,
prioritized
in 1 place

16. Next, tame your email:
example: Tim's Lower-Anxiety Gmail
1. Soothing color palette 2. G+ notifications disabled
3. "Important"
folder on top.
Only 10 mails
4. Personal in last 4 days
& work mail
managed,
prioritized
in 1 place
.. but most importantly, shut it off for 2-4 hours at a time to focus!

17. http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

18. http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

19. Next: redesign your news

20. Next: redesign your news

21. Quantified media / info value

22. Quantified media / info value

23. Quantified media / info value
>

24. I also learned that these
principles are useful in my work:
(product development in
scholarly publishing)

25. Example:
Bone & Joint
360 journal
“6 issues/year,
60 minutes to
read each”

26. "Organize Around Priorities”
--Stephen Covey

27. =>
Organize your Signals
to Serve your Priorities

28. The Buddha:
"Pain is inevitable, but
suffering is a choice."
Today:
"Connection is inevitable
but distraction is a choice."
-- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, ContemplativeComputing.org

29. The Buddha:
"Pain is inevitable, but
suffering is a choice."
Today:
"Connection is inevitable
but distraction is a choice."
-- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, ContemplativeComputing.org

30. Thanks & Questions
Tim McCormick
HighWire | Stanford University
@mccormicktim / tim@tjm.org / tjm.org