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

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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.

What did I learn?
First, kill all
the Alerts

What did I learn?
First, kill all
the Alerts

Information work plate-spinning

Information work plate-spinning

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

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

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

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!

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Next: redesign your news

Next: redesign your news

Quantified media / info value

Quantified media / info value

Quantified media / info value
>

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

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

"Organize Around Priorities”
--Stephen Covey

=>
Organize your Signals
to Serve your Priorities

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

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

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