Tracking Your Own Data
Choosing what to measure in a personal log
Start a personal log with a clear question, then pick a few measures you can record consistently and explain why each one matters. Avoid tracking everything at once.
The collection
Tracking Your Own Data
Keeping a simple personal record of numbers that matter to you, choosing what to measure, and reading your own log without drawing big conclusions from single entries.
Tracking Your Own Data
Keeping a numbers log consistent over many weeks
A log is only useful if its entries stay comparable. Learn a light routine, fixed measuring conditions and a simple way to handle a missed entry.
Tracking Your Own Data
Recording numbers with dates and units you can trust
A recorded number is hard to use months later without its date, unit and definition. Learn a simple way to write dates, units and short notes that keeps a log usable.
Tracking Your Own Data
Setting a baseline before you measure a change
To tell whether a change in your own numbers is real, record a baseline period before the change starts. Learn how long to collect it and how to compare the two periods fairly.
Tracking Your Own Data
What to make of one unusual entry in your log
A single surprising entry in a personal log is usually a prompt to check, not a conclusion. Learn to look for recording errors, normal variation and patterns across entries.