In my still early journey practicing family data science, I’ve come to understand a few key areas where data can help a lot, and also other areas where data won’t help any.
First, it doesn’t really make sense to try and quantify creative endeavors, for example – hours spent at dance class. At the end of the day, passion and motivation will determine how much of these activities my family engages in (and how often!)
The same applies to long-term plans – I don’t believe i will quantify my way towards achieving the big moonshots / BHAGs in life. I do believe theses types of goals should be articulated, and maybe even journaled in the process of attaining them, but that’s about it from a quantification standpoint.
Instead, I think it is better to measure those things where I am confident that conformance to a set standard or level can help determine personal growth, health and/or happiness. Examples of this include tracking sleep, nutrition, health or cash flow.
