I was having a chat with my dad a few weeks ago. He had just purchased himself an Oura ring, in part based on my recommendation, and he was trying to figure out what the Data he was getting from it meant. I understand his dilemma. Many of the devices nowadays offer their own metrics for measuring progress, and while some of them are straightforward (Heart rate, steps etc.), some of them have terms for things that they have come up with on their own. I understand that many different devices on the market can help us maintain our overall health, and many of those want to be the “only device you’ll ever need,” but that may not be practical. If you are going to use multiple devices which all give you Data, there are some things that you need to remember.
1) Focus on the Data you want – One of the frustrations that I used to have with the devices (and apps) I’ve used over the years is that some data overlap. I have both (as an example) an Apple watch and an Oura ring. On their own, they are each great devices. To a certain degree, they can both do the same things. They can both count my steps, track my active calories AND track my sleep. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I would get all of these things from the Oura ring, but it’s nice that I do. What I have found, however, is that for my Apple watch to track my sleep, I need to have it on at night, which is when I charge it.
2) Every Device has a “Base Functionality” – Every Device has some base functionality that is the one thing that, if it comes down to it, you can rely on it for. Your phone (ahem) can play music, send e-mails, and tell the square footage of the room with the right apps. At the end of the day, it is a phone. When thinking about my Oura ring, I didn’t think about it for its ability to track my active calories or my steps or monitoring my workouts; I look at it as my sleep tracker and use it for that. If you will have multiple devices that will allow you to track much of the same information, it’s essential for you to manage what devices do for you. What I do like is that I can collect what Data gets into my Health app from which sources. This means that while some of my devices will give me the same or slightly different data, I know that the sources that I trust will be the ones that I can rely on.
3) Don’t fall into the Data Void – Speaking of having too much Data, with so many different devices giving either the same or additional data, it can be easy to overanalyze everything you have. The trick is not to fall into the data void. One mistake that I make frankly, far too often, is trying to over-plan based on my successes. “Well, if I lost 2 pounds last week by exercising 300 minutes last week and expended 5,000 calories and has 18 hours of sleep, then if I do 320 minutes of exercise, it will mean that my calorie expenditure could be…..” sounds of Jason getting sucked into a Data void to be lost forever… I certainly have found myself falling into over planning based on previous data, and if I were to fail to meet my targets, I would spiral out and back into bad habits. The trick is to take the data at face value and do your best not to lay down too many plans about where to go next. Specific amounts of planning are good. My wife and I, as an example, decided to do a “no fast food June” so clearly that meant no Fast food for 30 days, but trying to over-plan based on your data will mean paying WAY too much attention to the data, which will leave you no time to do anything else.
Managing your Data is like everything else in your life. What you get from it is solely dependant on how you use it. If you’re just getting started with accessing your health data, my advice is simple. Only focus on one piece of data at a time. The best way to start is to keep an eye on your steps. Once you get a handle on that, you can focus on other things as well. It’s the same with all the other data in your life. For now, just focus on a singular piece of data, and expand from there.
How much data do you have to manage?
Let me know in the comments section below. If you like this blog post and want to see more, you can follow me on Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @jasonlovefiles) or Subscribe to my blog to get new content delivered directly to your mailbox.