The first step to change is knowing what you are dealing with. If you track your actions, you will be able to do them better. There is plenty of science to support this. However, tracking can be tiresome if you don't have the right tools. That is not an excuse iPhone users can dole out any more, now that Loggr is here.
Why Should You Quantify Yourself?
The quantified self movement is gaining more followers as tools get easier. In our article What Is Lifelogging And Why Should You Do It?, Nancy says it gives you actual data to make your life better. It tells you whether you are actually benefitting from your exercise regimen or diet, and how it's helping, or what needs to change.
Therapist Roger S. Gil tells Lifehacker that quantification gives you a baseline in your quest for a larger goal. Hitting a plateau is a possible down side of following goals. With quantification, an eventual plateau becomes that much more evident and you feel like giving up; just recognize that this is going to happen and keep going. The more you track data, the more you'll see patterns emerge and you can execute actions accordingly.
When you make a resolution for the new year, you are bringing about behavioural change. It doesn't happen overnight. To know how you are doing, one of the important tactics to stick to your resolutions is to track your progress.
Why Loggr Is The Best Tool To Track Your Habits
Since your phone is always with you, it's the best device to do your life-logging. Chances are, you will quickly tap your phone a few times to enter data as soon as you've finished your workout, but the likelihood drops if you need to go somewhere else before you can log your numbers. Loggr's focus is to make these measurements quick.
By default, Loggr starts at the current date and time, so it's primed to keep a record of what you did just now. And that's what makes quantifying easy; you don't have to change the date/time, you don't have to open a new file -- from the home screen to being done with your data takes just six taps. By comparison, doing the same in a spreadsheet would take much more time.
Additionally, Loggr is great at presenting all your stats in a beautiful interface with gorgeous tracking graphs. From line charts to bar graphs, you can see your progress to know how you are doing over a long period of time.
Make Your Own Metrics To Track Anything
With life-logging, it's advisable to track every small data, according to 99U. One of the coolest parts about Loggr is that it lets you create your own measurement metric, just in case it's not already covered in the app.
For example, if you don't want to track the number of pull-ups and push-ups you did, but just check in if you visited the gym or not, then you can do that too. These custom metrics can be added into any of the default categories:
Loggr only tracks numbers, such as your weight or the number of miles you ran. This makes it difficult to use the app to build and track a productivity chain. But there's an easy workaround. Just use the digit "1" for a "yes" and "0" for "no". It's the same effect as a yes/no tracker.
Your Data Isn't Locked, Your Data Is Safe
Loggr checks all the right boxes to make it a must-have app:
- You can export any metric's data, or all your data, as simple CSV files by email. CSV files work with several applications; heck, you can quickly edit CSV files with even Notepad++.
- You can backup your data to Dropbox, so it's always safe and it's a creative way to use your extra cloud storage space.
- Loggr is completely free. No payments to unlock a pro version, no ads.
Let's make it as simple as possible: If you use an iPhone, you should use Loggr to start your self-improvement process.
Download: Loggr [No Longer Available]
Have you tried quantifying your life and tracking your progress? We're interested in knowing your experiences, so drop a line in the comments.