September 7, 2022

I don't like metrics.

I deleted my time tracking software. It’s such a relief.

The idea behind using the software, for me, was that if I knew how much time I wasting each day on distractions that I’d be less likely to indulge those distractions. But you know what? I don’t need that system. I know when I’m distracted because I don’t get anything done; I know when I’ve been productive because my work is finished. That’s more than enough data. Having numbers about how distracted I was on a bad day isn’t exactly helpful—it just allows me to feel even worse about myself.

The problem with metrics is that some things are easier to measure than others. I can measure how long I keep a particular document open, for example, and that gives me some sense of how much time I spent writing. But writing is more than just typing, and I can’t really track how much of my morning run I spend brainstorming ideas for articles, or how much a quick walk in the afternoon can loosen up my brain if I’m feeling stuck.

More than that, though, I feel like metrics miss a lot of the point of being alive. I can measure which articles a lot of people read, but I can’t measure which articles make a difference in someone’s life, help someone with a problem, or were worthwhile in some other way. The human brain is, so far as we know, the most complex thing in the universe. To think we can understand it using simple stats is folly.

So I’m done trying. I deleted my time tracking app, and I won’t be re-installing it. Instead I’m trying to focus on my habits for their own sake. I block out time every morning to dive into news and social media, exploring everything, then also block out focused time where everything but the article I’m working on is closed. I’m happier working this way. I also get more done, which is nice, but the important thing is that I’m happier.

I’m a freelance journalist. I could, in theory, track how much time I’m spending on articles for various clients and work out which clients are worth working for on a strict dollar-per-hour basis. But that assumes that the only thing I’m getting out of an article is money. I know, for example, that one of my most prominent clients is among the lowest per-hour pay I get, despite paying quite well, because those articles end up taking a lot of time, especially in the revision process. I’m okay with that because I’m learning, and because my articles are being printed on paper and delivered to millions of people, and that’s also worth something to me.

I understand that metrics are valuable to some people, and I’m happy for those people, but metrics are not valuable to me, and they mostly make me feel sad, so I’m going to try to stop collecting them.

Mira is my time tracker now.

Stuff I Wrote

• Macs are better at video gaming (emulators) than PCs. Here’s how to set up yours. PopSci There is sincerely no app for Windows that’s half as good as OpenEmu for playing retro games.

• More remote access reviews for PC Mag: Zoho Assist, Splashtop Pro, and GoToMyPC. I honestly enjoy doing reviews of easy to overlook software.

• A lot of my articles seem to be caught in editing queues at the moment.

Stuff I did

• Went camping with friends, which was beautiful and fun, but we also found the weirdest pile of garbage. There were some saddle bags, a pack rack, and a lot of rope. There was like ten unopened bags of organic carrots, a lot of instant coffee, some hot chocolate packets, and various bags of nuts that the chipmunks had already enjoyed. None of this was protected from critters, at all, but there was a note saying that it all “belonged to the trail maintenance team”, as though there’s any trail maintenance team dumb enough to not seal away their food. I am honestly haunted by this garbage pile. It don’t understand it. (Some rangers came and packed it out.)

• The Hillsboro Hops, our local minor league baseball team, had a craft beer night with a lot of samples from local breweries. I attended and even saw some of the game.

• I’ve had a lot of good times with friends recently. It’s been really great. I hope you’re having good times too.