Embrace your ADHD strengths & thrive 🤩 ADHD Business Coach | Marketing Consultant | Podcaster | ADHDer | River Swimmer
6 months ago it just died - I tried everything but couldn't revive it 😣 There was no warning, no gradual decline, just one day... nothing. RIP my FitBit. I'd been wearing a fitness tracker for a good few years and when my FitBit decided to pack up with no warning a few months back, I felt a bit bereft. But then something cool happened! Whilst it IS annoying not to have the time on my wrist (the ADHD brain does not perceive time in a massively helpful way!), or be gently nudged awake by a silent alarm, actually I've realised my life is heaps better without that little tracker. Why? Because it was encouraging me to measure the wrong things. -Steps -Weight -Heart rate -Active minutes -Minutes in light and deep sleep And all that jazz. But do the number of steps you do or your minutes in deep sleep tell you anything about the quality of your day, your week, your life!? If you've been hanging around with me for a while, you'll know I fully reject the standard ways of measuring business "success", but somehow this very standard measurement of being a human had snuck into my life. I mean, it's no great surprise as an ADHDer - we ruddy love to gamify stuff. Hello dopamine! So my wrist (and my beloved fox tattoo!) is now loving being free, after several years of being encased in plastic. I'm free to measure my day by my own metrics, that DO tell me something meaningful about the quality of my life: -How joyful was my day? -How does my body feel? -How much rest do I need? -How do I feel about how I used my time? How about you? Are you a fan of tracking? #businessowners #adhd
Charles Daly
6mo
Such a good way to look at it. If you had been wearing a Garmin, you never would have had this insight because they're indestructible 🤣 Also... "steps" has always struck me as a weird metric. Like I know what a step is, but what is it as a unit of measure?
Nicola Thomas 💜
6mo
Oo, I'd never really thought about it like this. So many times I've been to an exercise class and my watch has died or I've left it at home because I forgot it was on charge and it's made me feel like the exercise hasn't counted. I know, logically, that it is no less effective when it's not tracked, but I'm rarely logical in the moment 🙈 Maybe I should consider getting rid of mine, but then it has saved my bacon once or twice (like the time I got trapped in our bathroom in an empty house and was able to use my watch to call for help 😂)
Nicola Dickinson
6mo
Ooo similar boat here Siobhan Fox 🦊had 3 Fitbits over the years, one after the other, all died about 3 months after guarantee ran out (how interesting). But I never needed that gadget to tell me how I well I slept, my body can naturally tell me that. What I missed to begin with was the buzzing on my wrist when I was exercising, the timer to tell me I'd held a plank for 30 seconds and seeing my improvement in my swimming, can't do that with my phone. I can feel it though with my speed count my lengths. So I don't think I'll get another one, not that brand anyway and not for the price of the Apple one either. I'll rely on me and what my body tells me for now. 🙂
Never had one, never wanted one either Siobhan Fox 🦊!! I never saw a need to track anything as I just use my intuition! I don't weigh food or count calories either! And as for counting steps - that was just a marketing device to sell more step counters!!!!! It's like BMI - a useless measurement of health!
Jude Schweppe
6mo
Tracking things makes me feel itchy. I can’t bear it. I should probably try and get better at tracking where my money goes, though 😬
Isn't it funny how "measuring" wellbeing can distract you from the true measures of wellbeing? 🙏💕
Naomi Lafitte
6mo
Ah, love this post! I think tracking for short periods for some people can be really useful, but I think the problematic side of them is never explored enough…or even considered! Reconnecting with our bodies and learning to listen to them is the best approach 🧡
Mandi Martin
6mo
Love this! Always refreshing to refocus and ask yourself these questions 👏
Grant Notman
6mo
I have never understood why anyone wants to measure everything all the time. I think your new idea is way better except I wouldn’t think of it as a measurement just as feelings
Helping you get the right premises on the right terms for your business - independent commercial property advice, mentoring and online courses
6moI used to buy a new swatch (are they still a thing?) at the airport each time I went on a summer holiday because that's how long a swatch lasted on my arm. Then I didn't and I haven't worn one for maybe 30 years. How do I know what the time is? Well now, it's all around us and also, if you don't have a watch, you do just know. Personal opinion about all the data collected on your arm by these gadgets - sadly it isn't about helping you to be fitter, just more anxious ... plus, that data is just sold by the manufacturer, in order to be able to sell stuff to you and others. I'm not a fan for the same reasons you say 😀