Estee Solomon Gray presentation at 11/18/2013 meetup of QS Silicon Valley, held at Evernote HQ in Redwood City, CA.

1. Confessions of a
#
FAILURE
Estee Solomon Gray !
presentation at Quantified Self Silicon Valley
November 18, 2013
@estee
estee@mminddlabs.com

2. #
ESSENCE
self knowledge thru numbers
DO
UNDERSTAND
1. collect data
pointers, not verdicts
2. make meaning of it
requires a 1st person guide
3. carry the flag
“God is NOT (only) on the
side of the biggest n”
based on talk by Gary Wolf, New Quantified Self Practices, Stanford MediaX, 11/13/13

3. #
FAILURE
!
!
30 year career using / building / innovating technology
!
top-notch premed, engineering, dance, Pilates, mindfulness training
2 kids
1 life-changing family health crisis
2 left-leg rehabs
!
2 “personal wellbeing” startups
100s of people inspired, changed
!
a dozen+ QS meetups
3 QS conferences
zero QS data to share !

4. That’s data too!

6. proto
er
1975 Yale Combined
Sciences thesis!
Towards
Understanding Use
of the Spine by
Dancers - Graham
vs Ballet technique!
1975

7. I. What did I do ?
•
a lifelong quest, in chapters
dancer - engineer - market strategist - ‘social’ pioneer - entrepreneur
!
•
spurred by an urgent personal question:
How does a “self demanding” human
mindbody like a (modern) dancer
learn & do what s/he does ?

8. “a wide track”
!
Regis McKenna Inc
CONGRUITY
CONGRUITY
dancer turned engineer turned market strategist turned ‘social’ pioneer turned entrepreneur

9. II. How did I do it?
•
Paying attention, pulling it forward, evolving the
question !
•
Deliberately crossing boundaries, integrative
thinking!
•
Tons of direct (qualitative) research / co-creation
with & for real people

10. Regis McKenna Inc
m
in
CONGRUITY
inp
ut o
tra utpu
cki
ng t
d
CONGRUITY
i
ng
e
se ver
y
lf
tra day
ck
ing
e
lu
va g
e/ ckin
tim tra
,
nics
cha ys,
me
bio roph is
neu nalys
aa
dat
!

11. III. What did I learn ?

12. time / value creation
tracking
10+ yrs
CONGRUITY
•
Visual meaning-making trumps all.

13. input/output tracking
10+ months
•
The primary value of tracking is changed awareness.

14. everyday self tracking
“The Qualifying Self”
Key venue /
concern is work,
not gym
Preoccupied with
performance in the sense
of productivity, efficacy,
energy ...
Male + female,
30s-50s,
educated
Open to new tools,
techniques
Intrigued by possibility of new means of insight,
intervention, reflection, reminder, coordination
Quantified Self
Athlete
Fitness
!
Wellness
120+ user explorations
2007-2011
Medical

15. multiminding
job
client
family
self
community
portfolio
client
attention management for the 21st century
creative project

16. #lessonslearned
@QSfailure
•
The primary value of tracking is changed awareness. !
•
Visual meaning making trumps all others. !
•
The Qualifying Self !
•
QS tracking is a form of minding - of self and/or others.

17. Next Question
•
The primary value of tracking is changed awareness.
•
Visual meaning making trumps all others.
Can we broaden our repertoire ?
•
The Qualifying Self
•
QS tracking is a form of minding - of self and/or others.

18. minding self
minding others
wearables
BYOD
smartphones
24x7 work-lifestyle
engagement in
health/productivity
internet
personal technology
PCs
awareness of health
!
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