High School Physical Education Q&A

Over the years I’ve been asked by different educational institutions to teach (Dartmouth) or guest lecture about the topic of wearables, digital health, and other interesting modern-day topics.
Recently a high school physical education teacher reached out to me with questions from his kids who were studying my work.

I recorded a video and sent the answers back to them!

It’s never too early to talk to your kids, friends or family about your digital body.

 Below is the Q&A via a AI bot. Sorry for the mistakes it made!

**QUESTION**:

When did you first start collecting data?

**ANSWER**:

I started collecting data actually way back in the late 1970s. Believe it or not, I was a young kid then. And my parents got a PC and I started putting in all the records and tapes I bought into a spreadsheet. It was an old dos program, slowly through my teen years in the 80s, and then my 20s in the 90s. I collected more and more different types of information, but I never really cohesively put it together like this is your life. I didn't start doing that probably until the late 2000s. So at that point, I started seeing the different pieces of my life as actually being connected. So like if you bought a tape it was linked to some money. That you made. And if you made some money, that money came from someone, and if you listen to that tape or piece of music you bought, where did you listen to it. And it's became really interesting to kind of see my patterns of behavior that way.

**QUESTION**:

What was the most number of apps etc that you used at any one time?

**ANSWER**:

Probably its peak, I had thousands of apps and systems watching me, you know, apps like we use every day, you know, just taking social media apps, email apps, Netflix, Spotify, anything like that. I tried to create a way so that those applications could share with me the data, they knew about what I was doing. And all of that information, just wrote back to my Google Calendar in real time, and allowed me to start to have a really interesting view of how I spent my time and what was important to me. It's so weird just looking at your search history. or looking at your text history with a person will tell you a lot about that relationship. So it's been a really, really, really long time. But officially, it's Maybe 1415 years of doing as much as I do, but it goes back much longer.

** **QUESTION**:**

Do you have concerns about your data being used?

**ANSWER**

No, I have none. And I think people who have concerns about it are silly. There's no need. The problem is, the data is going to be used, whether we are concerned about it or not. And I think the challenges, people today need to actually ask for that information in a way that they can use it. The privacy issue is a non issue, because if you've got a lot of money, you don't think about privacy. And if you have no money, you don't have any privacy. So I've never really concern myself with the data. I think it's interesting the way that companies collect it. But I find it more fascinating that people have this belief that somehow they're special, and their data is being used and they're being watched. No one really cares about you that much. And when it comes to you data, they care about selling you things. And I think you should care about learning about what they think you are, instead of worrying about what they could think you are.

** **QUESTION**:**

What has been the most positive AND the most negative thing to come out of collecting data? (Camryn / Marco)

**ANSWER**:

I'd say probably the most obvious thing that's positive as I'm known for it.  I'm fortunate to be asked to speak all over the world and consult with big companies. That's pretty positive. But I think on a more personal note, it's hard to explain but once you start to learn about yourself, it becomes a feedback loop where you learn more and more and more about yourself. So one of the intrinsically positive things that you can never really explain to someone until they've been through it is the sense of enlightenment. Like you start to understand what's important to you. And as those values change you See them and you're kind of scared, you're like, "Oh my gosh, suddenly I'm behaving this way. Or suddenly I'm behaving that way." And you know, that's not your pattern. So that's pretty positive. But you have to experience it.

Negative. I'd say in the beginning, one of the biggest negative things was how much my friends needed me to stay the way my data was. And what I mean by that is, if you behave a certain way online, and all of a sudden you change, some people will ignore it because they don't want to recognize your healthy behaviors. Maybe they're beginning healthier, or maybe they don't want to recognize your less healthy behaviors. But some people will be really upset so they'll make sure that they you know, mentioned to you that hey, I liked you better when you did this. So if you're a clown online, you stop being calm, people get upset, and I talked about in my book, don't unplug. One of the things I did really early in 2010 was I would only like or comment when my friends were certain color clothing. So to see if I could force them into that color more often when they want to my attention. So I say the hardest part about you know, what I did was just finding out who my real friends were because unfortunately, people need you to be your data.

** **QUESTION**:**

How have you seen a change in your mental, emotional, and physical health since you started tracking your health. (Lillian)

**ANSWER**

While this is a big one, mental and emotional and physical? I love the fact you separated them because it's so true. Yeah, I mean, I went through a period of time and between 2014 and 2016, where I call it data PTSD. I felt mental because two things became obvious to me when you collect information and track yourself. One you repeat these outrageous habits and you try to change them, but they just come back. Sometimes it can be as much as a year and something will show back up on that day, which has a lot of questions with free will But then like really simple emotional things like as you start to change, and begin you know this because you're collecting data, whether it's weight loss or eating different or even how loud you speak and the places you visit, you start to have that lose the sense of self, you start to wonder like Who am I and who was I and it's almost like a data dysmorphia, if that makes any sense. So just like some people can't sense their body and how big they are. And some people can't sense time how long there's like a an identity dysmorphia. And physical Gosh, I mean, that's really easy. I mean, you know, 12 years ago, I weighed 100 pounds more than I do now. I smoked all the time. So I mean, physically, that was the first thing I noticed. But the emotional and the mental. Were pretty big. And I would add, although you didn't ask the land spiritual. It's really cool. Like starting to have this sense of your mental, emotional and body being one combined thing outside of itself.

** **QUESTION**:**

How do people react when they discover that you collect so much data? Does anyone ever criticize you for taking your technology so seriously? (Marco / Jennifer)

**ANSWER**

So seriously, they used to, if you watch old videos of me, like from 2012 1314, it was always this. And even, you know, I kind of made a bigger deal than it was this kind of this, this, this poking fun at me as if there's like something broken about me, because I'm interested in myself. So yeah, I mean, people have been less than kind about what I do and how I think about it. But as we're moving into a new decade, I think a lot more people are starting to wonder like, Hey, wait a minute. Isn't this something I could do for myself? So I've been criticized excessively, and there's a lot of articles that are very critical of what I do. But I think the way the story is told can be seen in less than positive light. I mean, the idea Have the quantified self, you know, someone who's, you know, collecting measurements about themselves, that can be pretty, that can that can be seen to a really narcissistic lens. And I think biohackers and quantified self ORS don't do themselves any favors, because they make it all about themselves. They make it all about, like what they've learned, and they don't really don't extend it. A lot of my work in the last three years has been about, you know, quantified selflessness, to try to start to change people's perceptions about data collection and the power of group identity through that. So for example, if you could see everyone in your class today, and you could know how they slept and how social they were, and how active they were anonymously, you wouldn't know individually, you just know how the whole class was doing. you'd start to care for the class as a whole in a way that you don't think about it now. So I think in time, that'll change. I hope so.

** **QUESTION**:**

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to become more productive/motivated? (Gracie)

**ANSWER**

Ah, so first off, like don't even try it. productivity is like, love. It comes and you don't know when it's gonna come and then it goes and you don't know why it left. So be patient with productivity. There's no, there's no right conditions. I mean, you can make things easier to want to be productive. But having it show up or creating it for yourself is not really possible. What I always tell people when I talk about this in my book is, if you ever noticed you are productive, like all of a sudden, you have like this wild productive streak. You know, I always notice when I start picking up things, or I sit down, I pay attention to that and I tried to notice like, What is it now in me that feels productive, and I just lean into it just like when you lean in when you're in love, like, Ah, this feels so good. But just remember productivities like, like a butterfly. You know, it's kind of come and gonna go and you got to capture it when you have and don't be too hard on yourself, it's totally okay to not be productive. And I think too many people today online make a big deal about showing their computer setups or there's a program called notion a lot of people use now to manage their life. And, you know, you don't need an Instagram version of your life to show that your productive. Productivity is really the kindness you show yourself when you're not being productive.

** **QUESTION**:**

What is your favorite app and why? (Karissa)

**ANSWER**

Ah, so first off, like don't even try it. productivity is like, love. It comes and you don't know when it's gonna come and then it goes and you don't know why it left. So be patient with productivity. There's no, there's no right conditions. I mean, you can make things easier to want to be productive. But having it show up or creating it for yourself is not really possible. What I always tell people when I talk about this in my book is, if you ever noticed you are productive, like all of a sudden, you have like this wild productive streak. You know, I always notice when I start picking up things, or I sit down, I pay attention to that and I tried to notice like, What is it now in me that feels productive, and I just lean into it just like when you lean in when you're in love, like, Ah, this feels so good. But just remember productivities like, like a butterfly. You know, it's kind of common Gonna go and you got to capture it when you have and don't be too hard on yourself, it's totally okay to not be productive. And I think too many people today online make a big deal about showing their computer setups or there's a program called notion a lot of people use now to manage their life. And, you know, you don't need an Instagram version of your life to show that your productive productivity is really the kindness you show yourself when you're not being productive.

** **QUESTION**:**

 Does recording your data ever take away from the actual experience? (like writing in your lunch with friends, etc) (Elissa)

**ANSWER**

I want to say the one I just released, but I won't say that because I hate people who sell makes me makes me cringe. I'd say probably my favorite app. It's gonna I'm gonna cheat again, it's the telephone app. I love talking on the telephone, although some people don't like it, but if I had to pick something after telephone, probably my calendar. I love seeing like the day and the weather. I love looking at old days and saying what I did I just think calendars are such universally powerful tools and no matter how you use it, it's it can be really cool. But I like all the fun ones too. I like all the social media. I don't understand Tick Tock although my 10 year old is on Tick Tock so thanks for asking. I hope I didn't let you down. chrissa

** **QUESTION**:**

 Are there days when you want to stop? If you were to stop for a day, how would that affect your data? (Elissa)

**ANSWER**

Ah, um, so yeah, I think it's a natural thing to, to wonder. And it can I think if you get too involved in it, so what I've tried to do with all of my data collection is combine two fundamental aspects of data. One is low friction data collection, meaning that has just been collected. I don't have to break gaze or I don't have to stop paying attention. So for example, if you have your phone with you, there's an app on the phone called Shazam. And it can just listen to music without you really launching it. And this allows it to record all the songs you listen to. A lot of food apps will have barcode scanner scanners, and you can create meals. So in your specific example, you just log the meal after you're done with your friends, or you just jot it down. Another low friction way to log me also just take a picture of them and review them later when no one's around. But I think something I noticed in your question that I think is really important is, is that a lot of there's a lot of conversations in the world today about if you're using your device while you're with people.

And I think we need to be real careful with that. Because, you know, if your friends are using their devices and they're not quote unquote, paying attention to you, doesn't mean they're bad people. I mean, you never know what's going on with someone else. They might be in a an argument with someone they care about, they might have just gotten bad news. There's so many reasons that someone could be using No device not paying attention to you. I think the really amazing thing that we all can do for each other right now is stop worrying about who's paying attention to us and just live like, everyone isn't

** **QUESTION**:**

Are there days when you want to stop? If you were to stop for a day, how would that affect your data? (Elissa)

**ANSWER**

So I think there are days that I wish I didn't think about it. I mean, it's just like, this theory called the observer effect, like things change when they know they're being watched. But it doesn't, I mean, I've been doing it so long and only room give it a thought much anymore. I have actually been quote unquote, offline, twice. So once in 2015, I went on a 10 day. mindful Silent Retreat, so I wasn't allowed to talk. I wasn't allowed to write I wasn't allowed to have a phone. I wasn't in a lot of books, so that there's a lot of missing data in that all right. And then when I got married in 2018, went for a vacation around Europe with my partner and I actually gave my devices to my partner and he did everything we needed to do. Um, I'll be honest, I think it's more odd to not have your devices than to take time away from them. And I think kind of sets a precedent that somehow you're a better person because you don't have your phone. Because I think you're a better person because you don't judge other people has nothing to do with how you're using your phone.

** **QUESTION**:**

What are your tips for staying healthy? How can the average person become healthier? (Maeve)

**ANSWER**

You know, I think you got to look at health as like a whole health perspective. If you're someone who's really uncomfortable in your body, whether you're too thin or too big, or just just don't feel comfortable, maybe don't start there. Maybe start with your mind. And if you're totally anxious and worried all the time, maybe don't start with your mind. Start with your body. I always tell people you know Your body and health is really a moving target. And you got to get on the train where the train is slowest. So I always tell people break, break your health apart, you know, your mental, your emotional, your biological or physical and then your spiritual. And you know, I don't mean religious, I just mean how you serve others because like helping out a friend is a way of staying healthy. So definitely do that. And then how can the average person become healthier? It really depends on what area you're talking about. But I would definitely say talk to your friends about how they stay healthy. Because I think if we all shared more data and more opinions with each other, we'd find out that no one's got a monopoly on feeling good. And it's a lot easier to feel good when you realize everybody's just like you.

** **QUESTION**:**

What is the most important thing you should track using technology? (Chloe)

**ANSWER**

This is so hard because a lot of people today They're starting to track 10 text messages between friends to see who's a better friend or boyfriends or girlfriends or during this. It's it's a sticky one. Um, I think because you say what's the most important thing to track with technology? You know, my favorite thing I think to watch is screenshots. I've taken screenshots of my phone once a month, every year since 2008. It's almost like pictures of you growing older, because I think your phone and what icons are on your home screen say a lot about you. It also says a lot about what you value. I do this thing all over the world called phone palmistry where people wait in line, they hand me their phone, and I just look at their home screen and like I'm reading a palm and I tell them about it. So I'd say the most important thing is something really simple like that, like just pay attention to like how you use your phone even like your battery like which apps use battery tell you a lot. A lot of phones today do this thing called screen time. So they'll tell you what apps but to me that feels cringy and judgy because it's like sweet, you use snap Have 10% more than last week. And it's like, I just tell me how much I'll figure out whether it's bad or good. But again, it's really important what you want. I'll tell you this doesn't matter what in your life you want to change, there is a way to track it. I can guarantee you that there's some pretty inventive stuff I've seen. So thank you for that question.

** **QUESTION**:**

Do you see a future where more and more people will become connected to technology? (Oliver)

**ANSWER**

Absolutely. I mean, if you just look at 10 years ago, 2010, only 20% of the world or at least in the United States had a smartphone today that number is like 75%. I can tell you this in 10 years, so 2030 you will not recognize the world when it comes to technology, more people will be wearing it. There'll be inserting it you know, with things like specialized earphones. And by then we'll have a lot of people who've kind of gone to this new level where they're inserting it inside their body. We already have that, you know, people who have heartburn Have pacemakers, people who are diabetic sometimes can have insulin pumps. But the idea of kind of full time monitoring yourself with chips and implants will be much more mainstream in 10 years, it seems kind of wild. Now, in Sweden, I invest about a lot of time in Sweden, a lot of people have chips in their hands so they can ride the train and use them for keys and things. So the future of our relationship with technology is probably much more expansive than you can think about. But don't get too caught up in it because you can get like really wild like, Oh my gosh, what does this mean? Just like a cup of tea, we're soaking in it. And it takes a little bit of time to get that flavor. So we've got time we're doing okay.

** **QUESTION**:**

How do you keep all of your devices charged? (Christina)

**ANSWER**

Oh my goodness. My house is full of cables. I got a lot. Every room has a plug for something. Some rooms have multiple plugs. Although I have to be honest, I love wireless charging. I love just setting things down. I also have multiples of many devices. So I've got four different Apple Watches depending on the function for AirPods, multiple phones, multiple laptops and screens and things, not because I need that many just because they're charging you don't want to take a break. So yeah, it's there's charging is expensive. If you think about investing, find battery battery technology that that's the future.

** **QUESTION**:**

How do you use music to impact your mood? (Meghan)

**ANSWER**

Whoo, that's a biggie. When I'm sad, I listen to less music when I'm happy. I listened to more. When I want to focus. I listen to music that I don't normally listen to. I talked about this in my book too. Like one of the fastest ways to like really get something done is put on your headphones and listen to something you don't listen to like a style of music you don't listen to because it short circuit your brain often times moments when we're listening to music that we really enjoy, it's so much easier just like drift away in it and, you know, not really get things done in the way we want to but music is a big mood impactor for me more so it dictating when I might be in a not good space. So I really pay close attention to when my music listening goes down, because that usually means I need to reach out to people. But, you know, it's like anything out you know, just being gentle with that is probably the most important thing.

** **QUESTION**:**

How might a student use data to find time to relax and meditate during a super busy day? (Kingston)

**ANSWER**

Um I think there are a couple of ways you can answer this question Kingston. The first one is, you could use data by collecting data about your day just to share it with the people who are keeping you busy. teachers, parents, coaches, Friends, so that they know how you're how busy your day is already. A lot of times, we've become conditioned to treat each other almost like we're on demand, like we're a Netflix show that someone could just jump in and start engaging with. And we need to be super clear about what our expectations are as far as our days. And one way you can do that is just sharing your calendar. You don't have to put what you're doing, just share when you're busy. Another way you can do that, and something I do is I have very specific ways people can engage with me, they can DM me on Twitter, they can call me etc. But I think telling people how you want to be engaged with can help almost segment like a lock in where a boat go through a channel. segment your time. There are other ways. I mean, there are some methods now called time blocking where you can actually block out large periods of time but I'll be honest with you, Kingston every time I've done that I just use the time for something else. I think meditation is so critical important, but remember, there's a lot of ways to meditate. You can meditate by just really moving slow. Sometimes if I'm having one of those days where I'm super busy, I'll just make sure I really exaggerate my movements. And I do this when I'm alone because it would look awkward if I did this on the high street. But when I'm alone, I'll just like really exaggerate my movement.