Human Changelogs

I quite like Changelogs. They are these lists of changes in some kind of software.

Things that have been added, removed, changed or fixed.

While at work, and during a bathroom break, I had this epiphany that well-implemented time trackers are basically changelogs, but for humans. A good time tracker lets you list the things that have happened in your life, what you have been working on, when you started learning French or when you visited Spain.

Besides tracking the things that have happened in your life I think it would be good to track your habits. When and why you started certain habits. Or why you’re quitting others. This is not a topic I’ve seen much in the trackers of my friends.

I find I often have habits, but I’ve forgotten why they are there. So it’s hard to figure out if they’re still useful and serving their original purpose. Because the original purpose has been forgotten over time.

This could maybe look something like:

DATE        HABIT                     DESC
190207      delayed breakfast         I found I was spending way too much useful 
                                      time in the morning by preparing my breakfast 
                                      before I was even hungry. Now I start the 
                                      day with a cup of tea and work for 25 minutes 
                                      before making breakfast.

190210      started meditating        I want to be better at retaining my focus 
                                      and have moments to recharge during the day.

190227      started journaling        I want to keep track of long-term goals that 
                                      are important to me, to have something to 
                                      look back on in moments of confusion or doubt.