Addicted to metrics: "Some practice mindfulness... I relax by analyzing my data"

Morris Villarroel, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, meticulously records his daily life in notebooks, documenting everything from significant events to mundane occurrences. His practice, inspired by the Quantified Self movement, reflects a deep curiosity about existence and self-analysis. He uses this data to explore patterns in his behavior, treating the process as a form of meditation. The trend of self-quantification has evolved, with many adopting similar practices to improve health and productivity. Sociologists Carl Cederström and André Spicer highlight how personal well-being has become a moral imperative in modern society, emphasizing the visible results of self-improvement efforts. Their own experiment in self-optimization revealed the challenges and absurdities of extreme self-improvement attempts.