Is Tracking Everything Making Us Better - Or More Disconnected?
A little thought piece inspired by a conversation I had last week with a friend who’s on a mission to track everything. My gut response? The complete opposite: to stop tracking anything at all.
Since then, I’ve been reflecting. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all answer, but I do think it’s worth asking: Is what we’re tracking actually helping our wellbeing—or quietly getting in the way of it?
Hope it gives you something to think about.
Kim x
It started with a conversation.
Someone told me the key to improving your life is to track everything: calories, sleep cycles, heart rate, mood, hydration. The more you measure, the more control you gain. The more control you gain, the better you become.
I pushed back - hard but couldnt’ quite find the words to articulate my why.
Not because I don’t want to feel better. But because I wonder if, in trying to “optimise” everything, we’ve lost something much harder to measure: trust in ourselves.
What We’re Tracking Now
It’s not just fitness anymore.
We track:
Sleep stages and sleep efficiency
Macronutrients and calories
Steps, heart rate, HRV
Water intake, caffeine, screen time
Productivity scores and focus levels
Mood logs and menstrual cycles
There’s a sense that if we can measure it, we can master it.
But should we?
The Case For Tracking
Plenty of people swear by it.
Tracking can build awareness. Spot patterns. Reveal blind spots.
For some, it’s motivating & empowering to see all their behaviours laid out in graphs and charts. They might sleep better, eat more mindfully, move more regularly.. Data helps to keep them more accountable.
The Case Against
But I can’t help wondering: what’s the emotional cost?
When does helpful tracking become compulsive monitoring?
When does self-awareness turn into self-surveillance?
There’s even a name now - orthosomnia - for anxiety caused by sleep trackers. Some people sleep worse because they’re chasing perfect scores.
Others burn out from constant food logging.
Even fitness - something joyful and grounding - can become another metric to manage.
My Big Question
Are we more in tune with ourselves because of this data - or less?
A couple of Christmases ago, I was gifted an Apple Watch. I wore it religiously for about three months. I could suddenly measure so many new things - heart rate, calories burned, movement streaks. And at first, I thought it would motivate me. I assumed seeing the numbers would push me to do more, be better.
But something unexpected happened.
It started to suck the joy out of movement.
Exercise - something I’d always loved for the feeling it gave me - became about numbers. Hitting rings. Logging steps.
And it wasn’t just the tracking. It was the whole performance. Remembering to charge it. Feeling like I had to wear it all the time. Getting notifications mid-walk. It began to stress me out.
Eventually, I took it off—and never put it back on.
And you know what? The motivation didn’t disappear.
Because it was never about the numbers.
It was about being outside. Moving because it felt good. Letting my body guide me, not my wrist.
The Wellness Industry Paradox
While we're tracking more and striving harder, the wellness industry is booming. In 2023, it reached a staggering $6.3 trillion and is projected to hit nearly $9 trillion by 2028.
And yet - people aren’t necessarily feeling better. Reports show rising levels of anxiety, burnout, and dissatisfaction with the very systems meant to support us (Vogue Business).
It makes me wonder: if the industry is thriving but we’re still struggling, is it really wellness we’re chasing—or just another form of performance?
Maybe What We Need Isn’t More Optimisation - It’s More Intuition
This isn’t an argument against information. Data can be helpful. But only if it doesn’t override how we feel.
Wellness isn’t just about improving numbers. It’s about improving the way we live, the way we relate to ourselves.
And sometimes, trusting your body might be the most radical act of self-care.
I don’t have all the answers.
And maybe there is no definitive answer…
For some people, tracking is motivating and empowering.. If you're trying to conceive, tracking your cycle might be deeply helpful. If you’re managing a health condition, data can be a lifeline.
But not everything needs to be monitored to be meaningful.
So maybe the better question isn’t “Should I track X?”
But:
Why do I feel the need to track this?
What do I hope to feel after I do?
Because if tracking helps you feel more connected to yourself, great.
But if it starts making you feel like you’re never enough, or it’s sucking the joy out of activieis, it’s a good time to ask these questions.
Kim Palmer, Founder - Clementine