So you probably have figured out that I like lists. I love
tracking things. Not only do I have a spreadsheet just for tracking
books I read, I also have one for monthly rental cars, work expenses, using
PTO, and I briefly had one to track the outfits I wore to different clients
(can’t be caught wearing the same thing two times in a row!). It’s not like I’m
even that good at spreadsheets, I just really, really, really like being able
to track things and see what’s happening. Certain friends of mine who will
remain unnamed would probably make a comment about how this ties into my
alleged control issues, but I really just see it as a manifestation of a family
disease.
That disease being the Spreadsheet Sickness.
There are so many
things I can say about my family, besides the fact that they’re awesome. But
for today, we’re going to concentrate on our obsessive need to track and
organize. See, it’s not just me.
Growing up I didn’t initially realize there was anything
weird going on. I only saw my extended family for holidays since we lived about
6 hours away. It wasn’t until I was older and more involved in family
activities that I started to sense the madness. I already knew that entire half
of the family was obsessed on arriving to things early (and this has been a
constant issue between my dad and my mom and thus given me warring instincts
where I agonize over being late but also hate being early) but I didn’t know
they actively planned to do it.
You have to assume for every family event, there will be a
spreadsheet. I remember when we were planning a surprise birthday for my
grandmother (and that also involved pre-plans on how to get every together secretly
for the planning phase) we had a spreadsheet with not only the necessary food
& decorations, but also potential gifts that I believe listed not only cost
but something like emotional significance?? When everyone used to gather to
bake Christmas cookies after Thanksgiving we had a printed spreadsheet that
listed every cookie, oven temperature, time to prep, time in the oven, etc. We
still have spreadsheets every Christmas to track food, supplies, and who’s
bringing what alcohol (because THAT is super important).
I didn’t really think this would ever pass down to my
generation, but that was before I became Game Commissioner. I’ve already discussed the various
and ridiculous efforts I’ve put into running games on Christmas day. Well,
one of the other duties I’ve picked up for our Christmas celebrations is
helping my dad make grilled cheese for everyone. My first time
assisting I was called in last minute, so I took orders on a piece of
paper. I decided that was HIGHLY inefficient, so this past year, I made a
spreadsheet. No, seriously, see:
This way not only was it easier to identify who had what and
where the grilled cheese was placed on the grill, it also gives us data on
which cheeses were popular and what we probably don’t need to bring next year.
And omg if we do it again next year I’ll be able to track trends. You have no
idea how excited I get about this!
The next hint that I’ve really succumbed to this family
disease was when I went on vacation with my parents this month. My dad kept
asking for our plans of what we were going to do each day. My mother was
failing at making a list. So, I made another spreadsheet, which allowed me to color
code things that we had definitely decided on (green), versus things that
weren’t set and depended on other factors (red).
The final nail in the coffin was getting a Fitbit. I’ve had
it a little over a week, and DEAR GOD I love it! I’ve been tracking my steps
per day, activities, calories burned, calories eaten, water consumed, and
sleeping habits. It’s the ultimate gadget for people with an obsessive need to
track things. I adore the fact that I can look at my app or log in online and
see my best day of activity versus my worst.
I love having visibility into what I’m doing. I had already
started tracking my jazzercise classes for my own purposes (35 classes this
year as of this morning!) but now it’s very clear to me when I’m doing more
outside of class instead of sitting around doing nothing. I feel more motivated
to walk around. Not going to lie, sometimes I walk in circles around my
apartment at night to increase my step count. I’ve also learned that apparently
I drink TONS of water in a day. I drink over 70 ounces of water every single
day. One day I had about 110 ounces!
Is it good to encourage my obsessive need to track things?
Let’s go with yes, because I said so.
