Gary Wolf of the NYT Mag says,"For a long time, only one area of human activity appeared to be immune. In the cozy confines of personal life, we rarely used the power of numbers. The techniques of analysis that had proven so effective were left behind at the office at the end of the day and picked up again the next morning."
Not anymore. The article does not just address the data guru named Barooah who formulaically calculates his every move 24-7. It can be applied to any one's life- even those who live the simplest of existences. When I started to think about how calculated (or not) my own personal daily life was, I questioned the areas in my life that I predetermine/control and the areas that I leave open for spontaneous guessing. Perhaps I am taking this in the wrong direction (less empirical data, more interpretive style), but here is what I found:
I wake up at a calculated time every morning, due to the annoyingly strong alarm on my digital clock. I attempt to calculate the timing and arrival of the MBTA system- trying to spend the least amount of time possible waiting in the rain.Once I have jumped on the bus or train, I play the calculating game all over again, in order to find a place to sit. Class involves calculating when to talk, when to keep my mouth shut. Lunch involves deciding what to order at Subway and calculating whether I have sufficient pocket change or do I need the ATM? (Or, more importantly, do I put on the extra mayo I love and suck up the extra calories?) My afternoon means running between work and meetings, calculating whether I have time to do errands in between. By the time dinner rolls around, I am playing more calculating games trying to get in touch with my boyfriend- does he want to get dinner- and finding time to call my parents, decide what homework is absolutely necessary, and catch up on my social media sites, which I adore and I have sorely missed while I was away from my computer (I have yet to purchase an iPhone- college student budget and all). Sleep is a distant thought that makes me smile but then has no further impact on my ability to rest my body. There are also all of the calculations that run through my head, like scrolling subtitles on a movie screen: all of the things that I should have completed but have somehow managed to avoid. These are my MISCALCULATIONS and these I write down and then dismiss immediately. What's the point on dwelling on them?
So, basically, I owe a special thanks to Mr. Wolf and Mr. Barooah who have opened my eyes to the reason behind my perpetual fatigue: I am over-calculating my life. Everything I do takes at least double the effort and if you are multi-tasking on top of that, well there goes your good night sleep.
By Catherine Moore, camorous@gmail.com
